A small German town known for its outlet shopping centers, with over 70 designer brands. Home to the Hugo Boss headquarters and traditional wine production.
Metzingen, a city 30 kilometers south of Stuttgart, is one of Germany's main luxury shopping destinations. In the city center, you'll walk past 18th-century wine pressing houses and half-timbered Swabian buildings. The modern Outletcity houses stores like Gucci, Prada, and Hugo Boss. Beyond shopping, you can trek the UNESCO Swabian Alb Biosphere Reserve's marked trails or taste local wines in a 300-year-old pressing house.
Shopping at Outletcity
Outletcity Metzingen started as a single Hugo Boss factory store in the 1970s and now includes more than 170 premium brands. You'll find discounts up to 70% on luxury fashion from Gucci, Prada, and Burberry, alongside sportswear from Nike and Adidas. The new Enzian Höfe section has home goods stores like Le Creuset and Villeroy & Boch. Stop by the Welcome Center in the Moxy Hotel for tourist information and VIP services.
Wine Pressing Houses
Metzingen's center contains the world's largest collection of wine pressing houses in one location. You can explore 11 historic pressing houses and two wooden wine presses, some dating back to the 1600s. Inside these buildings, you'll see the original wooden beams, stone foundations, and pressing mechanisms used to make wine centuries ago.
Hiking in Swabian Alb
The UNESCO Swabian Alb Biosphere Reserve has 21 marked premium trails called "hochgehberge". These paths take you through beech forests, wildflower meadows, and limestone rock formations. Climb to viewing platforms at 1,000 meters for views across the Alb foothills to the Black Forest and, when the weather is clear, the Alps. Stop at farmhouses and restaurants along the trails for Swabian dishes like Maultaschen and Spätzle.
Getting There
You can reach Metzingen by car or public transport from major cities. The drive takes 30 minutes from Stuttgart, one hour from Baden-Baden, and two hours from Munich, Frankfurt, or Zurich. Trains run regularly between Stuttgart and Metzingen, and a shopping shuttle connects to the outlet center.
Glems District
In Glems, 5 kilometers from central Metzingen, farmers and shepherds still work the land as they have for generations. Walk through the village to see 17th-century buildings, including a stone church, half-timbered town hall, and original wine press. The nearby Glems pumped storage plant, built in 1962, supplies electricity to the region.
