Karlsruhe, Germany

It sure helps to know someone who is familiar with a city you’ve never been to! I lucked out again, after a fun trip to Tübingen this fall, to go to Karlsruhe with someone who was a student there. Most tourists head straight for the castle, which we did, too. There are parking garages available, as well as a nice tram system, if you want to park a bit further out (we went for the garage, so don't have any tram tips). 

The castle has a permanent display with the usual suspects (forgive me), of lovely furniture, artwork, candlesticks, and so forth. The entrance to the tower with spectacular views at the top is through the museum, which is worth the ticket price. Another wing of the permanent display includes a history of the local area, including the claim that bicycles were invented here! 

There is often a special exhibit, which we saw on its last day. If they are all as good as this one was, then I highly recommend the special topic, if it is of any interest to you. There is a combination ticket for the tower, permanent and special displays. The rest of the city includes more museums, which we saved for next time, along with plenty of shopping and dining. 

Karlsruhe is definitely worth a day trip from Stuttgart (just under an hour), and if you catch a theater/concert- or really like museums & shopping, then it’s worth an overnight and a return trip. There are several vegetarian eating spots that we did not sample, along with diverse restaurants and cafes.