Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [374]
Almost all tourist offices in the Black Forest sell the three-day SchwarzwaldCard (adult/4-11yr/family €32/21/99, incl 1 day at Europa-Park €55.50/45.50/189) for admission to around 150 attractions in the Black Forest, including museums, ski lifts, boat trips, spas and swimming pools. Details on both cards are available at www.blackforest-tourism.com.
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Information
Branch tourist office (Kaiserallee 3; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, 2-5pm Sun) In the Trinkhalle. Sells events tickets.
Internet Café (Lange Strasse 54; per hr €2; 10am-10pm) Internet access at the northern edge of the pedestrianised town centre.
Main tourist office ( 275 200; www.baden-baden.com; Schwarzwaldstrasse 52; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) Situated 2km northwest of the centre. If you’re driving from the northwest (from the A5) this place is on the way into town. Sells events tickets.
Post office (Lange Strasse 44) Inside Kaufhaus Wagener.
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Sights
KURHAUS & CASINO
Corinthian columns and a frieze of mythical griffins grace the belle époque facade of the monumental Kurhaus ( 353 202; www.kurhaus-baden-baden.de, in German; Kaiserallee 1), which towers above well-groomed gardens. An alley of chestnut trees, flanked by two rows of boutiques, links the Kurhaus with Kaiserallee.
Inside is the sublime casino ( 302 40; www.casino-baden-baden.de; admission €3; 2pm-2am Sun-Thu, 2pm-3am Fri & Sat, poker tables open 8pm-5am Fri & Sat), which seeks to emulate – indeed, outdo – the gilded splendour of Versailles. Marlene Dietrich called it ‘the most beautiful casino in the world’. Gents must wear a jacket and tie, rentable for €8 and €3 respectively. If you’re not much of a gambler and want to simply marvel at the opulence, join a guided tour (€4; in German), every half-hour from 9.30am (10am from October to March) to 11.30pm daily.
In the leafy park just north sits the Trinkhalle (Pump Room; Kaiserallee 3), where you can wander a 90m-long portico embellished with 19th-century frescoes of local legends. Baden-Baden’s elixir of youth, some say, is the free curative mineral water that gushes from a faucet (10am to 2am, until 3am Friday and Saturday) linked to the springs below. A cafe sells plastic cups for €0.20, or bring your own bottle to fill with super water.
LICHTENTALER ALLEE
Punctuated by grand 19th-century villas, wrought-iron lanterns and cascading fountains, this flowery park promenade shadows the sprightly Oosbach from the Kurhaus to Kloster Lichtenthal, about 3km south. It’s ideal for a languid saunter or a picnic, especially in spring when the gardens are awash with daffodils and bluebells.
The gateway to Lichtentaler Allee is Baden-Baden Theater, a neobaroque confection whose frilly interior recalls the Opéra-Garnier in Paris.
Voluptuous Joan Miró sculptures guide the eye to the sky-lit Kunsthalle (State Art Gallery; 300 763; www.kunsthalle-baden-baden.de, in German; Lichtentaler Allee 8a; adult/concession €5/4; 11am-6pm Tue-Sun, to 8pm Wed), which hosts rotating exhibitions of contemporary art.
Sidling up to the Kunsthalle is Museum Frieder Burda ( 398 980; www.museum-frieder-burda.de; Lichtentaler Allee 8b; adult/concession €9/7; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun) lodged in an avant-garde edifice designed by Richard Meier. The star-studded modern and contemporary art collection includes works by Warhol and Picasso, as well as by German artists such as Georg Baselitz, Florian Thomas and Eberhard Havecost.
The Stadtmuseum ( 932 272; Lichtentaler Allee 10; adult/child €4/2; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun, to 8pm Wed), just south, timelines Baden-Baden’s past with exhibits from Roman figurines to belle époque paintings and roulette wheels.
Around 1km south is the Gönneranlage, a rose garden perfumed by 400 varieties that thrive in the local microclimate. The Byzantine-style 1882 Russische Kirche (Russian Church; Maria-Victoria-Strasse; admission €0.50; 10am-6pm), slightly east, is topped with a brilliantly golden