Car hire Karlsruhe

Introduction

Karlsruhe is a relatively young city, founded by count Karl Wilhelm von Baden in 1715. The city has a clear layout of streets which consists of a central circle and streets that go from the center in all directions, like the spokes in a wheel. This layout is supposed to have served as an example for the American capital Washington DC.

Population

The city has almost 300,000 inhabitants.

Location

Karlsruhe is located in the southwest of Germany, on the eastern bank of the Rhine, close to where this river forms the border with France. The city is located exactly on the 49th degree of latitude and this is visually marked by a white line in the City Park. The Rhine valley here is one of the sunniest places in Germany: Karlsruhe lies sheltered between the Black Forest east of town and the Vosges in the west. 

Economy

Karlsruhe is sometimes called the capital of justice of Germany. Two of the highest German courts are based here: the Bundesverfassungsgericht and the Bundesgerichtshof. Apart from public services, higher education plays an important role in local economy: the city has a Technical University and other institutes of higher education. The largest oil refinery of Germany is also in Karlsruhe.

Airports

Baden Airpark is the city airport (officially Flughafen Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden) and is situated about 45 kilometers southwest of Karlsruhe. This airport is easily reachable by rental car via the Autobahn A5 (Karlsruhe-Basel), exit Baden-Baden). The route to the airport is clearly signposted.

Public Transport

Karlsruhe has excellent public transport, which mainly consists of trams and regional trains. Public transport not only brings you to all places within Karlsruhe, but also to destinations further out such as Öhringen (110 kilometers from the city center!).

Traffic and Parking

In the city center you need to pay for street parking. It's better to park your rental car in one of the parking garages in and around the center. An electronic system leads you to the nearest parking garage that has places available. On the outskirts of town are P+R sites where you can park your rental car for free to continue your journey with public transport.

Hotels

Karlsruhe isn't a big tourist destination. The city does however pull conference attendees. There is a reasonable supply of accommodation and in general it isn't necessary to book your hotel room long time in advance.

External Sources

For more information about Karlsruhe we recommend Google and the following sources:

• Wikipedia, Karlsruhe
• Official website Karlsruhe (German, English)