For me, as someone who was a total car illiterate before 2023, it was completely new information that Stuttgart is a paradise for car enthusiasts (let’s not even list how many other things I was clueless about before 2023). It was only last autumn that the Mercedes-Benz Museum landed on my radar. From there, it was just one step to add Porsche and a few other places to the list, but due to limited time, I couldn’t fit everything in my trip.
Naturally, with my priorities, my first stop was Mercedes, where I also signed up for a guided tour. That turned out to be a mistake. First of all, the receiver for hearing the guide’s voice was so bad that even at maximum volume, I could barely hear anything due to the background noise. Plus, it wasn’t comfortable at all. The tour was supposed to last 75 minutes – we didn’t visit all the rooms, and the ones we did enter, we just rushed through. The whole experience was a big rush, and even so, it took us 85 minutes, and I constantly felt there was no time for anything.
The content itself was fine, though I generally prefer more interactive tours where the guide occasionally asks questions and engages with the group. But there was no interaction here, likely due to the relentless rushing. Personally, I would have preferred seeing fewer things but doing so without racing through like headless chickens.
Luckily, I had planned extra time to explore the museum on my own afterward. So, I went back up the elevator and started again at my own pace. I loved the concept of how the building materials (like the floors and wall covers) were designed to match the era being showcased with the cars. The first room started with the invention of the car and the motor, and from there, the exhibit took us up to modern times. Different rooms were dedicated to different themes and eras, including service vehicles, classic cars, and vehicles that represented the pinnacle of technology in their time.
The motorsport hall was the most fascinating for me (obviously), featuring cars from various series and eras. There was even a section called “Pitstop” with Formula 1-related exhibits, but unfortunately, it was under renovation, so I couldn’t see it.
Even with this second walkthrough, I only scratched the surface of the place. Altogether, I spent about 3.5 hours there, but if I had wanted to go through everything thoroughly at my own pace, it would have taken an entire day. My advice is to skip the guided tour and explore at your own speed, without planning anything immediately afterward to avoid feeling rushed. The place is enormous, incredibly informative, and fascinating, with seven floors – so plan accordingly!
After that, I headed to the Porsche Museum. All the issues I had with the Mercedes tour didn’t come up here. To be fair, there were only two of us on the tour, and the guide, Henry, clearly did his job with heart and soul. He specifically paid attention to what interested us and tailored the focus accordingly. I wouldn’t even call it a tour; it felt more like a conversation about cars. There was no rushing, and we had time for everything.
I later explored the temporary exhibition on my own and didn’t feel the need to revisit previous sections since I had already seen everything thoroughly. We went through Porsche’s history, and as ignorant as I was, I only learned then that Porsche cars actually originated from the Volkswagen Beetle. Moving through the exhibits, I also learned that the numbers (like 911) correspond to the project numbers for designing the cars – and that the 911 was originally the 901, but the name was already trademarked by someone else.
The racing cars were another highlight for me. One of the most special ones was a McLaren F1 car driven by Alain Prost, as well as the 2016 Le Mans-winning car, which still had its original race dust on it. Henry even removed the steering wheel for us to examine, and we were allowed to take plenty of photos.
Oh, and remember Miss Sally, the blue Porsche from Cars? She was there too.
The Porsche Museum is much smaller and more spacious than Mercedes, making it easier to take in. I spent about 2–2.5 hours there, and that was enough, though by that point, I was a bit overloaded with cars and information after a full day of museums. Still, I found Porsche to be more digestible and enjoyable, if I can put it that way. There’s also an option to tour the factory, but I didn’t have time for that.
Have you visited either of these museums?
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