14 Best Baden Baden Tour Options You Won’t Want to Miss

This gorgeous 2000-year-old town lies at the foothills of the wonderfully named Black Forest. Baden Baden Germany has a fantastic location for exploring the region as well as everything from, of course, spas to shopping to a palatial casino within Baden-Baden itself.

Before you head to Baden-Baden Germany do check what is on. The city is well known for the three international horse races it runs each year – as it is for its Christmas markets.

Here is my guide to the 14 Best Baden Baden Tour Options.

Baden Baden Tour Options – Baden Baden Tourist Attractions

There are quite a few different Baden-Baden Tour options available. The city has many highlights. Choosing the ones of most interest to you will help in deciding on the best tour option.

Baden-Baden is most famous for its spas. It has 12 hot springs and the elite of Europe have visited them for centuries.

The buildings in which the spas of Baden Baden are housed can be worth seeing but, of course, the best option is to experience the spas yourself.

However, the Germans tend to be slightly more comfortable with public nudity than most other nations. This can be intimidating but there are lots of options for enjoying a spa experience in Baden-Baden that can suit everyone’s comfort levels. [separator type=”thick”]

⇒ Read all about how to have a great experience in Baden-Baden’s spas in my post Naked or Clothed – A Baden-Baden Spa Guide. [separator type=”thick”]

 The centre of Baden Baden is the location for the stunning Baden-Baden Casino – do not miss visiting this extraordinary building.

The Trinkhalle or Pump Room is quite nearby. The Trinkhalle was originally built around the springs and offered visitors a way to take the waters undercover.

It is lined with Corinthian columns and has 14 black forest legends portrayed on its walls.

Next up is the lovely Lichtentaler Allee – Baden-Baden’s most famous street. This tree-lined avenue is 350 years old. In addition to its natural beauty, there are many interesting places to visit nearby.

Museum Frieder Burda is a modern art museum which was built by New York architect Richard Meier. It features up and coming artists and is connected through a glass bridge with the older Kunsthalle. There are 2 Miro sculptures out the front of Museum Frieder Burda.

Towering over the city is the Castle Hohenbaden. The castle was built in the 12th century but destroyed in 1869. It is possible to visit the ruins of Castle Hohenbaden.

An approach via Battert Rock you will provide great views of the Rhine Valley and the Black Forest. Baden-Baden is currently on the tentative list of UNESCO with ten other European Spas.

Baden Baden Tour Options

Baden Baden City Tours

Baden-Baden has a Free Walking Tour – which means you pay the guide via a tip based on what you think the tour was worth after it has completed.

Exclusive Germany has a Baden-Baden Highlights Tour that takes in the key sites of the city.

It is possible to take a World Heritage Walk through Baden-Baden or to take one of six different World Heritage Walking Options. 

There are quite a few ways to see Baden-Baden other than on foot. It was a tradition to enjoy Lichtentaler Allee via a horse-drawn carriage. This can still be enjoyed today on the Horse Drawn Carriage Tour of Baden-Baden.

Another option is to use the City Bahn Baden Baden Tourist Train. Or for something more fun why not try a Segway Tour?

If you are travelling with a group the city has some terrific options for specialised interests. Tours can be organised around great writers of Baden Baden, musicians of Baden-Baden, the city’s Russian History or focussed on some of the city’s top museums.

⇒ Full List of Baden-Baden Tour Options

Baden Baden Casino Tours

The Baden Baden Casino is more like a French palace than a gambling establishment. It is renowned as one, if not the, most beautiful casino in the world.

One room is rococo, one art nouveau, the candle room is absolutely stunning, there are new areas – Baden Baden Casino has a bit of everything.

The best way to see the Casino is via a tour. Exclusive Germany has a 2-hour tour that will take you through the Casino and tell you about its history as well as the stories behind each room.

Or combine a tour of the Casino with a guided city walk in a 2.5-hour tour. I took this tour whilst in Baden-Baden and greatly enjoyed it.

