Best Things To Do in Karlsruhe, Germany

Are you looking for what to do in Karlsruhe?

PLACES TO SEE

Although there is no plethora of options for things to do in Karlsruhe, but it does not mean or imply that there is not much to do. In fact, there is much to explore this destination as one of the relaxed vacation spots with a chance to get a peek at the City’s past and marvelous architecture.

  • ZKM Centre for Art and Media: An interactive art center that owns the largest collection in the whole wide world! One of the top attractions in Karlsruhe that manages to attract quite a lot of visitors year after year through its strategies to engage the visitors!
  • Karlsruhe Palace: Presently the Baden State Museum, it was originally the mansion of Grand Dukes and Margraves. The top attraction of the City for the locals and visitors alike as the whole City is planned around it, giving the City a fan like structure. A must see!
  • Karlsruhe Botanical Gardens: These gardens are a feast to the eyes if you have had a lot of concrete buildings already! A perfect location to spend the day at leisure and explore various architectural treasures – orangery, greenhouse, a winter garden, and an art gallery!
  • Europahalle: When Karlsruhe played host to the Olympics, this indoor stadium saw large crowd pouring. Apart from Olympics, it has hosted various other sporting events.
  • Karlsruhe Zoo: One of the oldest zoos in Germany, it has approximately 800 animals. It also has a flower park and a facility to do boat riding. An ideal spot to spend time with family, and more so if you are traveling with kids.

THINGS TO DO

Shopping

One of the most popular shopping areas is Kaiserstrasse – it has a wide array of shops to choose the merchandise from but if the weather plays spoilsport then head to Ettlinger Tor – a shopping complex in Marktplatz.  

Below we have a list of things to do in Karlsruhe and the places where you want to spend the best moments of your trip. At the same time, the city offers you the best neighborhoods to explore and new foods to try.

This list should help you in deciding and prioritizing what you should plan on your Karlsruhe getaway. Find a mix of must-see tourist spots, underrated local hangouts, and maybe even a few new experiences you can try out.

Make the most of your trip to Karlsruhe with confidence.

Tourist Attractions in Karlsruhe

Here is the list of things to do in Karlsruhe and tourist attractions in city.

  1. Zoo Karlsruhe

    4.2 (683 Votes)
    Zoo Karlsruhe

    Garden, Zoo, Picnic Spot

    A one of it’s kind combination of Zoological city garden Karlsruhe zoo and park, is home to over 900 animals from 150 different species. Opened in 1865, Karlsruhe zoo is one of the oldest running zoos in Germany and is one of the major attractions of Karlsruhe City. Located right in the heart of the fan shaped city, this place offers something for people of all the ages, to experience and...Read more
  2. Karlsruhe Palace

    4.6 (425 Votes)
    Karlsruhe Palace

    Museum, Castle, Historical Site, Palace

    The Karlsruhe palace, built in 1715 by Margrave Charles III William of Baden-Durlach, has served as the residence and seat of the government of the Baden dynasty for 200 hundred years. Since it came into existence this palace has witnessed numerous renovations as it stands at the hub of 32 avenues radiating outwards symmetrically to form Karlsruhe's iconic layout, the so-called "Fächer", o...Read more
  3. Center For Art And Media Technology

    Art And Culture, Art Gallery, Educational Site, Entertainment

    ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, founded in 1989, is a home for all forms of contemporary art. An unparalleled cultural institution where the visitors get an exciting chance for active interaction and discussion in the fields ranging from fine arts to media technology. Located in an old munitions factory, it hosts two museums, three research institutes, one media center, one laboratory...Read more
  4. Europabad

    4.2 (443 Votes)
    Europabad

    Water Body, Waterfront, Water Park, Entertainment

    Europabad is considered as the most modern and exciting water park in the entire Karlsruhe region. This lively splash-and-play swimming pool serves a perfect hangout for the whole family, featuring a waterfall, a lazy river and one of the southern Germany’s longest water slide (170 m), there’s something special for everyone. The place has dedicated 1600 sq m kid’s pool, while ...Read more
  5. Badisches Landesmuseum

    Art And Culture, Art Museum, Museum, History Museum

    Built in 1919, Badisches Landesmuseum is located inside the Karlsruhe Palace and exhibits one of the largest architectural, cultural and historical collections. The majestic art collections cover history from ancient civilizations to modern history, including WWII. The museum has been preserved for the most part, after the castle of Karlsruhe being destroyed during WWII. The museum’s coll...Read more
  6. Karlsruhe Pyramid

