Best Destinations in Baden-Württemberg
The old imperial state of Baden-Württemberg in Southwestern Germany is a dreamy destination for every traveler, aside from its cultural attractions and ancient ruins, the state's landscape is mostly covered with valleys, lakes, meadows and vineyards. It has the best rated restaurants in the country according to online sources. Truly a traveler's perfect escape worthy to be added in your travel bucket list.
PART II: STUTTGART and Nearby Areas
Stuttgart is the capital city of Baden-Württemberg, despite its urban status, the city is still surrounded with orchards, river, hills, valleys and forest along with its
historic buildings, palaces and beautiful towns. It is the only German city that has vineyards in its urban territory. It borders France in the west
and Switzerland in the south with Lake Constance streams on the boundary.
Stuttgart is called the cradle of Germany’s automobile industry due to numerous
luxury car brands headquartered in the city, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche and
Daimler AG are just some.
For travel enthusiasts, Stuttgart is more than just a city of
classical architecture, cultural flares and luxurious cars. It has festivals
and fun activities celebrated whole year round. During summer, the Palace
Square offers awesome fun summer fest, the Hamburg fish market at Karl’s Square
with food and beer. During autumn, Stuttgart Beer Festival is also organized
with unlimited entertainment and great food.
Top Attractions in Stuttgart and Nearby Areas Recommended by Travel Experts :
Black Forest remains to be the primary reason why travelers are enthralled to visit Baden-Württemberg, its breathtaking beauty of nature, stunning landscape, meadows, ravines and scenic atmosphere are perfect elements of a travel experience in fantasy. Located in Southwestern part of Germany, the densely-wooded hills Black Forrest is one of the most visited upland regions in Europe.
The German writers, Grimm brothers (Jacob and Wilhelm) who wrote the immortal classic fairy tale stories: Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, The Frog Prince and Rapunzel, mainly used Black Forest as the setting and backdrop of the stories.
It lies on the extended topography starting from Pforzheim in the north, Waldshut in the south and Upper Neckar and Danube valleys in the east. Black Forest offers diverse travel indulgences in the area. Hiking, strolling, horseback riding, biking are just some. Honeymooners will probably fall in love more when they choose it as their main destination. I has some of the best restaurants in the country, wineries and spas. Choices of scenic and cozy hotels and tourist inns are also located in the region, it offers a perfect view of the valley, foothills, Alps and meadows. It is home to the most authentic Black Forest cake in the world, Black Forest ham and cuckoo clock. How to get there? If you are coming from Ulm, travel time is 2 hours and 40 minutes via A8 and A81. From Stuttgart it's 1 hour and 50 minutes via A81.
2. Europa Park (outside Stuttgart)
Rated as one of the best theme parks in the world, Europa Park is the largest theme park in Germany and the second most visited theme park in Europe next to Disneyland France.
Europa Park offers a sizzling blend of amusement for high adrenaline rides, unique themed areas by country names and other amusement elements. It has restaurants, cafes and hotels inside the park. Its exact location is in the town of Rust, district of Ortenau, Baden-Wurttemberg, closer to Freiburg. 2015 is the best time to visit because the park celebrates its 40th year anniversary. Celebration runs from March 28, 2015 to November 8, 2015. Exciting shows await travelers.
Travel time from Stuttgart to Europa Park is 2 hours. Admission for adult €42.00; Senior citizen and Children 4 years old up €37.00. Opening hours 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. Address: 77977 Rust, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. Visit website for more information EUROPA PARK
Themed areas inside the park:
- Enchanted Forest
- Kingdom of the Invisibles
- Children's world or Vikings Land
- Land by country themes
Other attractions:
- Themed roller coasters, visit HERE
3. Mercedes-Benz Museum
One of the highly anticipated activities when coming to
Stuttgart is a visit to Mercedes-Benz Museum, it showcases the development of
the automobile industry and the birth of Mercedes-Benz.
