Things to Do in Stuttgart in December
December weather, activities, events & insider tips
December Weather in Stuttgart
Is December Right for You?
Advantages
- Christmas market season runs full throttle through December 23rd - Stuttgart's market spreads across Schlossplatz, Marktplatz, and Karlsplatz with 280+ stalls selling Glühwein (mulled wine) for €3.50-4.50 per mug, handcrafted ornaments, and regional specialties like Maultaschen and Schupfnudeln. The city goes genuinely festive without the tourist crush you'd find in Munich or Nuremberg.
- Indoor attractions hit their stride when the weather turns properly cold - the Mercedes-Benz Museum and Porsche Museum become ideal all-day destinations (budget 3-4 hours each, €10-16 entry), the Staatsgalerie art museum stays comfortably heated, and the Markthalle food hall serves as a warm refuge with 33 vendors offering everything from Turkish gözleme to Swabian Käsespätzle.
- Hotel pricing drops significantly after December 23rd when business travelers disappear for the holidays - you'll find 4-star properties in Mitte dropping from €180-220 per night to €90-130 between December 24-31, though you'll sacrifice the Christmas market atmosphere for better value and emptier streets.
- Winter hiking in the surrounding Swabian hills becomes atmospheric rather than crowded - trails around Birkenkopf (511m / 1,677 ft elevation) and through the vineyards of Rotenberg offer clear days with visibility stretching 30-40 km (18-25 miles) across the valley, and the traditional Besenwirtschaften (seasonal wine taverns) serve warming Trollinger red wine and hearty Zwiebelkuchen onion tart to maybe a dozen locals instead of summer's packed crowds.
Considerations
- Daylight runs painfully short - sunrise around 8:10am, sunset by 4:30pm means you're working with roughly 8 hours of usable daylight, and the frequent overcast conditions make it feel even darker. If you're planning outdoor activities, you'll need to structure your entire day around that 10am-3pm window when there's decent light.
- The weather sits in that frustrating zone between proper winter and just cold dampness - temperatures hover right around freezing 0°C (32°F), which means you get occasional light snow that immediately turns to slush, persistent drizzle that's too light for an umbrella but soaks you anyway, and that penetrating cold that feels worse than actual subzero temperatures because of the 70% humidity.
- Christmas markets shut down completely on December 24th, and the entire city essentially closes December 25-26 for the holidays - restaurants, shops, most attractions all go dark. If you're here December 24-26 expecting the festive atmosphere to continue, you'll find yourself in a ghost town with limited dining options beyond hotel restaurants and the occasional Turkish or Asian place that stays open.
Best Activities in December
Christmas Market Circuit Through City Center
Stuttgart's Weihnachtsmarkt setup is actually one of Germany's largest, spreading across multiple connected squares from late November through December 23rd. The setup works well because each square has a different character - Schlossplatz features the massive illuminated tree and traditional crafts, Marktplatz focuses on food stalls with proper sit-down areas serving Flammkuchen and Reibekuchen potato pancakes, while Karlsplatz skews younger with craft beer stands and contemporary design vendors. December weather makes this ideal since you're constantly moving between warm Glühwein stands, ducking into heated vendor huts, and the cold actually enhances the experience rather than fighting against it. The crowds peak 5-8pm on weekends but thin out significantly before noon and after 9pm.
Automotive Museum Tours
December weather makes this the perfect month to spend 3-4 hours inside the Mercedes-Benz Museum or Porsche Museum without feeling like you're wasting good weather. Both museums maintain comfortable 20°C (68°F) temperatures, and the crowds drop noticeably in December compared to summer tour bus season. The Mercedes museum works better for general audiences with its chronological journey through automotive history, while Porsche skews more enthusiast-focused. Worth noting that both museums are in Bad Cannstatt and Zuffenhausen respectively, requiring 20-30 minute S-Bahn rides from the city center, but that actually works in your favor since you're not battling weather during transit.
Swabian Wine Tavern Experiences
December is actually prime season for the traditional Besenwirtschaften - small, family-run wine taverns in the hillside vineyards surrounding Stuttgart that only open seasonally. These places serve the current year's Trollinger, Lemberger, and Riesling wines alongside simple but excellent Swabian food like Maultaschen pasta pockets, Zwiebelkuchen onion tart, and blood sausage with Sauerkraut. The December timing works because you can combine a 2-3 hour afternoon hike through the Rotenberg or Uhlbach vineyards with a warm meal and wine at the end, and the bare winter vines actually offer better valley views than summer's leafy cover. Temperatures around 3-5°C (37-41°F) make the hiking comfortable if you're dressed properly.
Staatsgalerie and Museum District Walking
Stuttgart's museum quarter becomes genuinely appealing in December when the cold weather makes indoor cultural time feel productive rather than obligatory. The Staatsgalerie holds one of Germany's best art collections spanning medieval to contemporary, with particularly strong German Expressionist and Picasso holdings. The building itself - a postmodern addition by James Stirling wrapped around the original neoclassical structure - is worth the visit regardless of the art. You can easily combine this with the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart on Schlossplatz for contemporary work, creating a 4-5 hour museum circuit with warm cafe breaks. December also brings special Christmas-themed exhibitions and evening events with extended hours until 8pm on Thursdays.
Thermal Bath and Spa Sessions
The Leuze Mineral Baths and nearby MineralBad Cannstatt tap into Stuttgart's natural mineral springs, and December is when locals actually use these facilities most heavily. The outdoor thermal pools maintain 32-36°C (90-97°F) temperatures year-round, and there's something genuinely restorative about floating in hot mineral water while snow or rain falls around you. The facilities include saunas, steam rooms, and indoor pools, making this an ideal 3-4 hour activity when the weather turns particularly miserable. The mineral content is legitimately therapeutic - Stuttgart sits on one of Europe's largest mineral water reserves - not just spa marketing language.
Ludwigsburg Palace Christmas Market and Baroque Gardens
About 15 km (9 miles) north of Stuttgart, Ludwigsburg Palace hosts a separate Baroque Christmas Market through December 23rd that feels distinctly different from Stuttgart's main markets - smaller scale, set within the palace courtyards, with more focus on traditional crafts and classical music performances. The palace itself, Germany's largest Baroque structure, offers guided tours through the ornately decorated state rooms that take on special atmosphere with Christmas decorations. December weather makes the formal gardens less impressive since everything's dormant, but the palace interiors shine. You can combine this with the nearby Blühendes Barock gardens if you catch a clear day, though realistically the palace and market will fill 3-4 hours.
December Events & Festivals
Stuttgart Christmas Market
Runs from late November through December 23rd across Schlossplatz, Marktplatz, and Karlsplatz with 280+ vendors. This is one of Germany's oldest and largest Christmas markets, dating back to 1692. The setup includes a massive illuminated Christmas tree on Schlossplatz, traditional carousel, and the distinctive baroque backdrop of the Altes Schloss palace. The market shuts down completely on December 24th, so plan accordingly.
New Year's Eve Celebrations at Schlossplatz
Stuttgart hosts a large public New Year's Eve party on Schlossplatz with live music stages, food vendors, and fireworks at midnight. The event draws 50,000+ people and runs from around 8pm through 1am. Free entry, though you'll want to arrive by 10pm for decent viewing positions near the main stage. The surrounding bars and restaurants in Mitte offer reservation-only dinner packages for €80-150 per person if you prefer indoor celebration.