This sunny German city should top your summer travel list

Founded in 1715, Karlsruhe in southwest Germany is somewhat young by European standards. On the upper plain of the Rhine River, this neo-classical city is set amid the Vosges Mountains, the Palatinate Forest and the Black Forest in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Karlsruhe is a centre for technology, science and media, and the seat of German law — the German Federal Court of Justice. Arts and outdoor living dominate daily life in the city, while the natural playground of Baden-Württemberg is just a stone’s throw away, where epic hiking, cycling and outdoor adventuring awaits. Here’s how to explore the city at its best this summer.

One of Germany’s most sun-soaked cities, Karlsruhe enjoys average temperatures of 20C in the summer and around 140 days of sunshine each year. With its pleasant weather and wealth of green spaces, the city lends itself perfectly to exploration on foot. Start in the city’s cultural and geographic heart at Karlsruhe Palace with a stroll around the ‘princely pleasure gardens’. For the more inquisitive, the history of Germany is told at the Badisches Landesmuseum (State Museum of Baden) located inside the palace, or for the best view of Karlsruhe’s neo-classical design, climb the palace’s central tower.

From the city’s palatial centrepiece, 32 streets and avenues spread out precisely in the shape of a fan, giving Karlsruhe its nickname, fächerstadt or ‘fan city’. The beautiful layout impressed former US president Thomas Jefferson so much that he used it as inspiration for the design of the city of Washington, DC. Pick the central avenue of Karlsruhe’s ‘fan’ and wander south through the beautifully landscaped Schlossplatz, where locals gather on balmy evenings to raise an Aperol spritz. From mid-August until mid-September, Schlossplatz plays host to the spectacular Schlosslichtspiele Light Festival that turns the palace and square into a vast canvas for art and expression. At Platz der Grundrechte (the Square of Fundamental Rights) don’t mistake the myriad signs for German over-efficiency — they’re actually an art installation of musings on the notion of right and wrong.

Continue to Marktplatz, the central square, where colourful buildings vie for attention alongside the baroque-era Church of the Holy Ghost, the city hall and the Karlsruhe Pyramid, which was built over the tomb of the city’s founder, Karl Wilhelm III. Flowers spill from market stalls, their fragrance filling the square and lingering over the terraces of nearby cafes and restaurants.

Pull up a chair at a konditorei (pastry shop) to people-watch and refuel with a huge slice of Schwarzwälder kirschtorte, more commonly known as Black Forest gateau — the cherry liqueur-soaked dessert famed around the world. When the sun starts to set, head for the festoon lights twinkling over the terrace of Wilma Wunder and order a colourful unicorn cocktail decorated with rainbow sprinkles. Then take things upscale around the corner at Eigenart, where waiters pair the best German wines with Mediterranean-influenced dishes.

Make the most of the warm evenings at Parkdeckzehn P10, a sand-floored beach bar built on the top floor of a car park. Strewn with deck chairs and strandkorb, classic German wicker beach seats, it pulses under party lights and lounge music — an Ibizan beach amid the rolling greens of Baden-Württemberg. Nearby, hidden in a vaulted cellar on Hirschstrasse, The Door will take you into the early hours with its creative menu of bird-themed cocktails and highballs.

As the sun rises, it’s in the green spaces that Karlsruhe really shines. Take a morning walk in the historical Karlsruhe Botanical Gardens, awash with exotic plants and a showcase for stately architecture, designed in the style of Georgian-era English gardens. The neo-classical Staatliche Kunsthalle (State Art Gallery) houses seven centuries of masterpieces from Dürer to Delacroix, but is most impressive when viewed from the outside in its garden setting. Just north, the forests of the Waldstadt stretch to the horizon.

For a different perspective, visit in July when Das Fest (The Festival) rolls into Günther-Klotz-Anlage Park, bringing with it a quarter of a million revellers for four days of fun. One of the state’s biggest open-air events, its line-up spans genres to attract the widest range of people, young and old, with music, performance, arts and even the German Skateboard Championships. If that isn’t enough, the organisers hold Das Fest Am See a week before, a sort of pre-festival festival on the shore of the park’s picturesque lake.

But perhaps the most fitting way to explore Karlsruhe is on two wheels — it was here, after all, that Baron Karl von Drais invented what would become the bicycle. The extensive network of cycleways that weave around the city reflect Karlsruhe’s love for cycling. Rent a bike or e-bike from one of the numerous KVV points and dip in and out of the widely signposted NaturRADtour at will. Or pedal past the city limits and follow a long-distance cycle route further into beautiful Baden-Württemberg, such as the Rhine Valley Way or the Black Forest Way.