Cheap flights to Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden from MKD969*

Karlsruhe is precisely planned streets and gardens with a palace as the centerpiece, museums old and new, and the requisite Marktplatz. Just minutes away, even by public transport, is Baden-Baden, a spa town that has attracted celebrities for generations to relax in thermal waters and promenade past grand villas with the Black Forest as a backdrop. Travel a little further and you can pop over to Alsace for some French wine in small towns or Strasbourg.

 

A palatial spa holiday

Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 by Karl III Wilhelm, margrave of Baden-Durlach, when he decided to build a palace where he could get some rest (ruhe) in the forest next door to his hometown of Durlach. He ended up planning the city fanning out from his palace, a layout so alluring it was used as a model for Washington, DC. Today Karlsruhe is a bustling city, but remains restful due to its many gardens, parks, pedestrian shopping avenues and museums and its proximity to spa haven Baden-Baden.

 

Palace, gardens and museums

Why not start in the centre? Right in the middle of this superbly planned city is the grand Baroque Karlsruhe Schloss. Visit the palace, home to the Badisches Landesmuseum full of treasures that once belonged to the grand-ducal family. Stroll the gardens (hop on the miniature Schlossgartenbahn train for a tour) or the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe art museum, which has a classy collection of German masters as well as Impressionist art by Degas, Monet and Renoir. Then head out along one of the 32 avenues that radiate from this grand centre, stopping for certain at the Marktplatz, a Neoclassical square marked by the 19th-century Evangelische Stadtkirche, with a red stone pyramid hiding the tomb of Karl Wilhelm. Spring forward to the 21st century at the Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie, a research complex featuring an interactive media art museum. If you’re looking for more rest in Karlsruhe, explore the vast botanical gardens and other parks.

 

Breweries and bistros

For German classics in an equally classic atmosphere, be it indoors or in the romantic garden, choose Oberländer Weinstuben. While German dishes reign, they are inspired by nearby France in terms of culinary flair and wine pairings. Rack of venison, anyone? For schnitzel, Zum Kleinen Ketterer is your best choice. If you’re really a beer person in search of German food, you can’t get more traditional than Alte Brauerei. Speaking of beer, Vogelbräu is a microbrewery with a beer garden that serves up the house pilsner with bratwurst and other hearty dishes. Steaks and barbecue are great at Dom Grill Kitchen Bar. If you’d like something more sophisticated, try Kommödchen, a cosy bistro with Mediterranean and Asian flavours. Karlsruhe has lots of other international options as well, from Japanese to Indian, Chinese to Greek, Italian to Ethiopian.

 

Shopping havens and beer gardens

Karlsruhe boasts the longest shopping street in the Baden region, the Kaiserstrasse, lined with the big brand shops, smaller boutiques and cafés. Waldstrasse, off the Kaiserstrasse, has more unusual local boutiques. Another option is the Postgalerie, the former post office now transformed into a glass-domed mall with 50 shops. For something very local, visit the Majolika Manufaktur museum and shop for handcrafted ceramics or El Corazón for gin, whisky and rum (with tastings!), plus spices, chocolates and gifts. As for nightlife, how about craft beer to start? At Phono, choose from among 70 different brews, and stay for DJ sets at the weekend. Baden Brauhaus is a vaulted cellar for lots of people to drink lots of beer.

 

Soak up the atmosphere

Baden-Baden is a spa vacation spot that will remind you of old postcards and parasols, where the wealthy and famous have ‘taken the waters’ and stayed in grand hotels and Art Nouveau villas for decades, even centuries, as the Roman-era ruins attest. Germany’s largest opera house is here, the town’s casino is palatial, and the Black Forest and the mountains are nearby if you seek other diversions. Hohenbaden Old Castle ruins atop evergreen hills are a spectacular climb rewarded by a spectacular view from this testament to the riches of the old grand ducal family. Soak up a different kind of calm at Kloster Maulbronn, a monastery founded in 1147 that also operated as a Protestant school. Also near Karlsruhe is Durlach, a charming town now absorbed by its larger neighbour but which boasts Germany’s oldest operating funicular. It takes you up to the 16th-century Turmberg guard tower and gardens for a splendid view across both cities and on to Alsace. Speaking of Alsace, pop over the Rhine to Strasbourg for its half-timbered houses, grandiose Gothic cathedral, wonderful wines and shiny new EU quarter.

 

Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport

Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport is 40km from Karlsruhe, 12km from Baden-Baden and 25km from Strasbourg, France. German intercity ICE trains and French TGV trains serve Baden-Baden and there are shuttle buses from there to the airport. There is a café and a pretzel bar at the airport as well as a travel item and convenience shop. Note that alcohol and tobacco products are only sold to those traveling outside the EU.

 

Karlsruhe weather

Karlsruhe and Baden-Baden have cool winters and pleasantly warm summers. July is the warmest month, with an average temperature of 20°C, and January is the coldest, with temperatures averaging 1°C. There is no dry season, so bring a jacket and umbrella in spring, summer and fall, and bundle up for a winter visit, when thankfully you’ll have the baths to warm you up.