Kaiserslautern

Kaiserslautern is in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

Nicknamed "K-Town", Kaiserlautern was home to many military personnel during the Cold War, and several American military installations, including Ramstein Air Base, are still in operation nearby.

In the Middle Ages, the town was chosen by Emperor Friedrich I (Barbarossa) as a seat of government.

Kaiserslautern was the smallest of the twelve host cities for the 2006 World Cup.

Touristically, this town has not much to offer but some nice restaurants, bars and nightclubs.

• Check out the city tourism site for more information.

• Gartenschau, Lauterstraße. Varying indoor and outdoor flower shows, as well as other events take place here. The garden fair is also home to the largest open-air dinosaur exhibition in Europe. Open April through October, from 09:00 (or 10:00 during weekends and public holidays) until 19:00.
• Japanese Garden, Am Abendsberg 1. One of the largest Japanese gardens in Europe. It is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 18:00 (or 19:00 during the summer). The entrance fee is €4.50 normal price and €3.50 reduced. Children under 12 can enter for free.
• Imperial Palace and the Casimir Castle Ruins. Open daily from 15:00 to 17:00, as well as Tuesday and Saturday from 11:00 to 13:00..
• Kaiserbrunnen. Built in 1987, it features Emperor Frederic Barbarossa and King Rudolf von Habsburg.
• Stiftskirche.
• St. Martinskirche. Built at the beginning of the 14th century as a Franciscan monastery church, it is now a Catholic parish church. Open daily from 09:00 to 18:00.
• Zoo. Hosts around 115 animal species and 415 wild and domestic animals on its area of 17 acres. It is open April through October from 8:30 to 18:30 and November through March from 9:00 to 17:00. The entrance fee is €6.50 normal price or €4.00 reduced.

Gartenschau, Lauterstraße. Varying indoor and outdoor flower shows, as well as other events take place here. The garden fair is also home to the largest open-air dinosaur exhibition in Europe. Open April through October, from 09:00 (or 10:00 during weekends and public holidays) until 19:00.

Japanese Garden, Am Abendsberg 1. One of the largest Japanese gardens in Europe. It is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 18:00 (or 19:00 during the summer). The entrance fee is €4.50 normal price and €3.50 reduced. Children under 12 can enter for free.

Imperial Palace and the Casimir Castle Ruins. Open daily from 15:00 to 17:00, as well as Tuesday and Saturday from 11:00 to 13:00..

Kaiserbrunnen. Built in 1987, it features Emperor Frederic Barbarossa and King Rudolf von Habsburg.

Stiftskirche.

St. Martinskirche. Built at the beginning of the 14th century as a Franciscan monastery church, it is now a Catholic parish church. Open daily from 09:00 to 18:00.

Zoo. Hosts around 115 animal species and 415 wild and domestic animals on its area of 17 acres. It is open April through October from 8:30 to 18:30 and November through March from 9:00 to 17:00. The entrance fee is €6.50 normal price or €4.00 reduced.

• FC Kaiserslautern. FC Kaiserslautern is Kaiserslautern's professional football/soccer team playing in second Bundesliga. FCK plays its home fixtures in the Fritz Walter Stadion, with a capacity of 49,780.
• Palatinate Forest. 5 minutes away from the city centre, and there are many nice walks available. A classic combination is walking to the Humberg Turm and then visiting the Bremerhof pub, also in the forest. Starting at the technical university the walk should take no more than 30 minutes.
• Volkspark.
• Gelterswoog Lake. A nice lake near Kaiserslautern with grassy ground and boating facilities. There are also a couple of Bar-B-Q huts for rent nearby.
• Bike. A great well maintained 35 km bike trail to Lauterecken is available. If you are tired once you arrive you can take a train back to Kaiserslautern HBF.

FC Kaiserslautern. FC Kaiserslautern is Kaiserslautern's professional football/[[soccer]] team playing in second Bundesliga. FCK plays its home fixtures in the Fritz Walter Stadion, with a capacity of 49,780.

Palatinate Forest. 5 minutes away from the city centre, and there are many nice walks available. A classic combination is walking to the Humberg Turm and then visiting the Bremerhof pub, also in the forest. Starting at the technical university the walk should take no more than 30 minutes.

Volkspark.

Gelterswoog Lake. A nice lake near Kaiserslautern with grassy ground and boating facilities. There are also a couple of Bar-B-Q huts for rent nearby.

Bike. A great well maintained 35 km bike trail to Lauterecken is available. If you are tired once you arrive you can take a train back to Kaiserslautern HBF.

• Glockencafe, Glockenstr. 43, +49 631-60384. Cafe/restaurant that usually opens at 19:00. If you want to eat budget, go for the baked breads. Otherwise, quality food, beer and nice atmosphere. No loud music and a garden make it a good place to hangout.
• Uwe's Tomate, Schillerplatz 4, +49 631-93406. Schillerplatz 4. Upper class restaurant in the city center. Quality food and service. Good choice for small celebrations.
• Pizza-Attack, Berliner Straße 24, +49 631 73011. Good pizzeria, which delivers. It's possible to pay in Euro or US Dollars.
• Spinnradl, Schiller Straße 1 (In the downtown area, around the corner from the Burger King across from the church, +49 631 60511. Historic building that serves as a restaurant serving classic German dishes. The atmosphere is very quaint, and the food is a fine example of regional specialities. While it can be a bit pricey, it still makes for an excellent place to dine."

Glockencafe, Glockenstr. 43, +49 631-60384. Cafe/restaurant that usually opens at 19:00. If you want to eat budget, go for the baked breads. Otherwise, quality food, beer and nice atmosphere. No loud music and a garden make it a good place to hangout.

Uwe's Tomate, Schillerplatz 4, +49 631-93406. Schillerplatz 4. Upper class restaurant in the city center. Quality food and service. Good choice for small celebrations.

Pizza-Attack, Berliner Straße 24, +49 631 73011. Good pizzeria, which delivers. It's possible to pay in Euro or US Dollars.

Spinnradl, Schiller Straße 1 (In the downtown area, around the corner from the Burger King across from the church, +49 631 60511. Historic building that serves as a restaurant serving classic German dishes. The atmosphere is very quaint, and the food is a fine example of regional specialities. While it can be a bit pricey, it still makes for an excellent place to dine."

• 21. A cocktail bar situated on top of the city-council building, the tallest building in Kaiserslautern. It offers a nice view, if for no other reason because it's the only place in town where you cannot see the city-council building.
• Bremerhof. A beer-garden in the Palentine forest, they have a large outdoor service area, with expensive pub food, and normally priced drinks. It's good for the view of the forest, and it is near to a children's playing ground and to a fenced off area with wild deer.
• Thursty Nelly's. An Irish pub in the downtown area, they have karaoke on Thursday nights. The staff all speak excellent English, and drinks are normally priced.

21. A cocktail bar situated on top of the city-council building, the tallest building in Kaiserslautern. It offers a nice view, if for no other reason because it's the only place in town where you cannot see the city-council building.

Bremerhof. A beer-garden in the Palentine forest, they have a large outdoor service area, with expensive pub food, and normally priced drinks. It's good for the view of the forest, and it is near to a children's playing ground and to a fenced off area with wild deer.

Thursty Nelly's. An Irish pub in the downtown area, they have karaoke on Thursday nights. The staff all speak excellent English, and drinks are normally priced.

• Worms