One day in Karlsruhe: Top Things to Do in Germany’s Fan-Shaped City

Located in southwest Germany near the French border, Karlsruhe is a city that often flies under the radar. It’s quite small and attractions are limited. However, if you happen to go there, there’s enough interesting attractions to keep you busy! The city has an interesting fan-shaped layout radiating from the Karlsruhe Palace. If you only have one day in Karlsruhe, this itinerary will guide you through the best sights, from the palace and botanical garden to the charming city center.

Morning: Visit the Karlsruhe Castle & Botanical Garden

Karlsruhe Castle

The main sight you’ll want to see if you’re coming to Karlsruhe is the castle and the gardens behind. The castle worked as a residency from 1715 to 1918 and was then reconderted in a museum in 1921. Unfortunately, in 2025 the museum is being reformed, so it’s not possible to visit inside. Nonetheless. the building itself is beautiful, and the gardens worth walking around.

Botanical Garden

On one side of the castle, there is the the Botanial Garden. You can see the exterior, which is carefully planted but not very extensive, for free. If you want to see the inside of the green house, you’ll have to pay a 3€ ticket. Beware, that the ticket is cash only, despite the tickets being sold by a massive machine.

City center

Once you’ve explored the castle area, it’s time to visit the city center, which starts close to the exit from the castle park. There are a couple of churches that you want to check out, and the square with the city hall contains a small pyramid sculpture. There’s also a lot of stores, bars and restaurants, and while it was not particularly lively when I went (on a Thursday morning), I can imagine it gets busy during the weekends. It’s great to get lost in the streets, and you can see everything in an hour or so.

Afternoon: Durlach and ZKM

Durlach

After grabbing a quick lunch, I took tram/metro (U-bahn) 1 from the center towards Durlach, a 20 min ride. Durlach has an old town vibe, with houses in traditional german architecture. It is also filled with small stores, restaurants, and cafés, and also have some nice churches and towers. Durlach is quite small, so it’s worth visiting the next point if you’ve already reached here.

Viewpoint

Since you’re already in Durlach, you may consider to climb up the mountain to see the views of the city. Usually there’s a working cable car, but currently (October 2025) it is being renovated, so if you want to go to the top, you’ll have to climb. The climb is not particularly challenging, it’s a staircase that goes up approx. 110 m, which you can do in around 10 min. There’s a lot of signs saying it’s not maintained in winter, and certainly, it looks like it will get slippery with ice.

Once you reach the top, you’re rewarded with the views of Karlsruhe. Once there, there’s a bar where you can grab a drink, and a (free) viewing tower from the 11th century which you can climb. There’s also a fountain with free drinking water if you need to replenish your bottle.

ZKM

From Durlach, take the U-bahn 2 to reach ZKM (Zentrum für Kunst und Medien), the most famous museum of Karlsruhe. It costs 14€ and is open everyday except on Monday AND Tuesday. The museum features mostly contemporary art, especially in the form of video, although it has some pieces from older times.

Evening: Enjoy the cultural scene

Karsruhe has plenty of evening activities, including many concerts, as artists often stop here. Getting yourself a ticket for one of those is the perfect reason to travel to Karlsruhe and visit the city too!

Practical tips

Is one day in Karsruhe enough?

Unless you’re aiming to visit several museums, you can see everything in a day.

Do I need to use public transport?

The city center and castle areas are quite compact. However, if you want to visit Durlach I would recommend getting the day card (the price is the same as for 2 trips). You can buy the cards inside the trams, or in the machines in some stations.