Baden-Baden in Pictures
3 April, 2012Baden-Baden is a resort spa town in the south west of Germany between Karlsruhe and Freiburg and has been for several thousand years. There are roman ruins of a bath house under the modern spa of Friedrichsbad. “Baden” is the German word for baths. The town feels appropriately resort-like and is a nice walkable town amongst the hills. Ali and I went to play with our new cameras before heading to Turkey, so I took tons of pictures.
Here is a look in pictures of our day around town.
Trinkhalle & Tourism Info
The first stop needs to be the Trinkhalle. Not only is this a cool colonnaded building, but it also holds the tourist office (which is closed on Mondays). This was once a building to “take the waters” and still has a fountain in the main hall. A sign next to it details the minerals and what it is good for.
Banks of the Oos
The river in Baden Baden is called the Oos. I imagine it is actually pronounced “oo-s” not “ooze”, but it is still funny to read. Along the banks is a 3 km long park with many little bridges that cross it. According to a sign and map this was a place to see and be seen by the Parisian society in the summer. Baden apparently was once the place to retreat to from the Paris heat. It is still a nice place to relax and enjoy the paths and grass.
Flowers
It is last weekend in March and spring has just begun in Germany. The early flowers were out and the trees and shrubberies were starting to bud.
Pedestrian Area with Shops and Restaurants
Baden-Baden is very walkable. The pedestrian area with shops and restaurants is right where the bus lets you off. Despite the McDonalds in the middle, the places look fairly upscale. We didn’t go shopping, but did have ice cream and watch the people go by.
Water Water Everywhere
The main attraction of Baden-Baden is the spa atmosphere. The spas are up on the hill above the pedestrian area. A gentle climb leads you to Friedrichsbad. Underneath and next to this building are the ruins of the roman era baths. The ruins are not the highlight of the town and so not open very often. Not in the winter and only a few hours a day in the summer. But still you can see through the windows. There are several other modern spas in town in addition to Friedrichsbad, although all seem to be owned by the same company.
The town is centered around water. There are numerous decorative fountains spread around town both in the spurting up variety and the dripping into a basin variety. As well as mineral sources that allow anyone walking by to partake. We found one behind Friedrichsbad called Fettquelle. The alcove contained a faucet pouring hot slightly salty water from the wall.
Getting Here: Take the train to Baden-Baden station and then one of many buses into the center of town. For us, the Baden-Württemberg Ticket (german) offered by the Deutsche Bahn let us on all the slow trains and buses in the region for 25 Euros for 2 people. For us out of Freibug it is only an hour and a half on the slow trains and thus a great chance to try out the Baden Württemberg ticket for a day trip on a sunny Saturday. This was great deal and took the worry out of things. This would work from anywhere in the state that you could easily get here and back on the slow trains. There are ICE trains that stop here too.
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Category: Life In Germany, Phototour
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Great photos! I love Baden- Baden and the castles ruins there are my favorite to date in all of Germany.
Laurel recently posted..Iso-Syöte: Traveling Like the Locals
I didn’t realize there were ruins you can walk through. Where are they? We may have to head back up there at some point.
Laurel may be talking about the two medieval castles in Helenental, close to Baden? I know they’ve been on my list for a while now!
Hmm will have to hunt them down. I like castles. Thanks for the hint.
Great photo essay! I’d love to visit now
Nomadic Samuel recently posted..Burnt Traditional Home | Hannam | Seoul, Korea
Thanks, it was a fun day. It really is a neat place.
Funny it kind of reminds me of Austria. At least the architecture.
Dayna recently posted..How #OccupyWallStreet Can Teach Travel Bloggers Mobile and Streaming
Hmm howso? I guess the grandness of the resort architecture could be similar to some of the Viennese stuff. Or maybe just all built in a similar era.
Pretty town and who doesn’t love a spa town. Great photos.
Pamela recently posted..Fun with Photography (Shutter Speed and Aperture)
It does feel quite resort-y. Maybe net time we will try one of the spas, though need to find one of the clothing allowed ones.
Great photos! Those ice creams look delicious.
Christy recently posted..7 Places to Visit in Southeast Asia
Thanks. it was.
I really wanted to check this town out but we didn’t have time. Thanks for the tour!
Andrea recently posted..Discovering Hamburg: The City on the Water
Next time. You guys are back in Europe, so it should be somewhat easier.
Beautiful town! This photos show that Baden Baden is so much more than just baths and spas. Makes me want to visit!
Jeremy Branham recently posted..Best travel photos: My 7 Super Shots
You should. It is a good day trip from Karlsruhe or Freiburg and a nice place to just walk around.
Wow, it looks beautiful with all the flowers and architectural details!
Thanks. The flowers were just coming out. I can imagine how it looks when they are ALL in bloom.
That ice-cream looks delicious! It makes me miss gelaterias so bad! Baden Baden looks like a beautoful town. Never been there. Is is a casino town as well? Somehow I remember that about it…
Sabrina recently posted..The Grapes: Awesome Fish Restaurant in London
I think there was a Casino, but that isn’t our thing so we didn’t go hunting it out. The ice cream was great. Liquor based sauces on cool cie cream. I am quite proud of my pictures as well.
Yeah, Ice Cream is not really the same in the US is it?
Great overview on Baden Baden with stunning pics of the entire town. Loved the flowers and historic buildings especially!!
Jeff Titelius recently posted..Guided Tour Through Viking River Cruise’s Longship Viking Odin
Thanks Jeff. It really is a nice place to walk around.