One of its founding
father, Karl Benz, produced the very first modern car in the late 19th
century which would become the Benz wagon, later it merged with Daimler AG and
renamed Mercedes-Benz (interestingly, Mercedes was the named after the daughter of
the top executive of Daimler and proposed it when they were searching for a
name of the merger. This information is included in my book The Quiz Master II). Address: Mercedesstraße 100, 70372 Stuttgart. Admission: Day
4. Schlossplatz or the
Palace Square
Its main attractions are the
gardens and jubilee column constructed to celebrate King William I’s silver
anniversary on the throne. Schlossplatz is the eternal symbol of Stuttgart’s
glorious royal days, it is surrounded with
elegant buildings that symbolized the ducal past of the city. It has a
cast-iron bandstand, sculptures and fountain. On the northwest side of the
square stands Königsbau
which has a colonnade and a shopping arcade, and Kleiner on the southwest side
with its famous boutiques, shops and restaurants. Address:
5. Sepulchral Chapel or Grapkapelle
Perched above the Wurttemberg hill and overlooking
Stuttgart and the Neckar valley is the beautiful work of art and a symbol of eternal love, much like Taj Mahal in India. On the entrance door, an inscription can be read "Love Never Ends".
This shrine was constructed between 1820 and
1824 on the order of King Wilhelm I of Wurttemberg for his wife, Queen Katharina, who died unexpectedly at age 30. The King ordered the removal of the former castle to erect this monument of love. It has
a domed rotunda in Neoclassical architecture patterned after the Pantheon in
Rome, it is known locally as Grapkapelle. The King and his daughter, Princess Marie, were also buried there. A visit to Grapkapelle can also be accompanied with a leisure walk through the vineyards around the area. Address:
Württembergstraße
340, 70327 Stuttgart. Admission to the chapel: €2.50
6. Ludwigsburg Palace (12 km north of Stuttgart)
This
palace, reportedly one of Europe’s largest baroque buildings to have survived
in the modern world with its original form remained intact, has an impressive
designs and interiors. Its layout has a rare blend of three architectural
designs in the classical era: Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical.
It
is a former royal palace of the Kings of Wurttemberg until 1918 when all German
princely states and kingdoms were abolished. It
has 18 buildings, 450 rooms and beautiful gardens. It houses Baroque gallery,
fashion and ceramics museums. The private apartment of Duke Carl Eugen is also
featured in the gallery containing his valuable furniture and accessories. The
palace is open to the public daily from 10:00am to 5:00pm, however the residential
palace is only accessible through a guided tour arrangement. Travel from Stuttgart is less than one hour via Heilbronner street B27. Address:
Residential Palace: 6.5 € for adults and 3.3 € for children aged 6 to 15
years old, students and disabled visitors. It is free for children under 6
years old.
Museums: 3.5 € for adults and 1.8 € for children aged 6 to 15
years old, students and disabled visitors. Museums with audio guide, 6.5 € for
adults and 3.3 € for children aged 6 to 15 years old, students and disabled
visitors and free for children under 6 years old.
Favorite Palace: 3.5 € for
adults and 1.8 € for children aged 6 to 15 years old, students and disabled
visitors and free for children under 6 years old.
7. Lake Constance
The picturesque Lake Constance divides the border of Bavaria
and Baden-Wurttemberg from Switzerland, France and Austria, it runs on the
northern foot of the Alps and the Rhine. It is known as Bodensee in Germany.
According to Lonely Planet, Lake Constance is the only place in the world where you can spend the night in Germany, cross Switzerland in the morning and arrive in Austria at tea time in the afternoon. Enjoying the breathtaking Alps in-between trips.
Lake Constance landscape is a scenery in fantasy. Surrounded by meadows, vineyards, orchards, Alpine hills and beaches, indeed a dreamy destination for nature lovers. The Constance town nearby also boasts, stone age homes and medieval castles. Perfect elements for cultural fanatics. How to get there? If
traveling by car from Stuttgart-Singen: Take A81 and B33 towards Constance.
From Ulm-Ravensburg: Take B30 from Meersburg car and passenger ferry towards
Constance. Admission is free.
8.
Killesberg Park
Killesberg
Park is an urban public park located half a square kilometer in Stuttgart. Visitors may indulge in nature hopping at this park with its beautiful landscape of
plants and flower beds combined with architectural elements.
