Stuttgart is 15 minutes by S-Bahn — close enough to base yourself in Ludwigsburg and visit the bigger city on day trips. The Mercedes-Benz and Porsche museums are worth a full day; the Staatsgalerie is one of Germany's best mid-sized art museums.
Hohenasperg — the fortified hilltop just west of town, with a long history as a political prison — is reachable by S-Bahn in 15 minutes and makes a good half-day walk.
Marbach am Neckar, ten minutes north by train, is the birthplace of Friedrich Schiller and home to the German Literature Archive — a temple to German literary history for anyone interested. The Schiller National Museum displays the poet's manuscripts and personal effects in a striking neoclassical building above the river.
Bietigheim-Bissingen, another short S-Bahn ride north, has a well-preserved medieval old town with timber-framed houses and a striking modern wall painting by Felice Varini called Trois cercles.
For wine, the Württemberg wine country starts immediately east of Ludwigsburg, with several Trollinger and Lemberger producers around Großbottwar offering tastings.
