Discover Ettlingen: Castle, Old Town and Cycling Routes

The castle, Old Town and paths alongside meadows give Ettlingen its distinct character. Ettlingen Castle, with its Asam Hall, is the heart of the town on the Alb; the Museum of the City of Ettlingen is housed in the historic castle in the heart of the Old Town. When planning your stay, you can focus on culture and local history or include cycling and hiking options.

Castle, Asam Hall and Local History

In the Asam Hall, the castle setting meets art and music. The ceiling fresco depicts the life and suffering of Saint John of Nepomuk in eight main scenes. The hall also provides a magnificent setting for numerous concerts. Two different experiences come together here: a clearly defined religious subject and the experience of a concert in a historic space.

The Museum of the City of Ettlingen explores the history and present of the town and region. Across around 1,800 square metres, it presents collections and changing exhibitions. This combination makes a museum visit an opportunity to discover both the collections and changing exhibition themes as part of your exploration of the town. The programme also includes themed tours, activity days and cultural education activities.

Experience the Old Town and Discover Special Places

The Historical Trail passes through Ettlingen’s historic Old Town, with 26 stops along the way. The stops provide a clear framework for exploring the Old Town, making the trail a distinct option alongside a visit to the castle museum. If you like to pause at several points, you can make the trail a focus of your sightseeing.

You can also explore the tower of the Museum at Lauerturm: a stone spiral staircase leads to the top. Access may vary by season, so factor this seasonal restriction into your plans if you want to visit the tower. Next to the Museum at Lauerturm is a former barn dating from the 18th century. It houses an extensive collection of objects from the working and everyday life of the rural community around 1900. The tower and collection offer distinct highlights alongside the castle and the Old Town trail.

Cycling, Hiking and Excursions

For an active trip, Ettlingen offers cycling tours of varying lengths and difficulty levels, for both leisure cyclists and mountain bikers. Two named cycle routes pass through the town: the Rhine Valley Cycle Route and the cross-border PAMINA Cycle Route. The different tour lengths and difficulty levels can help you choose your cycling itinerary; these two routes offer a different kind of guidance from the local tour options.

Hiking trails alongside orchards and irrigated meadows lead through and around Ettlingen and offer sweeping views. A stroll through town and walks through the meadows provide different ways to experience the area. Ettlingen is also a convenient starting point for excursions into the Alb Valley. If you want to focus your trip more on outdoor activities, you can consider these options alongside the cultural attractions without having to make every activity fit a single theme.

Summer Programme and Planning Your Trip

Every summer, the Schlossfestspiele transform the castle courtyard in Ettlingen into a theatre stage. Dates and productions vary, so it is worth checking the specific performance dates for your travel period. Together with the concerts in the Asam Hall, the festival performances bring a range of settings and formats to the cultural programme.

This can also help you choose your accommodation: if you are mainly interested in the castle, museum and the Old Town’s 26 stops, you can make culture the focus of your trip. If you would rather cycle or hike, tour lengths, difficulty levels and paths along the meadows offer other points to consider as you plan. The seasonal Schlossfestspiele may also influence when you travel. Your search for suitable accommodation can start with the question of which side of Ettlingen you most want to discover during your stay.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Karlsruhe, Bruchsal, Zaisenhausen, Graben-Neudorf, Östringen, Waghäusel, Malsch, Stutensee.

Back to the main travel overview: Karlsruhe.