Stuttgart

When we took that same Delta flight from Stuttgart to Atlanta a few years ago we wanted to be near the airport but it looked like accommodations for downtown Stuttgart or near the airport were more expensive than we wanted. I settled on Herrenberg, a pretty little town filled with Fachwerk buildings. It's less than 10 min farther from Herrenberg to the airport by S-bahn than from the Stuttgart Hbf. We stayed at Pension Kirchgasse-1, right on the town square. Send Karin an email. She speaks very good English.

We stayed at the City Hotel. It is in a nice residential area with an easy walk to the city center. Good breakfast and a nice staff. It is near the Olgaeck subway station which gives you easy access to the transportation system if you need it. We walked from and to the train station.

Stuttgart is beautiful (especially in fall) with enough to see in the area to keep you busy for a couple days (although not much longer than that). Stuttgart is doable as a day trip from Strasbourg. It's about 90 minutes by TGV train, and I don't think the tickets are too awful if you purchase them in advance. The main train station is in the center of the city. On the other hand, it is certainly convenient to be in the city of departure before you go back. I'm not that familiar with hotels here (having only stayed in the Millenium at the SI-Center, which has been bought by another company now) although as much as I wouldn't normally recommend tourists stay there, the SI-Center (a large entertainment complex) is very close to the airport and is about a 20 minute U-Bahn ride (one connection) to the center of Stuttgart. It has a bunch of (mostly mediocre) restaurants and stuff to keep a kid entertained - including a daycare even - so it might be a good compromise in terms of a relatively low-stress way to end a trip with the benefit of only being a 5 minute drive from the airport. I can't imagine a taxi from the SI Center would cost more than 10 euro or so. The hotels at the Center are called "Dormero" and "SI-Suites". There are also obviously hotels in the center of town, where you'd be more central to the sights. I can't say I know much about them. Getting to the airport via public transit is also very easy from the city center, however - there's a direct S-Bahn train from the main train station, it takes about 15 minutes or so and drops you off RIGHT at the airport. Even with a kid and luggage it's an easy trip.

Sarah, you live in Stuttgart? You should no know better. The S-Bahn (S2/S3) takes 27 min to the airport from the Hbf. The point, it's not quite as quick as you make it sound. But I don't think I'd feel comfortable coming all the way from Strasbourg, either.

Lee - Yes, I live here. But I am not the board's resident "expert" on German train travel, I leave that to odd U.S. residents. 15-20 minutes to 27 minutes. A terrible, terrible gaffe on my part. Point being, it's an extremely convenient and fast way to get to an airport, as it drops you off directly at the terminal.

I flew out of Stuttgart a few years ago and found it a very easy airport. BTW you might check out this link on things to do with children. Your 2-year-old might be ready for a zoo after some time in Alsace. http://www.spenddaywithkids.com/home/placesAroundLocation?locationName=Germany+Stuttgart BTW I had dinner at the Alsace Cafe on the upper east side of NYC last night. Great wine, great beer, great sausage, and great quiche. ; ) Lots of happy noisy people. Pam

The zoo and botanical gardens (Wilhema) here in Stuttgart are fantastic for kids (and adults - beautiful historic neo-Moorish architecture!) Stuttgart also has a planetarium, and while the presentations are in German I doubt that would bother a toddler. There's also a wealth of parks with great playgrounds, carousels, and so forth. The Tourist Information here in town publishes a cheap booklet in English with a whole section on what to do with kids - and it's right across from the Train Station.