Germany Vacation Package:
Stuttgart and the beautiful Neckar-Valley from Esslingen to Marbach

Each of this three castles has their own park. Interesting is the Favoritepark, a park where fallow dears, European mouflon, lots of bird species, bats and squirrels found a natural habitat. During summer months the Blühende Barock, best translated with Blooming Baroque, is a well-visited park landscape around the huge residential Baroque Palace. From August through November 2009 this park showcases a real special treat with the world greatest Pumpkin Exhibition. Admire bizarre growths, gorgeous colors and unusual forms from over 450 different kinds of pumpkins. Additional the pumpkin sale offers a unique variety of selected squashes and many more delicacies in the pumpkin shop.

Visiting Stuttgart you best begin at the Schlossplatz, Castle-Square, which is centrally located and a good starting point for a shopping spree in the nearby . This is a great shopping mile, in fact 1,000 meters long, where you will find shopping malls, special shops and boutiques; Cafes and resting areas. On top of this street-artists give concerts or theater shows are staged and make a visit always worthwhile. The nearest vineyard, the Kriegsberg, is only a short walk away from the train-station and makes clear that wine is also a big theme in Stuttgart. Visit a Besen, a kind of wine-pub, which open now in the autumn season and get a taste of the fresh wines, served in a Viertele, 0.25 l and along with it enjoy great local foods.

If you prefer beer, Stuttgart hosts the annual second largest Beer Festival in Germany, this year from the 25th of September to the 11th of October. Fair ground attractions, traditional costumes, gastronomic delights, typical German Brass Band music and an open air market attract each year an ever growing number of visitors.

The small town of Marbach is integrated in the Deutschen Fachwerkstraße, German Framework Road, the Württembergische Weinstraße and the Schwäbischen Dichterstraße, Swabian Poet Road. High above the River Neckar, on the southern slope of the Strenzelbachtal, lies the old town center of Marbach, since 1983 under monument protection. Surrounded by the picturesque landscape of vineyards and fruit orchards, Marbach is a great place to spend a leisure day. Three sites of the historical town center are still enclosed by the original fortification and towers. The oldest intact landmark is the Obere Torturm, Upper Gate-Tower, which can be visited daily. On 5 levels you can learn about the tower and the town's fortification history; and once you've reached the top of the 40 meters high tower, you forget about the 95 steps since the views are breathtaking. Below the old town center at the River Neckar, you can embark on a boat-trip to enjoy the beautiful Neckar Valley.

Marbach is known as the birthplace of the classical poet and dramatist, Friedrich Schiller. Although Schiller moved away as a child, he is commemorated in Marbach by the Schiller-Nationalmuseum and Deutsches Literaturarchiv, Schiller National Museum and German Literature Archive, one of the main archives of literature history in the Germany. The year 2009 marks the 250th birthday of Schiller on the 10th November 1759, and many special cultural activities will take place in Marbach around this time.

Stuttgart is renowned for its car producing companies Mercedes Benz and Porsche. The latter opened in January 2009 a brand-new museum in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen and this is a must see for every car enthusiast. The changing exponents display the best of Porsche style and design, including racing cars and are chosen from a total of around 300 available models. The museum complex houses three different theme restaurants. The exclusive Christophorus Restaurant in the upper part of the building displays the style of an Old American Diner, has a huge wine cellar and a separate cigar-lounge.

More celebrations are on the way for the autumn season 2009. Take the evening and visit the Friedrichsbau Varieté. They celebrate their 15th birthday in style with a special show between the 4th of September and the 31st of October. The theme is ZAUBER ZAUBER, magic-magic, and you can expect nothing less then a great Magic-Revue with international magicians, illusionists and manipulators, mixed with great humor, elegance and perfect timing.