Baden-Baden is a spa town on the edges of the Black Forest. In 2021, the town became part of the transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name “Great Spa Towns of Europe“, because of its famous spas and architecture that exemplifies the popularity of spa towns in Europe in the 18th through 20th centuries.

The town – super fancy, and has been since Roman times. It seems to be one of the wealthiest vacation spots in Germany. It reminded Galen of Gstaad, if Gstaad was a small city. Great architecture, great food, beautiful walking, lovely people and parks. Castles galore, many museums, and a cute village center with a river running through it.

What do you do in Baden-Baden? Take a walk, go to the spa. It’s a great town to just wander and experience.

Lodging 

• ***Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa: Lovely, with parking. Very gracious staff, great bar, multiple restaurants, a classic 5 star. Didn’t get to try the spa – next time. Slight edge over the Maison Messmer.
• **Maison Messmer Baden-Baden. Perfectly located. Galen ate at their restaurant and had a fish appetizer and a fish main – both excellent. Impeccable service, great wine selection, a food destination. It’s a very high end hotel with services to match. The rooms have exquisite bedding. Great breakfast! There’s an indoor pool and relaxation area, a sauna, and a small lounge area outdoors.

Dining

• **Amadeus Restaurant – Hausbräu is not a particularly high end place, but the menu is long, the prices are good, and it overlooks the center of town. 
• **Bellini Bar e Ristorante is a pretty place in front of the casino – clearly popular to judge by the crowds. We had quite good drinks, which were cheaper than most of the surrounding places.
• We had a late night drink at **Le Bistro, which looks very popular (and was recommended for a food option by our hotel).
• *Löwenbräu Baden-Baden has a really cute patio and in the right weather looks like a good option for a beer. Food was not amazing, lots of “prepared in advance” execution.
• **Rive Gauche is an elegant, higher-end restaurant with a nice outdoor dining area on Lichtentaler Allee. My food was delicious.

Activities

• *Stadtmuseum Baden-Baden covers the history of the town, with a large, if somewhat random, collection of items. It’s moderately interesting, appropriate for a rainy day but not something I’d seek out again.

• ***Friedrichsbad Baden-Baden is a tiled Roman-style bathhouse that opened in 1877 where you move through 17 stations of thermal water pools and steam rooms. It’s a delight – you really do need 2-3 hours, which pass quickly as you relax into the setting. My favorite was the “swaddle like a burrito” station near the end. Wednesdays and Saturdays are clothed (and skip the salt scrub station); other days naked.

• The **Lichtentaler Allee is a historic park and arboretum; a 2.3 kilometer strolling avenue along the west bank of the river Oos. I loved it, a carefully curated greenway with reportedly 300 types of native and exotic woody plants. The dahlia garden is especially pretty at the right time of year.

• *Kloster Lichtenthal sits at the end of the Allee, an active religious complex that rents affordable rooms. It’s not a remarkable visit, but the walk there is nice.

• There are several churches in town, which for the most part didn’t particularly stand out as major destinations, with the exception of **Russische Kirche – a quick stop to see the highly ornate interior.