    4.2 (354 Votes)
    Karlsruhe Pyramid

    Landmark, Walking Area, Historical Site, Leisure

    Established in the years 1823-1825 over the vault of the city’s founder, Margrave Charles III William (1679-1738), the Karlsruhe Pyramid is regarded as the city’s second emblem. The pyramid’s architecture is an example of the ancient Egyptian revival architecture, which stands unaffected by the extensive bombings during the WWII. It is believed that ‘Karl’, the fou...Read more
  7. Durlach

    Historical Site, Architecture , Neighborhoods

    Durlach, first mentioned as a city in 1196, is a borough of the German city of Karlsruhe with a population of roughly 30,000. Durlach holds significant importance on the historical timeline of Germany. Emperor Fredrick II on the margrave Hermann V of Zähringen as an allodial possession bestowed it. It has served as a seat of the Liberal party of the Baden parliament in 1846 and witnessed t...Read more
  8. Badisches Staatstheater

    4.5 (208 Votes)
    Badisches Staatstheater

    Performance, Theatre, Opera House

    The Badisches Staatstheater, is a theatre and Opera house in Karlsruhe. This theatre is a Dreisparten house, comprising in three performance genres of music theatre, ballet and the studio stage. Attached to the Staatstheater are the Badische Staatskapelle (Orchestra) and the Badische Staatsopernchor (opera chorus). The architure of this theatre tells the tale of its numerous resurrection after ...Read more
  9. State Art Gallery

    4.4 (226 Votes)
    State Art Gallery

    Art Museum, Art Gallery, Architecture , Arts And Crafts

    Opened in 1846, the state art gallery has maintained most of its original works of the collection since it’s year of inception. Opened with a motive to serve as an agent between the past, present and future, it not only preserves the legends of several centuries but also aims at modern historic collection and it’s perpetuation and expansion. The state gallery is spread over three hi...Read more
  10. Schauburg Kino And Theater

    4.7 (221 Votes)
    Schauburg Kino And Theater

    Garden, Performance, Theatre, Cinema

    The Schauburg, opened in 1929, is a classic old school cinema where you can enjoy the films in their original version. Set in the premises of the former Apollo Vaudeville Theatre, which was Karlsruhe’s first true metropolitan area cinema with 600 seats, stands this great cinema with retro charm. After near total destruction in the WWII, the cinema was reconstructed on the same site in 194...Read more
  11. Ettlinger Tor

    2.8 (175 Votes)
    Ettlinger Tor

    Leisure, Mall, Shopping Center

    The Ettlinger Tor Karlsruhe was opened in 2005, owned by the ECE group in downtown, is considered to be the largest urban shopping center in southern Germany. Spread over a total of 33,000 square meters of retail space stands this true shopper’s paradise. It has 130 stores located on either side of a three-Storey - open, the extension of the pedestrian shopping street adds to your shoppin...Read more
  12. Therme Vierordtbad

    4.3 (221 Votes)
    Therme Vierordtbad

    Water Body, Leisure, Spa

    Therme Vierordtbad was first opened in 1900. Built in the Art Nouveau style, this is considered as the best sauna in Karlsruhe. Located in the historic bathhouse, this indoor swimming pool offers large sauna, physiotherapy and massage services. Besides the 95°, 90°, 85°, steam bath sauna inside, it also has 3 outdoor saunas. Every 30 minutes someone from the staff comes and sprinkle...Read more
  13. Evangelische Christuskirche

    4.2 (187 Votes)
    Evangelische Christuskirche

    Church, Religious Site

    Evangelische Christuskirche is a 19th century protestant church in Karlsruhe. The architects of this church won the order for its execution in an architectural competition. They further revised their competition design to set the final layout of the church. The design of the church is quite modern and distinct as compared to the other churches in vicinity. This big pillared structure does not q...Read more
  14. Pfarrkirche St. Stephan

    4.5 (141 Votes)
    Pfarrkirche St. Stephan

    Church, Religious Site

    Inaugurated in 1814, The Church of St. Stephan is the oldest Catholic Church in Karlsruhe. Grand duke Karl Friedrich had founded the place in Erbprinzenstraße for Catholics in Karlsruhe and dedicated the Church to the princess Stephanie, an adopted daughter of Napoleon, naming the church after St. Stephen. This classical sacred building’s architecture is dominated by unplastered fa&...Read more
  15. Zeitgeist-uhrenmuseum

    3.6 (172 Votes)
    Zeitgeist-uhrenmuseum

    Museum, Educational Site, Exhibition , Specialty Museum

    Zeitgeist-Uhrenmuseum is the world’s most unique clock museum which has a marvelous collection of public clocks on display. The public clocks collection has all types of watches such as huge tower clocks, railway station clocks and various other special pieces generally used by people in community. A walk through the marvels of mechanics and precision is sure to take you back to the times...Read more