Esslingen am Neckar

Esslingen am Neckar sits close enough to Stuttgart that many residents commute between the two daily, but it's genuinely worth a dedicated visit on its own merits -- more than 800 architectural monuments of national significance pack into the old town, including over 200 half-timbered houses spanning the 13th through 16th centuries. The row around Hafenmarkt holds the oldest surviving half-timbered houses in all of Germany. The Old Town Hall, first built around 1420-1422 as a municipal department store and tax house, displays an ornate Renaissance facade and astronomical clock, widely considered the town's most beautiful building. Above it all, the ruins of Esslingen Castle overlook the town and its surrounding vineyards -- Esslingen has a long wine-producing history and is home to Germany's oldest producer of Sekt (sparkling wine). If your visit lines up with the holiday season, Esslingen's medieval Christmas market is a genuine standout -- styled after the actual medieval era rather than the more common Victorian aesthetic, with period costumes, open flame torches and braziers at night, and old-fashioned children's rides. Locals recommend visiting on a weekday if possible, since weekends draw serious crowds.