Best things to do in Baden-Baden

Lichtentaler Allee is home to a 2.3 km (1.4 mi) path along the west bank of the river Oos. This historic park features a variety of trees, plants, benches, and charming bridges. The park's path reportedly hails back to 1655, when people traveled between the town market and the Lichtenthal monastery. For an artistic sidestep, the park's museum houses the Frieder Burda collection of contemporary art.

Pamper yourself at Friedrichsbad, a luxurious, Roman-inspired oasis. You can choose from several thermal pools, open-air baths, saunas, and spa services. Take a tranquil swim in the dome-covered thermal pool, or unwind with a warm air bath before a refreshing soap-and-brush massage. No matter what you select, rest assured that the spa follows a 17-step bathing tradition. The bathhouse allows no clothing. Keeping with tradition, men and women bathe separately. Check online for mixed-gender bathing days.

More than 1,000 pieces of art grace the walls of the ultra-modern Museum Frieder Burda, named after the printing tycoon Frieder Burda. All of the pieces on display are from the personal collection of Burda, who wanted the public to have access to the remarkable work he had enjoyed over the years. The open gallery spaces are inviting and harmonize with the garden outside with the help of large windows. Take your time viewing the painting, prints, and sculptures in this serene environment.

Climb aboard MerkurBergbahn, a funicular railway built in 1913 that carries passengers up Mount Merkur. At the top, walk along the pathways through the forest, or let children burn some energy on the playground. A short hike leads to an observation deck for views over the Black Forest--and a popular launching point for paragliding.

Enjoy a hike to Hohenbaden Old Castle, castle ruins built on a hill in the Black Forest. Dating from the 12th century, the ruins today offer wonderful views of surrounding nature and of the structure itself. You can drive to the top or hike through the trees to the site. If you're feeling adventurous, you can even climb the castle for the best views.

Casino Baden-Baden Spielbank remains one of the best-known casinos in Europe. See the lavishly decorated rooms and halls and see for yourself if this is still "the most beautiful casino in the world," as Marlene Dietrich once called it.

Lying on the Black Forest Hochstrasse scenic route, is one of the few cirque lakes in the Black Forest remaining from the Ice Age. The lake is 1,032 m (3,385 ft) above sea level, and its surrounding mountains offer excellent hiking opportunities. The highest mountain, Hornisgrinde, features a lookout tower at the top--the hike up takes about one hour. You also can take a stroll around the lake or rent a paddleboat. A number of picnic spots, as well as a hotel and a restaurant with lakeside terraces, provide plenty of places to rest.

The Geroldsau Waterfall (German: Geroldsauer Wasserfall) is a roughly six-metre-high waterfall on the Grobbach stream south of the Baden-Baden quarter of Geroldsau in the Northern Black Forest.

The Grobbach rises on the rainy western slopes of the northern Black Forest at a height of about 800 m above NN on the Black Forest High Road near Plättig/Bühlerhöhe. It flows northwards and merges before the waterfall with the Harzbach, which, together with its two tributaries, drains the northwestern slopes of the Badener Höhe. At the waterfall the Grobbach has an average flow rate of 0.56 m³/s. It drops here from about 291 m above NHN down to about 285 m. into a small rock bowl. After about a kilometre the V-shaped valley widens into the broad valley bottom of Geroldsau. At its confluence with the Oos in Lichtental the Grobbach is bigger and longer than the Oos.