Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [362]
Bray Head ( 350 5115; Kapellenstrasse 40; mains €5.90-6.90; 4pm-1am, to 2am Tue-Thu, to 3am Fri & Sat; ) Ferghal’s home-brewed stout goes down a treat with grub such as Irish stew and fish ’n’ chips at this convivial pub near Kippe. On Saturday there’s live rock at 8.30pm.
Oberländer Weinstuben ( 250 66; Akademiestrasse 7; mains €26-36; Tue-Sat) Foodies praise this wood-panelled tavern’s bulging wine cellar and French-infused menu. Signature dishes like veal carpaccio with snap peas and smoked pigeon breast with Périgord truffles are beautifully cooked and artistically presented.
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Entertainment
From rock gigs to Gothic clubs, Karlsruhe has a vibrant music scene. German speakers should check out the website www.ka-nightlife.de.
Badisches Staatstheater ( 933 333; www.staatstheater.karlsruhe.de, in German; Baumeisterstrasse 11) Karlsruhe’s theatre hosts top-drawer opera, dance, music, theatre and ballet performances.
Club Carambolage ( 373 227; Kaiserstrasse 21; 9pm-3am or later) Filled with cult kitsch, this popular club opposite the university has billiards, kicker and a diverse playlist skipping from indie to ’80s cheese.
Unverschämt ( 848 922; Kaiserallee 3; 10pm-5am Wed-Sat) In the dark, dark bowels of Karlsruhe, UV thuds to rock and metal. With leather-clad Goths, whisky-wasted bikers, and diehard head-bangers, the crowd is every bit as shameless as the name suggests.
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Getting There & Away
Destinations well-served by rail include Baden-Baden (€9.50 to €14.50, 15 to 30 minutes) and Freiburg (€23 to €33, one to two hours).
Karlsruhe is on the A5 (Frankfurt–Basel) and is the starting point of the A8 to Munich. There are Park & Ride options outside of the city centre; look for ‘P+R’ signs.
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Getting Around
The Hauptbahnhof is linked to the Marktplatz by tram and light-rail lines 2, 3, S1, S11, S4 and S41. Single tickets cost €2.10 for an adult and €1.10 per child between six and 14 years of age; a 24-Stunden-Karte costs €4.70 (€7.10 for up to five people).
There are Park & Ride options outside of the city centre; look for ‘P+R’ signs.
A relaxed and ecofriendly way to explore Karlsruhe is by bike. Deutsche Bahn has Call-a-Bike stands across the city; for details and rates Click here.
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KLOSTER MAULBRONN
Billed as the best-preserved medieval monastery north of the Alps, this one-time Cistercian monastery ( 07043-926 610; www.schloesser-und-gaerten.de; adult/concession/family €6/3/15; 9am-5.30pm Mar-Oct, 9.30am-5pm Tue-Sun Nov-Feb) was founded by Alsatian monks in 1147, born again as a Protestant school in 1556 and designated a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1993. Its famous graduates include the astronomer Johannes Kepler. Aside from the Romanesque-Gothic portico in the monastery church and the weblike vaulting of the cloister, it’s the insights into monastic life that make this place so culturally stimulating.
Maulbronn is 30km east of Karlsruhe and 33km northwest of Stuttgart, near the Pforzheim Ost exit on the A8. From Karlsruhe, take the S4 to Bretten Bahnhof and from there bus 700 (€4, one hour); from Stuttgart, take the train to Mühlacker and then bus 700.
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SCHWÄBISCH HALL
0791 / pop 36,450
If you could visit just one place in Baden-Württemberg, where might it be? Heidelberg? Stuttgart? The Black Forest? Few would pick Schwäbisch Hall, out on its rural lonesome near the Bavarian border. Yet this medieval time-capsule of higgledy-piggledy lanes, soaring half-timbered houses built high on the riches of salt, and covered bridges that criss-cross the Kocher River is pure Brothers Grimm stuff.
Buzzy cafes and first-rate museums add to the appeal of this town, known for its rare black-spotted pigs and the jangling piggy banks of its nationwide building society.
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