Karlsruhe is a city in Baden-Württemberg in Germany, with a population of 290,000 in an area of 174 sq km. Margraves may once have held sway here - but today it is dominated by a sense of vitality and zest for life. Culture, lifestyle and culinary delights, along with its urban-rural ambience makes this Badensian city most appealing. Karlsruhe is located on the Rhine and in the top of the Black Forest, close to the French border. Founded in 1715 by margrave Karl Wilhelm von Baden, the city was planned on a drawing board, with a central circle containing the castle, and streets running inwards as radial "spokes". Due to the fan-like layout, Karlsruhe is known as the "fan city" (Fächerstadt). In some ways, it resembles Wahington DC.
How to Get There:
Frankfurt airport, with an ICE connection(60 min) and Stuttgart airport,
with a regional train (90 min) are the larger airports. Baden-Airpark, the closest local airport at 40 km is now served by low-cost carrier Ryanair, connecting to several European destinations.
An airport shuttle bus (Baden-Airport-Express) also runs every 90 min. costing € 9. Karlsruhe is well linked to other larger cities by ICE high speed trains and international buses. It is also connected to the TGV, reducing travel time to Paris to only three hours. Karlsruhe has an excellent public transportation system mostly built on trams/streetcars. Trams run not just within the city but also 110 km deep into the surrounding area. The city is on the banks of the Rhine.
What to See:
A lot to see in Karlsruhe is along Kaiserstrasse and the Marktplatz is the place to
start a walking tour of the city. Ettlinger Tor and the Staatstheater are notable. ZKM, The Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie shows interactive and 'media art'. Staatliche Kunsthalle,Badisches Staatstheather, Badisches Landesmuseum in the palace, The Pyramid - on the Marktplatz, and the emblem of the city, Wildparkstadion and Durlach are worth a look see.
Where to Eat:
Kräuterküche, Die Kippe, Ballermann, ViVA Restaurant, Shogun, Pizzahaus, Vogelbräu Karlsruhe, Litfaß, Stoevchen are nice places to eat well. Typical cuisine is Flammkuchen, Käsespätzle, Gebratene Maultaschen, Wurstsalat, Hackepeter and Yufka Döner.
Karlsruhe is perhaps the safest city in the world.
Hotels:
Karlsruhe has over 65 hotels and the Hotel am Karlstor, Star Inn Hotel Karlsruhe, Hotel Elite, Gästehaus am Karlstor, Best Western Queens Hotel Karlsruhe, Hotel Aviva, Renaissance Karlsruhe Hotel and Hotel am Markt are 3-4 star hotels within a decent range.
