castle
Altes Schloss Hohenbaden
Ruined twelfth-century castle walls crown a forested ridge above spa town Baden-Baden with sweeping Rhine valley views.
28 km · about 35 min drive
EuropeGermanyBaden-Wurttemberg
Karlsruhe
Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany · Europe
About Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe is worth a stop: 15 minutes from Ettlingen, 28km from Altes Schloss Hohenbaden.
Karlsruhe is in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, with about 280,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Ettlingen, about 8 km away.
Karlsruhe is the third-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. It is also a former capital of Baden, a historic region named after Hohenbaden Castle in the city of Baden-Baden. Located on theRead more
right bank of the Rhine (Upper Rhine) near the French border, between the Mannheim-Ludwigshafen conurbation to the north and Strasbourg to the south, Karlsruhe is Germany's legal center, being home to the Federal Constitutional Court, the Federal Court of Justice and the Public Prosecutor General.
Karlsruhe was the capital of the Margraviate of Baden-Durlach (Durlach: 1565–1718; Karlsruhe: 1718–1771), the Margraviate of Baden (1771–1803), the Electorate of Baden (1803–1806), the Grand Duchy of Baden (1806–1918), and the Republic of Baden (1918–1945). Its most remarkable building is Karlsruhe Palace, which was built in 1715. It contains the Baden State Museum, the large cultural, art and regional history museum of the Baden region of Baden-Württemberg. There are nine institutions of higher education in the city, most notably the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport is the second-busiest airport in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart Airport, and the 17th-busiest airport in Germany.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Karlsruhe?
Within an hour or so of Karlsruhe: Altes Schloss Hohenbaden (28 km), Baden-Baden (30 km), Maulbronn Monastery (30 km), Technik Museum Speyer (34 km).
Are there any good drives near Karlsruhe?
The nearest famous roads are Deutsche Weinstraße, Schwarzwaldhochstraße and Schwarzwaldhochstrasse (B500).
Where is Karlsruhe?
Karlsruhe is in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, about 8 km from Ettlingen.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 283,799
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Germany
- Region
- Baden-Wurttemberg
- Timezone
- Europe/Berlin
- Coordinates
- 49.0094, 8.4044
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in Germany
ADAC roadside assistance: +49 89 22 22 22. No general speed limit on some autobahn sections but advisory 130 km/h.
Full driving guide for GermanyTags
Worth the detour from Karlsruhe
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
landmark
Baden-Baden
An elegant spa town at the edge of the Black Forest, famed for its thermal baths, casino, and the Festspielhaus concert hall.
30 km · about 35 min drive
landmark
Maulbronn Monastery
The best-preserved medieval Cistercian monastery complex north of the Alps, a tranquil UNESCO ensemble of Gothic cloisters.
30 km · about 35 min drive
museum
Technik Museum Speyer
Sister museum to Sinsheim featuring a Boeing 747, submarine, and extensive collection of vintage and classic automobiles.
34 km · about 40 min drive
cathedral
Speyer Cathedral
The world's largest surviving Romanesque church, this imperial cathedral holds the tombs of eight German emperors and kings.
34 km · about 40 min drive
landmark
Hunspach
Immaculate northern-Alsace village of white half-timbered farmhouses with curved bull's-eye window panes, voted France's favourite village in 2020 yet still bypassed by the Colmar crowds.
34 km · about 40 min drive
racetrack
Hockenheimring
German Grand Prix circuit in the Rhine Valley with a museum, driving experiences, and regular track day events.
37 km · about 45 min drive
castle
Trifels Castle
A red-sandstone imperial fortress crowning a Palatinate Forest crag once held the crown jewels and Richard the Lionheart.
37 km · about 45 min drive
Driving roads near Karlsruhe
- 39 kmDeutsche WeinstraßeGermany's oldest wine route winds 85 km past vineyards, almond blossoms and half-timbered villages through the Palatinate.
- 42 kmSchwarzwaldhochstrasse (Black Forest High Road)The B500 ridge road runs 60 km from Baden-Baden to Freudenstadt through dense pine forest, passing the Mummelsee lake and spa towns, with sweeping viewpoints over the Rhine plain.
- 48 kmSchwarzwaldhochstraßeThe Black Forest High Road climbs the B500 past pine ridges, moorland lakes and panoramic pull-offs from Baden-Baden to Freudenstadt.
- 48 kmSchwarzwaldhochstrasse (B500)The Black Forest High Road along the ridge from Baden-Baden to Freudenstadt, flowing curves through spruce forest.
- 54 kmSolituderennenA 11.4km road circuit through the forest west of Stuttgart that drew 300,000 spectators to Grand Prix races in the 1960s. The public roads still run the old lap past Schloss Solitude, and the course is entirely drivable today.
Driving in Germany
- Drives on
- the right
- Petrol
- ~€1.78/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
April to October
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