Karlsruhe, the vivacious young metropolis on the bank of the Rhine between the Black Forest, Alsace and the Pfalz, is a city rich in culture with numerous excellent and unusual museums. The star-shaped arrangement of roads fanning out from the Baroque Schloss, the lovely Schlossgarten Park and Botanical Gardens, the Stadtgarten Park and Zoo and the many other pleasant parks and boulevards are all an open invitation for relaxed strolling and shopping.

Of course, there is first of all the magnificent Baroque palace of the city's founder Margrave Karl-Wilhelm, with Schlossgarten park and Baden State Museum , modelled on Versailles. It forms a hub of 32 streets and was designed by Leopoldo Retti, Mauritio Pedetti, Balthasar Neumann, Philippe de la Gaupière and others. The construction took place between 1749 and 1781.

Karlsruhe's best street is the long and straight Kaiserstraße. Lined with shops, fountains, restaurants, and Germany 's famous Konditorei pastry shops, the street has a bustling energy that you can observe from an outdoor café while sipping a cup of robust Tchibo coffee. The street opens onto the Marktplatz, or square, where you will see Margrave Karl's brown brick pyramid tomb. The classicist ensemble of the Town Hall, Stadtkirche church and a striking pyramid was designed by Friedrich Weinbrenner . Weinbrenner's other works include the monumental town hall (1811-1825), the Protestant chruch and the Catholic parish church of St Stephen .

A trip to Karlsruhe should include a visit to the Biergarten of the Moninger Brauerei. This tasty brew is made nowhere else in the world except Karlsruhe. The garden's large, tree-filled yard with comfortable picnic benches is the perfect place for a sunny afternoon drinking a pilsner with the local people, and sampling regional dishes.

The Karlsruhe zoo, or Tiergarten, cares for over 1,000 animals from all around the world. A slow boat ride around the lagoon of the prize-winning City Garden is also a must in Karlsruhe. Furthermore,  Germany's oldest funicular railway up the Turmberg offers a beautiful panoramic view of the city.