Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [375]
Lichtentaler Allee concludes at the Kloster Lichtenthal, a Cistercian abbey founded in 1245, with an abbey church ( daily) where the margraves of Baden lie buried.
ALTSTADT & PANORAMAS
A steepish jaunt northeast of Leopoldsplatz is the largely Gothic Stiftskirche (Marktplatz), whose foundations incorporate some ruins of the former Roman baths.
Four blocks east, underneath the Friedrichsbad, are the Römische Badruinen (Römerplatz; adult/under 15yr €2.50/1; 11am-noon & 3-6pm mid-Mar–mid-Nov), the well-preserved vestiges of Baden-Baden’s Roman baths.
A vine-enveloped staircase twists up from Marktplatz to the Neues Schloss (Schlosstrasse), the former residence of the margraves of Baden-Baden, with a far-reaching vista over the Black Forest.
For more cool views, head to Florentinerberg where botanical gardens nurture wisteria, cypress trees and fragrant citrus groves. At the foot of the hill sit the ruins of the original Roman baths.
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Activities
SPAS
If it’s the body of Venus and the complexion of Cleopatra you desire, take the waters in the sumptuous 19th-century Friedrichsbad ( 275 920; www.roemisch-irisches-bad.de; Römerplatz 1; 9am-10pm, last admission 7pm). As Mark Twain put it: ‘after 10 minutes you forget time; after 20 minutes, the world’. Modesty, rheumatic aches and the nudity of fellow bathers are soon forgotten as you slip into the regime of steaming, scrubbing, hot-cold bathing and dunking in the Roman-Irish Bath (admission €21, incl soap & brush massage €31). With its cupola, mosaics and column-ringed pool, the bathhouse is the vision of a neo-Renaissance palace.
For the modest, there’s the glass-fronted Caracalla-Therme ( 275 940; www.caracalla.de; Römerplatz 11; 2/3/4hr €13/15/17; 8am-10pm, last admission 8pm), where you can keep your swimsuit on in the pools, grottos and surge channels, but not in the saunas upstairs.
HIKING
Baden-Baden is criss-crossed by scenic walking trails. Footpaths lead to the crumbling 11th-century Altes Schloss, 2.5km north of the centre, with Rhine Valley views; the Geroldsauer waterfalls, 6km south of Leopoldsplatz; and the overgrown Yburg castle ruins, in the vineyards southwest of town. The more challenging 40km circular Panoramaweg takes in waterfalls, orchards, woodlands and Malschbach, affording Kodak views over Baden-Baden.
A Standseilbahn (cable car; 2770; www.stadtwerke-baden-baden.de, in German; adult/6-15yr one-way €2/1.30, return €4/2; 10am-10pm) rises to the 668m-high summit of Mt Merkur, east of the centre, where signposted trails head off in all directions. Take bus 204 or 205 from Leopoldsplatz.
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Sleeping
Baden-Baden is jam-packed with hotels but bargains are rare. The tourist office has a room-reservation service, where a 10% fee is deducted from the cost of the room.
DJH hostel ( 522 23; www.jugendherberge-baden-baden.de; Hardbergstrasse 34; dm 1st/subsequent night €19.10/15.90) A 10-minute uphill trudge from Grosse Dollenstrasse, these digs offer clean dorms, gardens and barbecue areas.
Hotel am Markt ( 270 40; www.hotel-am-markt-baden.de; Marktplatz 18; s/d €44/80, without bathroom €32/64; ) Only the peal of church bells shatters the silence at this family-run hotel opposite the Stiftskirche. The 23 homely and spotless rooms are terrific value.
Heiligenstein ( 961 40; www.hotel-heiligenstein.de, in German; Heiligensteinstrasse 19a, Neuweier; s €75-79, d €110-115; ) Insiders know it’s worth going the extra mile (or seven) to this sweet hotel overlooking Neuweier’s vineyards. The slick rooms come with balconies and guests can put their feet up in the spa and gardens.
Schweizer Hof ( 304 60; www.schweizerhof.de; Lange Strasse 73; s €72, d €99-119; ) Sitting on one of Baden-Baden’s smartest streets, this above-par hotel is a real find, with dapper rooms, chandelier-lit spaces, and a garden with sun lounges for chilling.
Rathausglöckel ( 906 10; www.rathausgloeckel.de; Steinstrasse 7; s €85-100, d €110-135; ) Tucked down a street near Friedrichsbad, this 16th-century