Reutlingen

Reutlingen is rich in history and traditions as a former Free Imperial City (Freie Reichsstadt) and is with a population of about 116,000 (2020) among the top ten cities in Baden-Württemberg.

Understand

It is an industrial city at the foot of the Swabian Mountains, home to Robert Bosch GmbH's Automotive Electronics division as well as Reutlingen University (FH Reutlingen). The University is home to the highly regarded European School of Business, as well as Production Management and International Business schools. This school was founded to support the textile industry that once thrived in Reutlingen (Hugo Boss's headquarters is located in neighboring Metzingen), but which has since been replaced by Bosch as the town's main source of industry.

Get in

Marienkirche in Reutlingen

By plane

From Stuttgart Airport the X3 bus, leaving in front of the terminal 2, takes you to the city center (Stadtmitte). The journey takes about 45 minutes and costs €6.60. For more information about the airport see the Stuttgart page. The train connection from the airport to Reutlingen takes 1 hour and 30 minutes, is quite complicated and expensive. New rail connections are under construction and are scheduled to open not before 2025.

By train

There are regular train service to and from Tübingen (10 minutes, €3.20) and Stuttgart (35 minutes, €11.80). 1 Reutlingen Hauptbahnhof (railway station).  

By bus

The long-distance bus market has been rapidly expanding in Germany, ever since the passing of a new law in 2013, which enabled companies such as FlixBus to take hold in most parts of the nation. There are dozens of daily services from the majority of major German cities, often significantly cheaper than the alternatives such as train or car. Most buses offer amenities like Wi-Fi and power outlets and some can even transport bicycles. The best resource for checking connections is this German website. All buses leave from the 2 Intercity bus stop Bahnhofstraße, Bahnhofstraße 12 (next to the train station). 

Get around

Reutlingens public transport is part of the Naldo transport network. They have an amazing variety of different tickets for group travel, etc. For a single traveller inside Reutlingen you would get an Einzelfahrschein (Single trip) or a Tageskarte (Day ticket) for one Zone (Wabe). The Einzelfahrschein is valid for 1 hour, the Tageskarte is valid for the rest of the day and costs twice as much as the Einzelfahrschein. The tickets can be bought when you get on the bus or occasionally at ticket machines at the bus stops. The tickets are also valid on the trains (if you have bought a ticket for enough zones) however you cannot buy them on the train, so make sure you have a valid ticket before you get on, otherwise you will be charged a €40 fine.

If your aim is to visit the Swabian Mountains and its beautiful landscapes and protected areas, it is best to use a car.

See

Spitalhof with Marktbrunnen

Spreuerhofstraße

• 1 Marienkirche (St. Mary's church), upper end of Wilhelmstraße, Weibermarkt. The Marienkirche was constructed between 1247 and 1343. It is regarded as one of the most significant gothic buildings in Swabia. The church was built to thank the virgin Mary for the end of the siege the enemy troops of Landgraf Heinrich Raspe.  
• 2 Spreuerhofstraße. The narrowest street in the world, measuring 31 cm in width. The lane was built in 1727 during the reconstruction efforts after the area was completely destroyed in the massive city-wide fire of 1726. 
• 3 Spendhaus. Museum  
• 4 Tübinger Tor. Town gate  
• 5 Gartentor. Town gate  
• 6 Achalm Mountain. landmark  
• 7 Schloss Lichtenstein. landmark  

Do

• Outlet shopping in Metzingen (By train (less than 10 minutes)). The close-by city of Metzingen features outlet shops for almost any major brand. It is well known far beyond Reutlingen as it is often packed with Japanese tourists. 
• Swabian Mountains. Beautiful castles, caves or hiking through the green mountain range can be all done in an easy day trip from Reutlingen. 
• Marbach Stud, Landesgestüt Marbach where the Württemberger warmblood horse originates.

Learn

• Reutlingen University
• VHS Reutlingen The VHS offers all kinds of classes (languages, cooking, etc.) to the general public.

Buy

Reutlingen's main shopping street is the Wilhelmstraße. It has many small shops as well as the bigger stores such as H&M and Breuninger

• Hugo Boss Outlet, Kanalstraße 6, Metzingen. Suits 

Eat

In the city centre of Reutlingen there are many restaurants. Döner Kebap, the excellent Turkish fast-food, can be found on almost every corner of downtown.

Budget

All these are in the city centre:

• 1 Udo-Snack, Kaiserstraße 19. (updated Sep 2022)
• 2 Ohrwurm, Bahnhofstraße 8. (updated Sep 2022)
• 3 Pit-Pat Anlage im PomologiePark, Friedrich-Ebert-Straße 12. (updated Sep 2022)
• 4 Kaiserhalle, Kaiserstraße 58. Gastropub (updated Sep 2022)
• 5 Kebap Häusle, Weibermarkt 10. (updated Sep 2022)
• 6 Cucina Della Mamma, Gartenstraße 50. (updated Sep 2022)
• 7 Asia Mekong, Kanzleistraße 48. (updated Sep 2022)

Mid-range

• 8 Gaststätte Ringelbach, Ringelbachstraße 89. (updated Sep 2022)
• 9 Gerberstüble Restaurant, u. Gerberstraße 19. (updated Sep 2022)
• 10 Ristorante Lichtenstein, Albstraße 15. (updated Sep 2022)

Drink

Pubs and bars

• 1 Irish Pub, Marktplatz 18, Reutlingen (At the market square). An Irish pub where you won't have any problems ordering a drink in English. 
• 2 Alexandre, Marktplatz 20, ☏ +49 7121 371218. 08:00 - 01:00 (weekends till 02:00). Bistro style establishment, also serves food. Nice outside seating area 
• Mezcalitos, Lederstr. 126, Obere Wässere, 72764 Reutlingen, ☏ +49 7121 338728. 17:00-01:00, weekends till 02:00, Sunday open from 12:00. Spanish and Mexican bar. 
• 3 Kaiserhalle, Kaiserstr. 58. F -Sa 18:00-05:00. Great alternative pub with football, live gigs and rock music. (updated May 2015)

Clubs

• Färberei 4, Ziegelweg 3, 72764 Reutlingen. Probably Reutlingen's most popular club, featuring mainstream disco entertainment. 
• M Park, Emil-Adolff-Str. 14, 72760 Reutlingen, ☏ +49 7121-340675. A club featuring 2 rooms (house/techno and party music) and an outdoor terrace. 

Sleep

• City Hotel Fortuna, Am Echazufer 22, D-72764 Reutlingen, ☏ +49 7121 9240. Near the nightlife. 
• Hotel Germania, Unter den Linden 20, 72762 Reutlingen, ☏ +49 7121 31900. Near the train station. 

Go next

• Tübingen - The beautiful university city
• Stuttgart - The green capital of Baden-Württemberg