The park is said to be at its amazing beauty during summer due to its diversified shapes and sizes and flowers are in perfect bloom. There's a small steam engine train to take visitors around the park. Every July, the famous Lichterfest is organized inside the park with thousands of lanterns scattered around the area. Fun activities are held for visitors to enjoy. A firework display follows at night time. Address:
9.
Weikersheim Palace
Weikersheim is a small town located in the
beautiful landscape of Tauber valley, it is home to Weikersheim Palace widely
regarded as the most beautiful palace in the Hohenloe region. Its best
attraction is the baroque garden with striking cast of statues. It exemplifies
the Renaissance concept of a country estate.The palace was believed to have constructed
in 1586 when Count Wolfgang of Hohenloe took up residence in the castle and
ordered to erect a new home which would become the Weikersheim Palace.
As with most construction of ROYAL HOMES
in aristocratic Europe, the palace was built in splendor and style with
heavy emphasis in art and culture. It is famous for its rich details on paneled
ceiling and spectacular garden that houses several baroque statues. It has an
orangery that charms visitors due to its eye catching backdrop. It contains
sculptures of classical and mythological figures like Apollo and Diana and
representations of earth elements and seasons. Travel time from Stuttgart: 1 hour and 30 minutes. Address Marktplatz. 11, 97990 Weikersheim, Germany. Admission to the palace and gardens € 6.50 for adult,€ 3.30 for children and senior citizens. Operating hours 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.
10. Schwetzingen Palace
Noted for its ornate and magnificent gardens, Schwetzingen Palace is one of the most
visited classical palaces in Baden-Wurttemberg. A former home of the Prince
Electors from the House of Wittelsbach, its grand refurbishment was ordered by
Prince Johann Wilhelm in 1697.
Many would claim that Schwetzingen Palace is a
work of a genius due to its splendid restoration which was initiated by Prince
Carl Theodor in the middle ages. He commissioned architects to design the
gardens in an elaborate layout and eventually created a masterpiece of
spectacular beauty and rich variety. The architects added a landscape park
which was one of its kind in Germany during that period.
The palace gardens are rich in creative
designs with unique ornamental elements that represent the cultural heritage of
Europe. It comprises sculptures and dreamy buildings of all assortments.
There’s a small round building dedicated to Apollo, a bath house with its own
garden modelled after an Italian villa, and Turkish gardens full with oriental
details. Cultural highlights of the palace rooms include furniture from the 18th
and 19th centuries, and the Rococo theater with galleries in the
north wing. Address: Schloß
Mittelbau, 68723 Schwetzingen. Admission € 9.00 for adult, € 4.00 for children and senior citizens. If you want to visit the palace gardens only, admission is € 5.00 and € 2.00 for children and senior citizens. Operating Hours: 9:00 am to 8:00 pm. Phone +49 6221 658880
11. Heidelberg City
Due to its romantic and picturesque landscape, Heidelberg is voted by travelers as one of the most exciting travel destinations in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg. Its top attractions include Heidelberg Castle, the Philosopher's Walk, Heidelberg Tun, Museums, the River Banks, Heidelberg University, the Neuburg Abbey, Botanical Garden, and the Baroque style Old Town located on the south bank of the Neckar river.
Top things to do in Heidelberg include a leisure walk through vineyards along the Neckar river, hike to Heidelberg Castle. The castle, cloaked on a rugged hill top above the Old Town, is one of the most historical and impressive castles in Germany. A scenic stroll along the beautiful Philosopher's Walk and enjoy its gorgeous blooms and exotic plants like Japanese cherries, bamboo and Cypresses. This area also provides a breathtaking view of the river valley and Heidelberg Castle. Travel time from Stuttgart: 1 hour and 45 minutes via A81. Stuttgart hbf train ticket price €19.00 for time departure before 8:13am, however if you choose the departure time from 8:13am ticket price ranges from €23.00 to €27.00
SOURCES OF INFORMATION:
www.tripadvisor.com
www.planetwire.com
www.mygermancity.com
www,bestripchoices.com
www,lonelyplanet.com
www.schloesser-und-gaerten.de/en/
www.germany.travel/en/index.html
www.europark.de
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