Holiday in Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
The lovely city of Ludwigsburg is located in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about 15 km north of Stuttgart. Known for its beautiful residential palace and landscaped gardens, it attracts tourists throughout the year. 
We live in Darmstadt, a city in Hesse. Ludwigsburg is about 160 km south of Darmstadt and can be visited on a day trip. However, I would like to add that one day is not enough if you wish to see the popular attractions and have a leisurely holiday. Stay at least one night in Ludwigsburg to make the best of your visit.
Besides its palaces and gardens, Ludwigsburg is famous for hosting Germany’s biggest Pumpkin fest. Every year, the fest starts around August and ends around early December. We visited this city during this festival. It added one more lovely experience to our visit, making it memorable.
Before I discuss places to visit and things to do in Ludwigsburg, I will briefly cover travel, accommodation, and other related topics.
Arrival at Ludwigsburg
By Air
Stuttgart Airport is the nearest airport, and it is just 40 km from Ludwigsburg.
You can check your flight options here.
The official website for the airport is //www.stuttgart-airport.com/.
By Car
If you live in any of the nearby towns, the fastest and most convenient way to reach them is by car.
If you don’t own a car, you can rent one. We have rented from SIXT multiple times and found their cars to be of top-notch quality.
While you are here, you can read my articles:
How to get a driving license in Germany- Step-by-Step guide
My Experience with renting a car in Germany
By Public Transport
The city is also well-connected by the rail network. The nearest big city is Stuttgart. If you come from another city, you will have to alight at Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof (i.e. Stuttgart Central Station) and then take the S Bahn to reach Ludwigsburg. The station where you alight is called Ludwigsburg Bahnhof.
You can book your train on Deutsche Bahn’s official website
If you are a budget traveller, you can also check out the Flix train. Book Flix train/bus tickets on their official website.
If you take the train, you must do the following to reach Ludwigsburg:
Alight at Stuttgart, follow the path to the S-Bahn Station (A walk of about 10-12 minutes). Take the S5 in the direction of Bietigheim-Bissingen or the S4 in the direction of Backnang. In about 15 minutes, you will reach Ludwigsburg.
You can book S Bahn tickets by downloading the VVS Mobil app and buying the ticket directly from the app. VVS stands for Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart. This transport association coordinates the local public transport in Stuttgart and the neighbouring districts. So, if you wish to take any public transport within Stuttgart city or a couple of nearby areas, you can use the services of this company.
Please see my notes regarding the Kombiticket to one of the attractions in Ludwigsburg, which includes public transport. This will help you save on transport.
Accommodation in Ludwigsburg
If you reach the city by car, it won’t matter much where you stay because the town is small, and you can get from one point to the other in a couple of minutes.
However, if you have reached Ludwigsburg by train and plan to use public transport, I recommend staying close to the railway station. We stayed one night in Ludwigsburg and stayed in a hotel next to the station. It saved us a lot of time and made our visits to popular tourist destinations quite comfortable.
Alternatively, you can look for accommodation close to Residenzschloss or Rathaus. Since you will likely spend most of your time here, you can avoid using public transport in Ludwigsburg if you stay close to these areas.
Experiences and Places to Visit in Ludwigsburg
1. Kürbisausstellung ( Pumpkin Exhibition):
Ludwigsburg boasts the largest pumpkin exhibition in Germany. The garden of Blühendes Barock is the venue for this open-air exhibition. Here, more than 45,000 pumpkins are displayed. New themes are introduced yearly, and pumpkin exhibits are designed around these themes. There is lovely pumpkin artwork and sand art on display, too. Visitors can enjoy local delicacies made with pumpkin, such as pumpkin soup, pasta made with pumpkin seed pesto, and pumpkin juice, at various food stalls. A shop by Jucker Farm sells packed food, drinks and souvenirs. Special events are planned on weekends, allowing visitors to participate and add an extra fun element to their visit.
