Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion and the Stuttgart Opera House. (Ulmer/Imago/Icon SMI, AP Photo/Myriam Vogel)

On the face of it, the south-west German city of Stuttgart does not seem to be a natural habitat for football.

Appropriately for a place which is home to luxury car giants Daimler-Benz and Porsche, it has one of the highest standards of living in Germany, and with millionaires abounding, it is no surprise that Stuttgart has a well-earned reputation for being something of a mecca for highbrow cultural pursuits: classical music, ballet, museums, theatre.

That, however, is not the whole story. The city's football club, the four times German champions VfB Stuttgart boast a large, youthful and passionate following and they can certainly drum up a feverish atmosphere at their renovated 47,757 capacity home, the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadium.

English-speaking visitors here can expect a warm welcome as Stuttgart fans have a pronounced liking for the English game and need little prompting to churn out their own versions of Premiership terrace chants.

The Gottlieb-Daimler, which was built in 1933 as the Neckarstadion and is found in the north-east suburb of Bad Cannstatt, can be reached in one of two ways. Either take the suburban shuttle railway (S-Bahn) S1 from the central railway station (Hauptbahnhof) in the direction of Plochingen, getting off at the Gottlieb Daimler stop, and taking a 15-minute walk to the ground. Alternatively, use the underground U11 line from the central station to Schleyerhalle, which is around five minutes from the stadium on foot.

Close to the stadium is the Mercedes Benz Museum (open Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: entrance free). A recorded commentary tells the fascinating story of how Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz got their innovative car designs off the drawing board in the late nineteenth century and there are more than seventy lovingly restored vehicles to marvel at, including the Grande Mercedes of the 1930s and the Popemobile.

The railway station is the perfect device to find one's bearings in Stuttgart. It is slap-bang in the centre of town just north of the main pedestrian shopping street, Konigstrasse, and can be spotted from afar by the trademark Mercedes white three-pointed star which adorns its tower. Conveniently, the tourist office is right opposite, while the bus station is adjacent.

Stuttgart is served by a superior public transport network of U and S Bahn trains, trams and buses, with the same tickets valid for all. Single tickets cost €1.60 within the central zone and a four-journey strip ticket will set you back €6. As the sights are somewhat dispersed around the greater metropolitan area, it would be more than worthwhile to invest in a day ticket at €4.80. Stuttgart's international airport is 13 km to the south of the city and is linked to the railway station by S Bahn lines S2 and S3, journey time 30 minutes.

Do try to find the time to check out Stuttgart's superb parks such as the magnificent Schlossgarten (Palace Gardens), which extend from the Neckar River to the city centre, the Rosenstein Park (take U Bahn 1,2 14 to Mineralbader) and the Weissenburg Park, where great panoramic views of the city are to be had (take the U5 or U6 to Bopser). The Schlossgarten and Weissenburg each have fine beer gardens.

Another must-see is the Porsche Museum to the north of the city. The luxury car maker run extensive guided tours and the exhibits are to die for. Take the S6 line to Neuwirtshaus.

Looking for Stuttgart's best bars and restaurants? Try the Bohnenviertel quarter south of the market place. The area in and around Eberhardstrasse is a particularly good spot as well, featuring the cocktail bar/pub Hans im Gluck on Geissstrasse. Compared to other German cities, Stuttgart has a far higher percentage of wine drinkers (Riesling and Trollinger), but plenty of excellent beer is produced too. Try the various offerings of the Dinkelacker, Hofbrau, Schwaben Brau and Calwer-Eck breweries.

Food-wise, Stuttgart's watchword is noodles with everything. Virtually every main course will come either with 'Spatzle' (shredded pasta made from eggs and flour) or 'Maultaschen', which are very similar to Italian ravioli. Pancakes (Fladle) are very popular. Potato soup (Kartoffelsuppe), lentils with sausage (Linsen und Saiten) and Gaisburger Marsch, a sort of Lancashire hot pot with noodles added are also local favourites and all manner of ethnic cuisines can be sampled too: Italian, Greek, Turkish, Persian, North African.

The centrally-located Markthalle market on Dorotheenstrasse is a great place for putting a picnic together. South of here is the huge Breuninger shopping centre, and for night owls, the city's most popular disco is Perkins Park on Stresemannstrsse, complete with two dance floors and an eclectic roster of DJs.

If you are staying here for a few days, the Stuttgart Card Plus -- available from the tourist office -- makes for good value. For €14, it gives you unlimited use of public transport for three days, discounts on leisure activities and free entry to museums.

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