Towing Service Stuttgart

Between forest and vineyards: the basin

The city centre lies in the Stuttgart basin, a valley shaped by the Nesenbach stream and its tributaries. The city area spans an elevation difference of almost 350 metres, from 207 metres at the Neckar lock in Hofen to 549 metres at the Bernhartshöhe near the motorway interchange. For a breakdown, this terrain matters: much depends on whether you're on an incline or a descent. A stranded car on a slope is a different job from one on level ground. Tell us whether you're on a hill and which way the vehicle might roll, and if you have brake trouble, see our guide Brakes failing.

23 boroughs, 152 districts

Administratively, the city is split into five inner and 18 outer boroughs, 23 in total, with 152 districts. Tell us the district and street, for example Vaihingen, Bad Cannstatt or Degerloch, plus a tram stop. A house number and cross street are especially useful in a hilly city, since parallel streets can sit at different elevations.

A city of tunnels

Because of the hilly terrain, Stuttgart is also a city of tunnels, for roads, railways, S-Bahn and trams. Road tunnels include the Wagenburgtunnel with an 824-metre southern tube, the 2,300-metre Heslacher Tunnel, on the B14 the Viereichenhau tunnel (290 metres) and the Gäubahn tunnel (450 metres), the 124-metre Schwabtunnel, the B10's Pragsattel tunnel (720 metres), and the 1,300-metre Rosenstein tunnel under the Wilhelma zoo. The A831 in Vaihingen also has the roughly 200-metre Johannesgraben tunnel. If you break down in a tunnel: hazard lights on, move well to the side, use the emergency equipment, more in our guide Breakdown in a tunnel. Tell us the tunnel's name and your direction.

A8, A81 and A831

At the Stuttgart interchange, the shared route of the A8 and A81 ends. From there the A81 continues south, while the short A831 branches off towards central Stuttgart and runs to Vaihingen. The A8 widens back to six lanes and leads out of the Glemswald forest onto the Filder, a plateau south of the city. The state capital is bypassed to the west on a large scale by the A81, and the motorway-standard B10 provides access into the city centre. In a breakdown on any of these routes, tell us the motorway, direction, and exit or interchange, for example the Leonberg triangle or the Stuttgart interchange.

Waiting safely in Stuttgart

On the A8, A81 or A831: hazard lights on, everyone behind the crash barrier, set up a warning triangle if it's safe to do so. In one of the tunnels: don't turn around or reverse, drive to the next emergency bay if you can, otherwise hazard lights on and raise the alarm via the emergency equipment or 112. On a slope in the basin: apply the handbrake and engage a gear, hazard lights on before you get out.

Where it often happens in Stuttgart

On the climbs out of the basin, driving badly can overheat brakes and the clutch, especially in summer traffic jams. In the tunnels, such as the Heslacher Tunnel, traffic often slows before junctions. At the Stuttgart interchange, where the A8 and A81 meet, traffic is denser than on the open stretches because of the lane changes towards the A831.

How to describe your location in Stuttgart

• District, street, and house number or cross street, plus a tram stop.
• On a slope: whether you're facing uphill or downhill.
• In tunnels: name and direction of travel.
• On motorways: number, direction, exit or interchange.

Other cities include Frankfurt am Main and, via the A8, Karlsruhe. All cities: Towing service in your city (German).