As the last rays of summer slowly gave way into autumn, I was settling into my life abroad in Stuttgart. By mid-October my degree lectures were in full swing, and it was definitely a steep learning curve trying to study university-level courses in my second language! So what better way to recharge and take a break than a day trip to Baden-Baden, one of the charming little towns of the Black Forest.
My main motivation for coming here was to hunt out some autumnal tree foliage – not an easy feat in a region characterised by evergreen trees! But I had done some research and seen that the Lichentaler Allee in Baden-Baden was consistently mentioned as a good option within this part of Germany. The town itself also looked pretty from a quick Google search, and it had the added bonus of being easily accessible by public transport.
Sam and I took snail rail as usual – a regional train from Stuttgart to Karlsruhe and then a tram to Baden-Baden. You can actually get a regional train from Karlsruhe to Baden-Baden as well which is much faster, but for whatever reason it hadn’t shown up on the journey planner that day. The tram though was a fun and novel way to travel, especially since I was still new to Germany and was in that phase where everything is different and interesting!
Baden-Baden train station is actually quite far from the centre of the town itself, so from the station we just followed the crowd and hopped on a bus into the centre. We decided on a quick stop at a bakery for a morning coffee, and we were lucky that it was still warm enough to sit outside on the little terrace. It was a lovely slow way to start the day, and simply having a chat and people-watching is something I always enjoy.
After that it was time to go hunting for autumn foliage, and we set off along a riverside path towards Lichentaler Allee. This was a lovely stroll, with lots of trees, flower-strewn bridges and the odd fancy mansion house or two. The scenery was so pretty, and I especially loved the contrast of the orange and yellow autumn hues against the dark greens of the Black Forest beyond.
Some time later we reached Lichentaler Allee itself, set in a large expanse of parkland with various paths running through and around the area. This was a really nice place to walk through, with some beautiful orange and yellow trees. It was also very peaceful and not too busy, despite it being a Sunday.
After some time we decided to head back to the cafe we had been to that morning for a traditional Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake). Germany has some incredible cakes on offer at the bakeries and this concept is one of my favourite parts of German culture. Of course it’s something we do in the UK as well, but it seems to be more of an established cultural concept in Germany. I especially enjoy it on Sundays, where most businesses are closed all day – as it means that the cafes, bakeries and restaurants really become social hubs, creating a great atmosphere.
I ordered apple cake, which was amazing, and I can’t remember exactly what Sam had but it was equally as good! I then did a bit of research whilst we were sat at the bakery and discovered that there was a funicular tucked away in the forest just northeast of Baden-Baden, which takes you up Merkur hill. I love little novelties like this and also love being up high to get good views, so it seemed like a great idea to head there for the rest of the afternoon.
It’s possible to take a bus to the base station of the funicular, but the schedule was infrequent so we decided to walk as it would take around the same amount of time. This also gave us the chance to see a bit more of residential Baden-Baden and meant we didn’t have to hang around waiting.
On arrival at the funicular I was delighted to discover two things: a) that this particular funicular is actually the longest one in Germany, and b) that it was only €7 per person for a return ticket. We were a bit worried that they would only take cash payment, as cash is still king in Germany and we didn’t have any with us. The manned ticket counter did only take cash, but luckily there were also some automated ticket machines where we could pay by card.
As well as being the longest in Germany, the Merkurbergbahn funicular is also the steepest, with gradient up to 54%. This creates a kind of optical illusion when you’re going up – the track looks like its curving upwards away from you and getting ever-steeper!
The funicular journey takes you up through the forest to the 668m high Merkur peak. This is a popular spot not only for tourists but also for walkers, cyclists, and paragliders – who take off from a grassy slope next to the funicular track. I was keen to watch the paragliders, so we headed to join the other spectators by the slope and watched as the paragliders took off into the late afternoon sunlight.
It didn’t appear to be ideal conditions for them as there wasn’t much wind and they landed quite soon after launching, but it was still fun to watch. Paragliding looks quite scary but also a lot of fun, and it’s definitely something I want to try (in tandem!) one day.
After watching a few of the take-offs we decided to explore some more of the Merkur peak. Along with the funicular there is also a cafe, children’s playpark and a high tower called the Merkurturm. As soon as I saw the tower I of course wanted to go up it, but from an initial inspection it seemed like there was no way in. There was also a lot of complicated-looking radio equipment sticking out of the top of it on one side, so we figured it must not be for public access.
Instead we settled for one of wooden reclining chairs at the base of the tower, which have a great view out over Baden-Baden. But after sitting there for a bit, I noticed several people at the top of the Merkurturm and instantly thought “well how did they get up there?”. It turns out that the tower is free and for public access, it just doesn’t advertise the fact, and if you push the door at the bottom a bit harder than we initially did, it will in fact open!
Inside the tower there is even a lift to take you up most of the way, though we opted for the spiraling stairs. It’s quite a climb up but the reward is well worth it! This is hands-down the best viewpoint for miles around and probably one of my favourite viewpoints ever. We were lucky to be there on a sunny day so the weather definitely influenced my opinion, but even so the views speak for themselves.
The tower offers a full 360 degree walkway around the top. One side looks out onto the Black Forest, with its miles and miles of dense trees and gently rolling hills. The other side offers a view out across Baden-Baden towards the river Rhein in the distance, which was glittering in the evening sunlight.
In this part of Germany, the Rhein acts as the border between Germany and France. Given that we could see well beyond this, I can confidently say that this was the first time I had ever seen France! It’s pretty cool to be able to stand well within one country and yet have a view of another entirely.
I thought the views couldn’t get any better, but when we returned to the tower for sunset they somehow did! It was really special to watch the sunset colours here, with the cotton-candy clouds and deep oranges that lasted long after the sun went down. We initially were joined by a few other people, but we were the only ones to stay right into blue hour and it was magical when we got the place to ourselves.
This was an unforgettable day, and is one of my best memories from my year abroad. We got so lucky with the weather, colours and the sunset which really showcased Baden-Baden at its absolute best. It’s definitely one of my top recommendations for people visiting this part of Germany!
