Karlsruhe

Introduction

Karlsruhe

© All Rights Reserved m6-dean

Karlsruhe is the third biggest city (around 295,000 inhabitants) of the state of Baden-Württemberg in the south of Germany. It is the seat of two highest courts in Germany: the constitutional court of Germany and the federal court of justice of Germany. Karlsruhe is located near the French-German border and between the famous tourist destinations Heidelberg in the north and Baden-Baden in the south. The particularity of the city is that its palace forms the point of origin from which the streets radiate outward. Therefore the city is often referred as "Fächerstadt" (fan city).

Sights and Activities

• Karlsruhe Palace - The point of origin of the city of Karlsruhe was constructed in 1715 by Margrave Karl III Wilhelm of Baden-Durlach. The palace harbors the Badische Landesmuseum and a cafe. The park around the palace is really popular with the citizens who come here to relax thoughout the year.
• Badisches Landesmuseum - The Badisches Landesmuseum in Karlsruhe is a major cultural and historical museum about the Baden region of Baden-Württemberg. It displays works from the prehistory to the recent years. Special exhibitions are held throughout the year. Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 10:00am-5:00pm, Friday-Sunday (including public holidays) 10:00am-6:00pm
• ZKM - Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie Karlsruhe - This very unique art museum and research institution focuses on new media, uniting art with new technologies. Hours: Wednesday-Friday 10:00am - 6:00pm, Saturday and Sunday 11:00am -6:00pm

Events and Festivals

• Das Fest - Das Fest is held at the end of July and this big open air music festival takes place every year and features famous national and international artists. In 2011 212,000 people attented this concert. Even though not free anymore, tickets for the main acts only cost €5. The festival always takes place from Friday to Sunday.
• Kamuna - Kamuna (Karlsruher Museum Nacht) is held on the first Saturday in August, during this night many museums in Karlsruhe open their doors to visitors and offer special workshops and events. Tickets can be usually bought one week in advance.

Weather

Karlsruhe has a bit of a mix between a continental and oceanic climate, with somewhat warmer conditions compared to most of Germany. Temperatures during summer average mostly around the 25 °C mark, while winter nights drop slightly below zero on average. The average amount of precipitation is around 770 mm and is evenly distributed throughout the year, though early summer is a little bit wetter than aveage.

Getting There

By Plane

Baden Airpark is located some 40 kilometres from Karlsruhe and just 12 kilometres from Baden-Baden. It's mainly served by lowcostairlines, like Ryanair which flies to/from Alicante, Cagliari, Dublin, Girona, London, Porto, Rome and Stockholm.
TuiFly serves Palma de Mallorca, Antalya, Rhodes and Tenerife, while Hamburg International serves more destinations in southern Europe like Corfu, Fuerteventura, Hurghada, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Tel Aviv and Malaga. Finally, Air Berlin has a few flights, including Rimini and Vienna as destinations.

Eat

• Café Emaille - Budget café that attracts many students located in the city centre. The interior is decorated with many old metal advertisement signs. There´s a rather big court outside (Biergarten) and although the range of offered meals is limited, the price is really low. Address: Kaiserstr. 142-144, Phone: +49 0721 1510074, Hours: 8:00am - 1:00am, Price: meals from €3.90
• Vapiano - Inexpensive Italian restaurant that mainly offers hand made pasta and pizza. The specialty is that it works like a cafeteria. You go straight to one of the cook to order your meal, and your meal than gets prepared in front of you. The interior of the restaurant is huge (it used to be an old bank) and very pleasant. The food itself is really good and presented in a very pleasant way. Address: Karlstr. 11, Phone: +49 (0) 721 95788480, Hours: 10:00am - Midnight, Price: from €6.50 for pizza and pasta
• Carlos Cocktailbar - One of the best (if not the best) cocktailbar in Karlsruhe! The choice of cocktails is really huge. Although the drinks are not cheap, the price is more than fair when taking their quality into consideration. The taste and presentation is absolutely top-notch! The interior is nicely decorated but rather small. It's a good idea to get there a little bit early (7:00-8:00pm) because it tends to get really crowded at night. The only downside (for non smokers) is that the bar has no non smoker area. Address: Markgrafenstr. 32, Phone: +49 (0)177 2876317 (mobile), Hours: 4:00pm - 2:00am on weekdays, Price: from €6.50 for cocktails
• Vogelbräu - The most famous private brewery in Karlsruhe. Although most people mainly come here to drink beer, the place also offer many traditional german dishes. The place is quite big but can also be a little bit overcrowded due to its local reputation. The "biergarten" outside is a good opportunity to experience the atmosphere of a traditional german pub. Address: Kapellenstraße 50, 76131 Karlsruhe, Phone: +49 (0) 721 377571, Hours: daily from 10:00am - 1:00am, Price: cheap

Sleep

Budget

Learn

• Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences
• Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences

Keep Connected

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post

Germany's postal system is very efficient, their logistics branch DHL is one of the best companies in this field world-wide, with domestic post or within a radius of 400 kilometres, send within a day. The website of Deutsche Post has an online calculator for postage fees as well as a post office finder. Within Germany, sending postcards costs €0.45 and standard letters €0.55, within Europe it is €0.65 for a postcard, standard letters to places in Europe cost €0.70. Outside Europe, the prices for sending a postcard or standard letter are €1 and €1.70 respectively. Although you will find the old post offices (mainly in the city centre), most of the smaller neighbourhood post offices are part of a small tobacco shop or grocery store.

External Links

• Karlsruhe Official Governmental Website
• Karlsruhe at Germany Tourism Website