2023 - September - Baden-Baden

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

But aren't the noble mounts the new symbols of Baden-Baden?

In fact they are, but only for two short periods of the year, the spring meeting and then again during the "Big Week" in late August/early September, and both events have to do with horse racing.

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

The city of 55,000 residents also relies largely on tourism. Nevertheless, it is not overcrowded here. 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 relaxed in the thermal baths and/or spent 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 average consumers 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 relax.

For example, it's wonderful to stroll along Lichtentaler Allee. It is 2.3 km long and begins at Goetheplatz. With the small river Oos always on your left side, you walk through a magnificent park landscape that delights the eye in every season. The Oos can always be crossed over playful bridges. This means you can also make one or two stops and, for example, take a break at the patron facility. 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 that can be admired, especially in late summer: the beautiful dahlia garden.

If you haven't walked enough up to this point and are interested in roses, we can recommend a hike to the Beutig Rose Novelty Garden. Depending on the day of the week, the bus up rarely or never runs, so you have to climb the mountain yourself. For just one euro entry, you can view award-winning plants.

Speaking of hiking up: During our 2-day visit to Baden-Baden we also went to Merkur. We set off from the center of town and it went quite uphill. The Merkurbergbahn took the last and decisive part away from us. This funicular has been running since 1913. It has since been renovated several times.

Once at the top there is a viewing tower, which is also used as a transmission tower. This means that Baden-Baden's local mountain, which is 669m high, can still be topped.

Have you heard enough and want to drive off straight away? Good idea and I'll also add a few tips for bad weather, which we didn't even try out because of the constant sunshine: 1. the Kunsthalle Baden-Baden, 2. the Museum Frieder Burda, 3. the festival hall, 4. the thermal baths and 5. of course the casino.

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