Hotels in Baden-Baden

Baden-Baden is Germany's grand old spa town, a place built around hot mineral springs that the Romans bathed in and that nineteenth-century European royalty, Russian aristocrats and writers like Dostoevsky turned into the summer capital of high society. That heritage earned it a place among UNESCO's Great Spa Towns of Europe, and it is still the reason to come: the ornate Friedrichsbad bathhouse, the modern Caracalla Therme, the belle-époque Kurhaus casino and the leafy Lichtentaler Allee along the Oos river.

The Festspielhaus, one of Europe's largest concert halls, gives it a serious classical music calendar, and the northern Black Forest starts right at the edge of town. Be honest: it is expensive, sedate and skews older, with little nightlife and a mood more suited to restoration than excitement. Karlsruhe Baden-Baden Airport is a short drive away, handy for budget flights. Stay in the compact centre near the Kurhaus and Lichtentaler Allee, where the baths, casino and Festspielhaus are all within walking distance.