Airport
Stuttgart Airport, airport code:STR. Stuttgart Airport located nine miles (fourteen kilometers) south of Stuttgart city center. An important domestic and international airport, Stuttgart Airport has four terminals and is used by most major airlines.
Within its four terminals, Stuttgart Airport has some excellent passenger facilities. These include ATMs (cash machine), a bank, bureau de change, an assortment of shops and stores that include duty-free. There is also a superb shopping area within Stuttgart Airport with many high-street, exclusive and duty-free stores. An S-Bahn link (lines S2 and S3) is available with trains running at 10-minute intervals. Bus nos. 33, 7556 and 7600 also connect with the city. There is a 24-hour taxi service to Stuttgart

Visas
Foreigners must have a valid passport to enter Germany and in some cases must produce a return ticket at immigration; nationals of the following countries do not require visas for stays of up to 3 months: Australia, Canada, Japan, Singapore, United States, Israel, New Zealand, Switzerland, Poland, and the European Union. All other nationalities must get a visa in advance of travel to Germany. Citizens of E.U. countries, Switzerland and poland may enter Germany with just an official identity card.

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Currency
euro (EUR); deutsche mark (DEM)
The currency of Germany is the Deutsche Mark (DM). The Deutsche Mark comes in coin denominations of DM5, 2, and 1, and 50, 10, 5, 2, 1 pfennigs; and banknotes of DM10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1,000.
Single European currency (Euro): The Euro is now the official currency of 12 EU member states (including Germany). The first Euro coins and notes were introduced in January 2002 and completely replaced the Deutschmark on 28 February 2002. Euro (€) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of €500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of €2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents.

Credit Cards
These are accepted in approximately 60 per cent of all shops, petrol stations, restaurants and hotels. Nationals of other Western European countries, Canada and the USA will find less credit card availability than they are used to in their own countries and it is advisable to carry cash or a Eurocheque card as well. All major credit cards are accepted.

Tipping
Hotel bills include a service charge, however it is customary to tip porters two DM per bag and to leave that amount each day for room cleaning staff. Restaurants add a service charge (Bedienung) and tax (MWST) to their bills, but it is usual to give around five percent (or a couple of marks) to the waiter or waitress on leaving. Taxi drivers will automatically charge 50 pfennigs extra for each piece of luggage and expect the fare to be rounded up to the nearest mark.

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Useful Numbers
International country code: 49
Telephone Area Code: 0711
Police: 110
Ambulance: 112
Fire: 115

Electricity
220V, 50Hz

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Health Risks
Living and traveling in Germany poses no serious health risk, and the only problematic illness is the common flu. Food laws are extremely strict, food is safe and tap water is drinkable. The medical establishment is among the best in the world, and its services are often free to foreign travelers. Medical coverage is required by law in Germany. Basic travel health insurance is recommended.

Time Zone
GMT/UTC +1(+2 in between April-October)

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Business Hours
Offices: Many businesses close early on Fridays.
Banks: Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. In large cities banks remain open throughout the day.
Government: Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Retail: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Saturday until 4 p.m.). Smaller shops in non-touristed areas may close for a couple of hours around noon.

Holidays
2008
1 Jan New Year's Day.
6 Jan* Epiphany.
21 Mar Good Friday.
24 Mar Easter Monday.
1 May Labour Day.
1 May Ascension.
12 May Whit Monday.
22 May* Corpus Christi.
15 Aug* Assumption.
3 Oct Day of German Unity.
31 Oct* Day of Reformation.
1 Nov* All Saints' Day.
19 Nov* Repentance Day.
25-26 Dec Christmas.

2009
1 Jan New Year's Day.
6 Jan* Epiphany.
10 Apr Good Friday.
13 Apr Easter Monday.
1 May Labour Day.
21 May Ascension.
1 Jun Whit Monday.
11 Jun* Corpus Christi.
15 Aug* Assumption.
3 Oct Day of German Unity.
31 Oct* Day of Reformation.
1 Nov* All Saints' Day.
18 Nov* Repentance Day.
25-26 Dec Christmas.

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Climate
Stuttgart has pleasant climate with warm summers, mild winters and an average annual rainfall of 700 millimetres (28 inches). Temperatures range from around one degree Celsius (34 degrees Fahrenheit) in January to 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) in July and August. It is the warmest part of Baden-Wüttemberg, with other areas of the state having temperatures averaging five degrees colder and almost double the amount of rainfall.

Clothing
Being well and correctly dressed is very important.
Casual or sloppy attire is frowned upon.
For business, men should wear suits (dark colors) and ties. Women should wear dresses, suits, pantsuits, skirts and blouses.
European clothes with light- to mediumweights in summer, medium- to heavyweights in winter. Waterproofs are needed throughout the year.

GDP Growth Rate
Real growth rate: 0%

Inflation
1%

Imports
machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals

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Exports
machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles

Trading Partners
France, Netherlands, Italy, UK, Belgium/Luxembourg, USA, Japan

Industries
motor vehicles, engineering, chemicals, iron, steel, coal, electronics, environmental technology, food, clothing

Teledensity
63.48 Main telephone lines per 100 inhabitants

Government
Federal republic

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Geography
Stuttgart lies in southern Germany to the north of the Black Forest and is famous primarily for Mercedes Benz car production. Stuttgart lies in a valley just west of the Neckar River. The lovely Kriegsberg vineyards overlook town from the northeast. Steep grades are common on city streets - over 500 of them end in staircases (Stäffele) that lead to the top of the hills.
Germany is located in Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark. Its terrian rises from northern coastal lowlands to belt of central uplands, complex and varied in form. To south of uplands, a high plain suddenly rises to Alps in country's extreme south. Most important rivers: Rhine, flowing to north; Elbe, flowing to northwest; and Danube, flowing to southeast.

Population
Germany : 82.6 million
Stuttgart: 630,000

Ethnic Groups
German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Serbo-Croatian, Italian, Russian, Greek, Polish, Spanish)

Languages
German

Literacy
99%

Religion
90% Christian. There are 1.7 million Muslims and about 74,000 Jews (the pre-Holocaust figure was over half a million).