In addition to a thorough tour of the Baden Baden Casino, the walk takes in the city’s highlights and provides a great starting point for exploring Baden-Baden.

Baden-Baden Spa Tours

Baden-Baden is, of course, most famous for its spas. This Exclusive Germany Spa Tour will take guests around the city and show them the locations and explain the history of the spas. It does not include entry to the spas.

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⇒ I love visiting spas! If you’re looking for some more spa inspiration check out my posts on spas: Kamalaya in Thailand, Daylesford Spa in Australia, Czech Republic Spa Towns, Baden Baden Spa options in Germany, Luxury Hotels Yorkshire with spas, African Spa options, Ockenden Manor Spa in Sussex, Spa Hotels South West England, Dhulikhel Resort in Nepal, Blue Lagoon Iceland Reviews, Monart Spa in Ireland, how to take a fantastic Solo Spa Break, the Where to Stay in the Cotswolds for great spas, Spa Breaks Scotland and Solage Spa in California. 

Baden-Baden Nature Tours

Head out of the city and to the nearby Merkur mountain via funicular on the Exclusive Germany Merkur Mountain Tour. The mountain boasts fantastic views of the area and a restaurant to enjoy at the top of the mountain.

Enjoy all of the gardens of Baden-Baden on the Public Botanical Walking Tour. Check out the attached schedule link for details. [separator type=”thick”]

⇒ Another fantastic city to visit in Germany is its second-biggest – check out my post on One Day in Hamburg [separator type=”thick”]

Baden-Baden as a Day Trip – or Day Trip Towns from Baden-Baden

The location of Baden-Baden means it makes for a wonderful day trip from many nearby German cities – and some in France. The Baden Baden train station offers links to Frankfurtannheim, Basel, Stuttgart, Heidelberg, Paris, Strasbourg and Frankfurt.

So of course if you’re staying in any of these towns then it is easy to take a Baden Baden day trip.

Baden-Baden is on the edge of the lovely Black Forest which makes for some great exploring. For wine lovers the Rhine Valley is close as is the Alsace region of France.

There are many options for Baden-Baden day trips if you are staying in Frankfurt. These include a great day trip that combines Baden-Baden with both Strasbourg and the Black Forest.

Or a day trip that combines Baden-Baden with Heidelberg.

Winepaths offers a wine based tour of Baden-Baden from Strasbourg.

⇒ Baden-Baden Day Trips

How to get to Baden-Baden

Baden-Baden is in the south-west of Germany and on the edge of the Black Forest. It is only 40km from the French town of Strasbourg.

The only direct flight (90 minutes) is with Ryan Air from Stansted to Baden Airpark – Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden. The airport is about 20 minutes in a cab from Baden-Baden.

There are also indirect flights but the layovers can be lengthy.

⇒ Flights to Baden-Baden

The next option is Strasbourg in France. Strasbourg is just under one hour by car from Baden-Baden and 90 minutes by train. However, if you are coming from London there are no direct flights which is a bit of a pain.

⇒ Flights to Strasbourg

I ended up flying into Stuttgart as I can only fly with Ryan Air when I literally have no other choice! British Airways and Germany Wings fly directly from Heathrow to Stuttgart and Easyjet from Gatwick. I went with BA.

⇒ Flights to Stuttgart

Drive time between Stuttgart airport and Baden-Baden is only one hour and ten minutes. However, it isn’t cheap to get a taxi. Ours was 154 euros each way with Kiwi Taxi and that was considerably cheaper than all other options.

Having said that, Kiwi Taxi was excellent and I would absolutely recommend them.

There are bus and train options but they are lengthy and rely on making at least one change – most times of day two changes. Once you have arrived in Baden-Baden the town is very much walkable. There is no need for any form of transport other than just your two feet.

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Baden-Baden Hotels

I stayed at the Heliopark Bad-Hotel Zum Hirsch, one of the oldest buildings in Baden-Baden. It is also one of the few places outside the spas to offer thermal waters – even in your own bathroom.

