July 3-5, 2015 ---- Baden-Baden is a spa town located in the foothills of the famous Black Forest. For centuries, many European aristocrats and world-famous nobles have gone there for its thermal baths. When planning this trip, I didn't care much about the baths, but I was very interested in hiking in the Black Forest. Then I searched for a good base to explore the woods and came across Baden-Baden.
Accommodation: We stayed at an apartment hotel called "Apparthaus Pfeifer" located around Augustaplatz. It's pretty much in the city center and in a walking distance to all attractions in the city. I loved the apartment so much. It was clean, spacious and well-organized. The kitchen was equipped with all we needed for cooking simple meals, and there was a big supermarket just a few minutes from the apartment. WiFi worked great too. The only downside was that there was no air-conditioning or fan. Not so good when it's close to 38 degrees Celsius!
Transportation: There are buses running around Baden-Baden. If you go there by train, you will need to take a bus (i.e. bus#201) from the train station to the city center, which takes about 15 minutes. You can buy the ticket directly from the bus driver. There are many types of tickets, such as single-trip, day-tickets, group-tickets, etc.
Food and Restaurants: There are a lot of restaurants everywhere. They are a little pricier than other cities in Germany. Nathan and I didn't really eat out much because we had a kitchen in our apartment hotel and got our food from the grocery store.
Attractions: A lot of people go to Baden-Baden for its famous thermal bath at Friedrichsbad. However, Baden-Baden has more to offer than the baths. If you like hiking, the Black Forest is right there. Hike on the Panoramaweg trail that goes around the city. You can finish the entire trail in two days, or you can just do part of it. The trail to Altes Schloss Hohenbaden is also worth the hike. If you like something easy, take a walk in the cool forest to Geroldsau Waterfall. If you are not so much of a nature-lover, just stroll around the city and visit some museums. There are plenty things to keep you entertained for a day or two.
Our Trip Itinerary:
Day 1: Hiking to Altes Schloss Hohenbaden
Day 2: Walking to Geroldsau Waterfall and then to the Rose Garden
Day 3: Stroll around the city and visit Baden-Baden Museum and the Roman Bath Ruins.
If it hadn't been over 95 degrees the entire time we were there, we would have gone hiking on most of the Panoramaweg trail and would have tried out the thermal bath at Friedrichsbad. Unfortunately, we were exhausted from the heat and wanted to stay in the cool shade all the time. Our hotel didn't have air-conditioning or a fan, and nowhere seemed to have any cooling machine. No way to escape the heat in the summer here! However, Baden-Baden is a very beautiful town and really worth visiting. I think going there in the Fall might be best.
Hiking to Altes Schloss Hohenbaden
Hiking to Geroldsau Waterfall
Baden-Baden City