All the information regarding the event is available on their official website: https://www.juckerfarm.ch/hoferlebnis/kuerbisausstellung-ludwigsburg/
2. Visit to Blühendes Barock & Märchengarten
Blühendes Barock is a palatial garden right in front of Residenzschloss. The garden is known for its lovely blooms, so plan a visit in the spring or summer, and the stunning beauties you witness will stay in your memory forever. Beautiful flowers with diverse hues render a range of fragrances and fill the air with sweet scents. Together, they create an exquisite backdrop. Connected to Blühendes Barock is Märchengarten. Märchengarten means Fairytale Garden. This garden is specially designed for kids, especially those who love fairy tales. This place offers a wide range of activities for children, allowing you to spend an entire day here if you wish. A boat ride, a mini train ride, and various small huts —each with interactive displays depicting famous German fairy tales —can keep your child delighted and engaged for hours.
You can find more details on their official website: https://www.blueba.de/en/
3. Visit to Residenzschloss
At the backdrop of Blühendes Barock is Residenzschloss. This palace, comprising 18 buildings and over 400 rooms, was constructed in the early 18th century by Eberhard Louis, the then Duke of Baden-Württemberg. The palace can be visited through a 1-hour guided tour that takes place every half hour in German and once or twice a day in English. The tour guide takes you to various rooms and explains the stories behind the palace. Some of the tour’s highlights include the royal rooms, the chapel, the paintings on the ceiling, and the optical illusions they create. You also get a glimpse into the Modemuseum or the Fashion Museum, which showcases fashion in the 18th Century. More information about the Residenzschloss can be found at https://www.schloss-ludwigsburg.de/. Tickets can be booked at the ticket counter at the venue.
4. Marktplatz
Marktplatz is the city centre of Ludwigsburg. It has plenty of restaurants, cafes, shops, a lovely fountain in the middle of the square, and two churches. Visit the churches, walk around the city square or enjoy a cosy meal at any restaurant.
5. Schloss Favorite
This erstwhile summer residence and a hunting lodge stand across the road opposite Residenzschloss. This pleasure palace was primarily built with the idea of hosting parties, entertaining guests and collecting hunting trophies. Surrounded by a beautiful garden, Schloss Favorite, in its lovely golden and orange hues, stands apart and looks stunning. Visitors can purchase tickets at the entrance and explore the palace from the inside to view the various hunting trophies, lovely paintings on the ceilings, and sculptures that depict stories from the past. A casual walk in the palace gardens is another delightful way of spending time.
The offical website of Schloss Favourite is: https://www.schloss-favorite-ludwigsburg.de/
Now, let me share some tips about planning a holiday in Ludwigsburg.
Planning your trip to Ludwigsburg:
- If you wish to see all the attractions and have a leisurely holiday, plan to spend one night and two days in Ludwigsburg.
- Plan to arrive early on Day 1. Start with visiting the pumpkin fest. If you visit the Pumpkin Fest on a weekend, check out the special events on that weekend on their website and include that in your visit. To attend the pumpkin fest, you don’t need separate tickets. Tickets to the Blühendes Barock will do. This ticket enables you to watch any exhibition at Blühendes Barock (in this case, Pumpkin Fest) and Märchengarten. If you buy the ticket online, the ticket includes public transport on VVS to and from the destination until 5 pm the next day. You can purchase the tickets on their official website: https://ticketshop.blueba.de/. If you have small kids, you can easily spend half a day at the Märchengarten.
- Include lunch at the fest. After you visit the pumpkin fest, Blühendes Barock and Märchengarten, take a break in your hotel room. By evening, head out to the Marktplatz. Visit the churches, hang around at the market square and have dinner at one of the restaurants.
- The next day, visit the Residenzschloss. Book a German or English tour. Note that the palace can only be visited through a guided tour, and English tours are much less frequent than German tours. Check the official website to know the exact timings. If interested, visit the Modemuseum (Fashion Museum) and the Keramikmuseum (Ceramic Museum) as well. Both are housed inside the palace.
- After the palace visit, take a break for lunch either at the cafe at the entrance of the palace or in any of the restaurants in the vicinity. Then head to Schloss Favorite. After the palace visit, spend a leisurely evening at the palace gardens. With this, you can end your visit to Ludwigsburg.
Check out many more pictures of the pumpkin fest and other places in Ludwigsburg in my photo gallery.
To read about other holiday destinations, click here.
To read about other day trips from Darmstadt, click here.
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