Karlsruhe - Northern Black Forest

KarlsruheGuide was updated: September 17, 2024

Karlsruhe is known as the gateway to the Black Forest and is one of the sunniest and warmest places in Germany. The city itself offers a wide range of places to visit, from interesting museums and beautiful gardens to the impressive palace and the fun zoo and water park. This great mixture of culture, nature and city life is loved by tourists as well as locals.

ZKM Center for Art and Media

This museum houses Germany’s largest collection of media art, divided between the Museum for Contemporary Art and the Media Museum, which is the world’s first and only museum for interactive art.

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Karlsruhe Palace

Karlsruhe’s Baroque palace forms the centre of the city’s fan-like pattern, from which boulevards extend like the spokes of a wheel. Formerly home to the blue-blooded leaders of Karlsruhe, the palace now houses the Badische Landesmuseum, which exhibits regional artefacts from prehistoric to present times. After your visit to the museum, go for a stroll in the palace’s sweeping gardens to see the exotic trees planted here, as well as many statues from different epochs. On warm days you’ll find plenty of Karlsruhe’s inhabitants sharing picnics on the grass, playing badminton or going for walks.

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Market Square

Just a few steps from Karlsruhe Palace, you can find the early 19th-century "Marktplatz". In the centre stands the main symbol of the city, a brick pyramid that protects Margrave Karl Wilhelm’s crypt. The stone sarcophagus containing the ashes of Karl Wilhelm is still inside the pyramid, but it is not open to the public. On one side of the square, you can see the Evangelical Church, built between 1807 and 1816 in a classical style by the architect Friedrich Weinbrenner. Its big bell tower is almost 62 meters high and was a personal request from grand duke Karl-Friedrich.

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Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe

At the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe you’ll find an impressive collection of German paintings from the 13th century up until the present, with a particular focus on 19th century art, along with works by famous artists like Rembrandt, Gauguin, and Monet.

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Zoo

This is one of Germany’s oldest zoos and is now home to more than 4,000 animals of about 250 species, which you can admire in their spacious, nature-like designed habitats. The zoo also features several areas dedicated to relax and picnics. Do not miss the exotic house and the Japanese garden, complete with a Shinto shrine and a Japanese pagoda.

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Turmbergbahn

Ride Germany’s oldest operating funicular railway up a mountain in the suburb of Durlach. At the top, you will find the ruins of an 11th-century castle and fantastic views across the town of Durlach and the thick woodlands beyond.

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Badisches Staatstheater

The Badisches Staatstheater serves as the Karlsruhe's main venue for theatre, opera, ballet and concerts, hosting over 1000 performances per year. For tickets and programs, visit the website below.

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Day Trip to Strasbourg

Strasbourg is a romantic French town with a unique charm made of small shops, typical architecture, cosy cafés and bistros. Strasbourg also has over 350 historic monuments. Seeing all of them in one day might be impossible, but it's certainly worth it to try and see as many as you can. The town is easily reachable from Baden-Baden and Karlsruhe by train (www.bahn.de/en) or Flixbus (www.flixbus.com).

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State Museum of Natural History

This museum attracts people of all ages with its wide variety of exhibitions. Here you will find 30 aquariums displaying the underwater world, an exhibition that shows life in prehistoric times, one about African habitats, one on the realm of minerals, and much much more.

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Europabad

Europabad is a modern water park where the whole family can enjoy themselves. Here you'll find spa facilities, the slide AquaRocket, the over 170-metre family slide, the white-water rapids and many other exciting attractions. For sun-lovers, there are also an outdoor pool and a beach bar.

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Park Günther-Klotz-Anlage

The Günther-Klotz-Anlage is a lovely open area, named after a former city mayor called Günther Klotz. The river Alb flows through the park and here you will find facilities like spacious playgrounds and sunbathing areas, as well as several ponds, boat rental, a basketball and a volleyball court. Overall, the Günther-Klotz-Anlage is an ideal city park where you can relax and unwind.

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Botanical Gardens

The Botanical Gardens of Karlsruhe host over 20 rare species of trees from various continents, as well as numerous greenhouses with tropical plants and conservatories with cacti and succulents.

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Karlsruhe in Northern Black Forest

ZKM Center for Art and Media

Karlsruhe Palace

Market Square

Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe

Zoo

Turmbergbahn

Badisches Staatstheater

Day Trip to Strasbourg

State Museum of Natural History

Europabad

Park Günther-Klotz-Anlage

Botanical Gardens