Karlsruhe's more than 800 hectares of public parks and green spaces provide a wide range of tranquil places in which to relax. Highlights include the palace gardens, botanical gardens, and the city park and zoo where you are actively encouraged not to keep off the grass! From Turmberg hill and Karlsburg Palace in Durlach, accessible by funicular, you can enjoy breathtaking panoramic views of the entire city and the Rhineland Plain as far as Alsace.Palace gardens
The palace gardens were laid out in the French baroque style under Karl Wilhelm. His garden once featured 6,000 varieties of tulip, 890 varieties of hyacinth and 600 varieties of carnation. He also had 6,000 accurate botanical studies of the most beautiful flowers painted in watercolour, and these can still be viewed today. Other highlights in the gardens include sculptures from the baroque era to the Modernists, statues, fountains from various historical periods and a large lake.Botanical gardens
The botanical gardens were created by Carl Christian Gmelin in the 18th century under Margrave Karl Friedrich (1746-1811). The main attractions include the cactus house with Bishop's Caps, Pincushion cactii and Opuntia, and the "palm house" with its exotic plants - including a windmill palm that is almost as high as the roof. The giant bamboo is also impressive, as it can grow up to 40cm in height per day during a growth phase. In the orchid house you can see species from the tropical regions of South America and Asia.Karlsruhe zoo
Karlsruhe zoo is one of the oldest in Germany. It has more than 1,000 animals of 150 species from around the world. It also features around 800 large trees from a number of different countries, as well as 15,000 roses of 300 varieties, many tulips, summer flowers, herbaceous perennials and climbers, making it a great place to visit all year round.