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Voykit pocket guide · Germany
Reutlingen
Give Reutlingen one night as a base for Metzingen outlets and the Swabian Mountains, or skip it if you want a postcard old town.
Reutlingen is an industrial city of about 116,000 at the foot of the Swabian Mountains, 35 minutes by train from Stuttgart and 10 from Tübingen. It has a Gothic church, a 31 cm-wide lane and a good shopping street, but it is a working town rather than a showpiece. Most travellers use it as a base for outlet shopping in Metzingen, cave visits and hikes, or as a half-day stop between Tübingen and Stuttgart. Accommodation here is generally cheaper than in Stuttgart (2026 estimate).
- Country
- Germany
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (grey, wet, few outdoor options)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Card acceptance has improved but some bakeries, bars and small restaurants are still cash only.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–90 excl. bed · Mid €90–150 excl. bed · High €150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Telekom, Vodafone and O2 are the networks; Aldi Talk, Lidl Connect and congstar resell them cheaply in supermarkets and electronics shops.
- Emergency
- Fire and ambulance 112 · Police 110 · Out-of-hours doctor 116 117
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; UK and US devices need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: Round up or add 5–10%; say the total you want to pay as you hand over money or card.; Bar and café: Round up to the nearest euro.; Taxi: Round up by €1–2.; Hotel housekeeping: €1–2 a night, optional.; Free walking tour: €10–15 per person.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Restaurants usually sell bottled water; fizzy (mit Kohlensäure) is the default, ask for 'still' or 'ohne'.
- Toilets
- Station toilets cost €0.50–1.50 (Rail&Fresh WC); restaurant toilets are for customers; the 'WC' at motorway rest stops takes coins and gives a voucher.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee in a café | €2.50–4 |
| Döner kebab | €5–8 |
| Beer, 0.5 l in a pub / bottle from a shop | €4–5.50 / €1–2 |
| Mid-range restaurant main | €12–20 |
| Single bus or train ticket, one zone | about €3 (check) |
| Cave entry (Nebelhöhle) | €6 |
| Train Reutlingen → Stuttgart | €11.80 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- STR · Stuttgart Airport
- X3 bus from outside Terminal 2 to Reutlingen Stadtmitte, about 45 min; rail via Stuttgart Hbf is slower and involves changes
Typical fares
- Stuttgart Airport → Reutlingen Stadtmitte, X3 bus
- €6.60, about 45 min
- Reutlingen → Tübingen, train
- €3.20, 10 min
- Reutlingen → Stuttgart Hbf, train
- €11.80, 35 min
Get around
The centre is walkable: Marktplatz to the station is about 15 minutes on foot. Buses and trains run under the naldo network; a single ticket (Einzelfahrschein) is valid one hour and a day ticket costs about twice as much. Buy before boarding — inspectors charge a €40 fine and you cannot buy on the train. For caves, castles and the Swabian Mountains, a car is far more practical than buses.
See and do
Known for
- Marienkirche, a Gothic church finished in 1343
- Spreuerhofstraße, listed as the world's narrowest street at 31 cm
- Metzingen outlet shopping 10 minutes away
- Gateway to the Swabian Mountains caves and castles
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Metzingen outlets | Train from Reutlingen Hbf, under 10 min | About 30 min |
| Tübingen | Train from Reutlingen Hbf, about 10 min | About 30 min |
| Lichtenstein Castle | Train or bus towards Honau, then walk; a car is much easier | 1–1.5 h |
| Nebelhöhle cave | Bus or car towards Sonnenbühl, about 20 km southBus or car towards Sonnenbühl, about 12 mi south | About 1 h by car |
| Bärenhöhle cave | Bus or car towards Sonnenbühl/Erpfingen, a separate stop from Nebelhöhle; a car is much easier | About 1 h by car |
| Stuttgart | Train from Reutlingen Hbf, about 35 min | About 50 min |
Sleep
- Stadtmitte around Marktplatz
- Walk to Marienkirche, Spreuerhofstraße and the Wilhelmstraße shops; best for one night without a car.
- Bahnhof and Echazufer
- Train station, long-distance bus stop on Bahnhofstraße and most of the bars; 10–15 min walk to the old centre.
- Metzingen
- Only if outlet shopping is the whole point; 10 min by train, but you lose the Reutlingen evening.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | Entschuldigungent-SHOOL-dee-goong |
| Thank you | DankeDAN-ker |
| This one, please | Das hier, bittedas heer, BIT-ter |
| How much is it? | Wie viel kostet das?vee feel KOS-tet das |
| Can I pay by card? | Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?kan ikh mit KAR-ter TSAH-len |
| Where is the toilet? | Wo ist die Toilette?vo ist dee toy-LET-ter |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Firm handshake with eye contact; 'Guten Tag' or 'Hallo'; avoid: Hugs with people you have just met
- Names: Herr / Frau plus surname until invited to use first names; avoid: Using 'du' with officials or older strangers
- Punctuality: Arrive on time for tours, dinners and appointments; avoid: Being more than 5–10 minutes late without a message
- Queues and rules: Follow signs, wait at red lights, sort rubbish; avoid: Walking in cycle lanes
- Conversation: Direct and factual; people say what they mean; avoid: Taking directness as rudeness, or joking about the Nazi era
- Home visit: Bring flowers (odd number, not red roses) or wine; shoes off if the hosts do; avoid: Arriving early
- Paying: Say the total including tip as you pay; avoid: Leaving coins on the table and walking off
Scams and watch-outs
- Buy a ticket before you board trains and buses: on-board purchase is not possible on trains, and inspectors charge a fine (about €40, check) — validate before boarding.
- Caves such as Nebelhöhle and Bärenhöhle close or cut hours outside the March–November season: check before travelling.
- Sunday shopping is closed in Reutlingen; Metzingen outlet Sunday hours vary by store, so check the individual brand before you travel.
- Reutlingen is a working city, not a preserved old town: do not book three nights expecting Rothenburg.
Reutlingen is a low-risk German city; the real annoyances are ticket fines, closed caves out of season and weekend crowds in Metzingen. Standard city care at night around the station and Echazufer is enough.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Reutlingen yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Marienkirche, a Gothic church finished in 1343
- Spreuerhofstraße, listed as the world's narrowest street at 31 cm
- Metzingen outlet shopping 10 minutes away
- Gateway to the Swabian Mountains caves and castles
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- City of Reutlingen (official): www.reutlingen.de/
- naldo transport network: www.naldo.de
- Wikivoyage: Reutlingen, revision 5285409 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5285409
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Reutlingen
Zu dieser Adresse, bitte
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassy in Reutlingen; the US consulate general is in Frankfurt and most embassies are in Berlin. For a lost passport, contact your embassy first.
Tipping: round up or add 5–10% and say the total as you pay.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/reutlingen). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.