After sleeping soundly at our hotel in Gutach, we tucked into a delicious breakfast spread served to our table at Gasthof Hirsch. With freshly baked croissants, eggs, cold cuts of meat, fruit and cheese to tempt us, we definitely overindulged setting us up for the day ahead.
Back in the car, it was just an hour’s drive to Baden-Baden, the final destination of our Black Forest road trip. This elegant spa town is one of the Great Spa Towns in Europe alongside Bath in the U.K. and since 2021 has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town is famous for its thermal baths, delightful parks, gardens and elaborate casino.
Before driving into the centre we opted first to visit the Hohenbaden Castle (old castle) located a ten minute drive out of town. Entrance to the castle ruins is free of charge, as is the car park where there was no difficulty finding a space on our mid morning visit.
The castle was constructed in 1102 and expanded during the 14th century. It was then abandoned in the 1500’s following a fire and fell into a state of disrepair. However, as the popularity of Baden-Baden as a spa town grew in the 1800’s, restoration work got underway in order to preserve what was left of the castle ruins.
We climbed up the winding steps to the numerous lookout points at different levels from where we had stunning views over Baden-Baden, the Black Forest and Rhine Valley beyond. It was very peaceful walking through the castle ruins on such a lovely morning and a perfect introduction to the town.
Back in the car we then made our way to the Merkur Hotel nestled down a quiet narrow street in the centre of town. As well as being a charming privately owned hotel, an added bonus is its small car park into which guests can pre-book spaces subject to availability. Even though it was only lunchtime we were able to access our room straightaway which was very welcome.
It had been four days since our arrival in the Black Forest and we were yet to sample slices of its famous cake and where better to try it than by having lunch in the elegant surroundings of Cafe Konig, which is legendary for its delicious patisseries and Black Forest gateau.
Both the composer Franz Liszt and the Russian writer Tolstoy were frequent visitors so it felt good to be following in their footsteps. We selected our mains of a feta cheese salad and trout fillet from the seasonal summer menu then indulged in large slices of their delicious signature Black Forest gateau.
I’ve had many slices of this type of cake before but none of them came close to this one at Cafe Konig with its moist layers of chocolate sponge, cherries and cream infused in cherry brandy. Before leaving, I popped into their adjoining cake shop, filled with even more delectable sweet treats.
Lunch over, it was then time for us to meet our tour guide Sonja for a walking tour of the town. We started off at the elegant Belle Epoque Trinkhalle or ‘pump room’ which has a gorgeous outdoor colonnade with fresco lined walls depicting regional scenes. In the 1800’s well to do people would come to sip the thermal waters for their medicinal benefits.
The tap supplying this water is still running today which was almost too hot to touch. It’s not recommended to drink the water nowadays apart from taking a small sip. We learnt that the town has a total of 29 natural hot springs which are all rich in minerals with their temperatures reaching 68 degrees Celsius.
In front of the Trinkhalle stands the Kurpark which looked beautiful with its exquisitely maintained flowerbeds.
Next door stands the Kurhaus which is home to Germany’s oldest casino. It is sumptuously decorated and was described by Marlene Dietrich as the most beautiful casino in the world. It wasn’t open then but we looked forward to visiting later that evening.
From there our walk took us along the beautiful 2.3 km Lichtentaler Allee, formerly a track bordering fields to an abbey and now a tranquil park. The elegant walkway is lined with mature trees running parallel with a stream.
To one side of the stream are elegant villas, some of them now luxurious hotels and on the other bank several of the buildings are home to Baden-Baden’s museums.
After saying goodbye to our tour guide, we popped back to the hotel to collect our car for the ten minute drive to the Merkur Funicular Station so that we could take a ride on Germany’s longest funicular railway.
The train climbs to the 668m (2,191ft) summit of the Merkur mountain in a little over five minutes. (Standard return journey €7). From the top there are splendid views over Baden-Baden, the Black Forest and across the upper Rhine plain.
We could also pick out Hohenbaden Castle where we had visited earlier in the day. Next to the funicular station there’s an attractive cafe with an outdoor terrace boasting superb views. The mountain is a popular place for paragliding but sadly none was taking place at the time of our visit.
Back at the hotel we enjoyed a little rest before eating dinner at Leo’s, a popular town centre restaurant on Leopold Strasse. As the weather was so nice we took the opportunity of dining outdoors on the terrace.
I settled on a chicken tempura salad which was enormous and perfect for the hot weather which I washed down with a refreshing glass of local beer.
It was then time for our visit to the casino, entrance €5 and restricted to over 21’s only. Visitors need to remember to bring their passport with them on a first visit and be dressed appropriately with men wearing jackets and ladies smartly attired. Don’t worry if you’ve come away without a jacket though as these can be hired for the duration of the visit.
It was such a memorable end to the day exploring the elaborate gambling rooms of the casino. We didn’t place any bets ourselves but instead viewed people playing roulette, black jack and poker beneath the dazzling chandeliers of the elegant halls. Photography is not allowed except for the foyer so I have included a photo from the local tourist board to show the sumptuous setting.
The end of another splendid day exploring the Black Forest.
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