The hotel has 71 rooms and is decorated in an Art Noveau style. The rooms are huge and feature all the expected modern conveniences.

The buffet breakfast was a highlight for me. There is an extensive range of hot and cold options with some excellent yoghurt and granola.

The hotel also has its own spa. As well as a range of treatments it offers a sauna, steam bath and bio-sauna.

The location could not be better. This hotel is literally in the centre of town and just off the main shopping area. It is also less than a five-minute walk to Caracalla and Friedrichsbad.

⇒Heliopark Bad Hotel Zum Hirsch > Read Reviews on Trip Advisor ⇒ Book Your Stay

Some other Baden Baden Hotels are:

For top-end luxury and a stunning in house spa, it has to be Brenner’s Park Hotel and Spa

⇒ Brenner’s Park Hotel and Spa > Read Reviews on Trip Advisor ⇒ Book Your Stay

The newest boutique hotel in town is Roomers. It  is super modern and has a fancy rooftop bar and a sushi restaurant with a great reputation.

⇒ Roomers > Read Reviews on Trip Advisor ⇒ Book Your Stay

For a mix of art nouveau and townhouse and a fantastic location near Lichtentaler Allee check out Hotel Der Kleine Prinz

⇒ Hotel Der Kleine Prinz> Read Reviews on Trip Advisor ⇒ Book Your Stay

Restaurants Baden-Baden Germany

Baden-Baden is a fantastically foodie town. Let’s start with the fact that it has a Michelin starred restaurant Le Jardin de France which has a wonderful terrace in the courtyard.

Fritz & Felix is the new modern restaurant at Brenners Park Hotel and Spa that I mentioned earlier in the post.

I had a great meal – delicious goulash soup and salad – at Le Bistro. This French street café was buzzing when I visited with a menu that was a terrific mix of French and German and lots of atmosphere. [separator type=”thick”]

⇒ Looking for some other off the beaten path places to visit in Europe? Check out my posts on foodie things to do in Latvia, wonderful Graz in Austria, Montepulciano in Italy, Verbier in Switzerland in the summer and lovely Montauban in France.  [separator type=”thick”] 

Restaurant Rizzi is a Mediterranean style restaurant in a gorgeous pink building that also has outdoor and indoor seating. I enjoyed the fantastic bouillabaisse.

Baden-Baden also has some restaurants with excellent reputations located inside some of its main tourist sites. Restaurant Kurhaus is inside the Kurhaus of course – and has some lovely views of the garden.

And Leo’s or Nigrum come highly recommended. Rive Gauche has a brilliant location on Lichtentaler Allee, all-glass walls to enjoy the view and a modern French menu.

If you feel like an Indian try Namaskaar.Moriki is known for great sushi at Roomers Hotel – and have a drink at their Rooftop Bar after your meal.

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Baden-Baden Cafes

I don’t think you should visit Baden-Baden without a trip to Café Koenig. My goodness, the cakes! They are things of beauty.

I did have some fantastic quiche at Cafe Koenig as well – before I decided I couldn’t go past having black forest cake considering where I was – and it was fantastic.

Kaffeehaus Baden-Baden also serves a good coffee as well as some rather amazing chocolates.

My best Baden-Baden coffee was at Kaffeesack. Literally a few feet away from Heliopark Bad-Hotel Zum Hirsch, this super cute and cool café serves the best flat white in Baden-Baden by far. I went to Kaffeesack Baden Baden three times during my stay.

Who Paid for What in this Blog Post

A big thank you to the fantastic team at the City of Baden-Baden. They sponsored my trip (eg covered my accommodation, spa entry, and most meals) and were fabulous. I paid for my flights.

The views in this post, as always, are all my own. And while we’re on that track – some of the links in this post will take you to websites with whom I have a commercial agreement. If you make a purchase on those sites I will receive a small commission. I wanted to make sure you knew this.

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READ NEXT: NAKED OR CLOTHED? A COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE SPAS OF BADEN-BADEN

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