2023 - September - Baden-Baden

Hello dear Instagrammers, were you (perhaps inspired by my photos) just thinking how nice a selfie with one of the pretty plastic horses from Baden-Baden would be? Well, what a pity, the horses have just been dismantled and are now back in the stable. Just as if they had never been there.

But aren’t the noble mounts the new landmarks of Baden-Baden?

In fact they are, but only for two short periods of the year, namely the Spring Meeting and then again for the "Big Week" in late August/early September, and both events involve horse racing.

Then the horses actually become advertising vehicles for local traders, but also for the city of Baden-Baden itself. And those responsible for tourism are extremely happy when many, many selfies with the animals are uploaded to social media.

The town, which has a population of 55,000, relies largely on tourism. Despite this, it is not overcrowded. Instead, the place exudes a certain sophistication. The many villas, the upscale restaurants, the 5-star hotels, all of this says: This is where the "rich and beautiful" meet.

And that is a tradition. As early as the 19th century, guests were relaxing here in the thermal baths and/or spending their money in the world-famous casino. Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the famous Russian writer, was here particularly often and immortalized the place in his writings.

But even the average consumer will feel at home in Baden-Baden. There is a really wide range of hotels and the very well-kept parks allow everyone to slow down and invite you to relax.

For example, you can take a wonderful stroll along the Lichtentaler Allee. It is 2.3 km long and begins at Goetheplatz. With the small river Oos always on your left, you stroll through a magnificent park landscape that is a delight to the eye in every season. The Oos can be crossed again and again over playful bridges. This way you can also make a stop or two and take a break in the Gönneranlage, for example. Here you will find an Art Nouveau fountain and a small park with a hedge garden and lots of roses.

Almost at the end of the path there is another highlight, which is especially worth admiring in late summer: the beautiful dahlia garden.

If you haven't walked far enough and are interested in roses, we can recommend a hike to the Beutig rose garden. Depending on the day of the week, the bus up rarely or not at all runs, so you have to climb the mountain yourself. For a mere euro entrance fee, you can then view award-winning plants.

Speaking of hiking up: During our two-day visit to Baden-Baden, we also went up the Merkur. We set off from the town center and it was quite a climb. The last and crucial part was taken by the Merkurbergbahn. This funicular has been running since 1913. In the meantime, however, it has been renovated several times.

Once you reach the top, there is an observation tower that is also used as a transmission tower. This means that Baden-Baden's local mountain, which is 669 m high, can be topped even further.

Have you heard enough and want to set off right away? Good idea, and I'll also add a few bad weather tips, which we didn't even try out ourselves because of the constant sunshine: 1. the Baden-Baden Art Gallery, 2. the Frieder Burda Museum, 3. the Festival Hall, 4. the thermal baths and 5. of course the casino.

In addition, Baden-Baden is close to France...what more could you want?