Free Walking Tour Baden-Baden: Baths, Art and the Kurhaus

From Roman-Irish baths past the art museums of the Lichtentaler Allee to the Kurhaus and the margraves' church: 4.1 km of spa-town history on foot.

10 Stops 4.1 km ~59 min walking
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Route map for the Baden-Baden walking tour
Stop 1 of 10
280 m·4 min
Friedrichsbad
Head east toward the Caracalla-Therme
Hello, welcome to Baden-Baden. I'm Alex, and this spa town's modern pools still draw from a very old source.
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Where This Walk Takes You

10 stops from the Friedrichsbad and Caracalla Therme via the Fabergé Museum, Museum Frieder Burda and Staatliche Kunsthalle to the Lichtentaler Allee, Kurhaus, Trinkhalle, Neues Schloss and Stiftskirche: 4.1 km, 59 minutes of pure walking, about three hours with short visits.

The park, Kurhaus grounds, Trinkhalle, castle exterior and church are free; the baths and museums charge entry. The GPS route in your browser costs nothing, and the AI Tour Guide is optional.

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This short shows highlights of the route. All 10 stops follow below.

The Route

Baden-Baden Walking Map: From the Baths to the Stiftskirche

10 stops 4.1 km 59 min walking
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The 10 stops along this route

  1. Friedrichsbad in Baden-Baden, stop 1 on the self-guided walking tour
    1Friedrichsbad
  2. Caracalla Therme in Baden-Baden, stop 2 on the self-guided walking tour
    2Caracalla Therme
  3. Fabergé Museum in Baden-Baden, stop 3 on the self-guided walking tour
    3Fabergé Museum
  4. Museum Frieder Burda in Baden-Baden, stop 4 on the self-guided walking tour
    4Museum Frieder Burda
  5. Staatliche Kunsthalle in Baden-Baden, stop 5 on the self-guided walking tour
    5Staatliche Kunsthalle
  6. Lichtentaler Allee in Baden-Baden, stop 6 on the self-guided walking tour
    6Lichtentaler Allee
  7. Kurhaus in Baden-Baden, stop 7 on the self-guided walking tour
    7Kurhaus
  8. Trinkhalle in Baden-Baden, stop 8 on the self-guided walking tour
    8Trinkhalle
  9. Neues Schloss in Baden-Baden, stop 9 on the self-guided walking tour
    9Neues Schloss
  10. Stiftskirche in Baden-Baden, stop 10 on the self-guided walking tour
    10Stiftskirche
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Your Baden-Baden Walking Tour, from Bathhouse to Collegiate Church

  1. 1

    Friedrichsbad

    Friedrichsbad in Baden-Baden, stop 1 on the self-guided walking tour

    Your walk begins at the Friedrichsbad, a Roman-Irish thermal bath and the first of two very different ways this spa town invites you into its warm water. Even if you have no plans to bathe today, it is worth pausing outside: this is the building that sets the tone for everything that follows, from the Roman founders of the baths to the spa guests who made Baden-Baden famous.

    The Friedrichsbad is built around a bathing ritual rather than a quick swim, and the house plans for it: the recommended visit is about three hours. The ticket includes bathing shoes, towels, toiletries and tea, so the basics are taken care of.

    Book it if you want one slow, unhurried session to be the centrepiece of your day, or keep it for the evening after the walk. If your time is short, look at the building, then cross over to the Caracalla Therme, 280 m and about 4 minutes away.

    Hours
    Daily: 09:00–22:00
    Price
    39 EUR (Roman-Irish bath, recommended duration approx. 3 hrs, incl. bathing shoes, towels, toiletries and tea)
  2. 2

    Caracalla Therme

    Caracalla Therme in Baden-Baden, stop 2 on the self-guided walking tour

    The Caracalla Therme takes its name from the Roman emperor Caracalla, who around 200 AD had the bathing and spa facilities that had grown up around the thermal springs here enlarged. So the name is not a marketing whim: it points back to the reason this town exists at all, hot water rising from the ground and people building around it for nearly two thousand years.

    Its water comes from the Friedrichstollen, the same thermal source that links it to the bath you just left. What sets it apart is flexibility: in the pool area you can book a two-hour or three-hour slot or a whole day, and you can add the sauna area if you like.

    If the Friedrichsbad's fixed ritual feels like too much commitment, this is the easier choice: a two-hour slot fits around the rest of the walk. From here it is 310 m, about 4 minutes, to the Fabergé Museum, where the theme switches from water to jewels.

    Hours
    Daily: 08:00–22:00
    Price
    Pool area: 2 hrs 21 EUR, 3 hrs 25 EUR, day ticket 35 EUR; pool & sauna area: 2 hrs 26 EUR, 3 hrs 30 EUR, day ticket 40 EUR
  3. 3

    Fabergé Museum

    Fabergé Museum in Baden-Baden, stop 3 on the self-guided walking tour

    Few people expect to find a museum devoted to the Russian jewellery firm Fabergé in a German spa town, yet here it is. The Fabergé Museum is privately owned and was opened on 9 May 2009 by the Russian art collector Alexander Ivanov. The company behind it was founded in January 2008 by Ivanov together with Konstantin Goloshchapov.

    The collections go beyond the famous name. Alongside pieces made by the Fabergé firm you will find so-called Fauxbergé pieces, and part of the pleasure is looking closely and asking yourself what separates the real workshop's craft from the rest. It is a collector's museum, shaped by one person's passion rather than a public mandate, and it feels that way.

    The museum charges entry, and guided tours and a combined ticket are available. It is worth going in if jewellery, goldsmith work or Russian decorative art interest you; if not, the outside is enough and your budget goes further at the art museums ahead.

    The next leg is the longest of the walk: 1200 m, about 16 minutes, to the Museum Frieder Burda.

    Hours
    Daily: 11:00–18:00
    Price
    EUR 21 adult; EUR 20 reduced; EUR 38-50 family; guided tour EUR 60; combined ticket EUR 27
  4. 4

    Museum Frieder Burda

    Museum Frieder Burda in Baden-Baden, stop 4 on the self-guided walking tour

    The Museum Frieder Burda is the first of two art houses side by side on the Lichtentaler Allee. It was designed by the American architect Richard Meier and opened in October 2004 as a private collector's museum, built by its founder Frieder Burda to show his own collection.

    Inside you see works of classical modernism and contemporary art from Burda's collection, plus regular special exhibitions, so what hangs on the walls changes over the year. Even from outside, look at how the building relates to its older neighbour: the two are linked by a glazed bridge, a meeting of 1909 and 2004.

    The museum charges entry. Go in if modern and contemporary art draws you; it is a strong pairing with the Kunsthalle next door if you want an art afternoon.

    The walk to the Staatliche Kunsthalle is 500 m, about 7 minutes.

    Hours
    Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–18:00, Monday closed (except on holidays; 24 and 31.12 closed)
    Price
    16 EUR regular, 12 EUR reduced (students, severely disabled from 50%, unemployed), youth (13-17 yrs) 6 EUR, children (up to 12 yrs) 2 EUR, family card 35 EUR
  5. 5

    Staatliche Kunsthalle

    Staatliche Kunsthalle in Baden-Baden, stop 5 on the self-guided walking tour

    The Staatliche Kunsthalle is one of the oldest cultural institutions in the town and the wider region. It opened in 1909 as the exhibition hall of the Freie Künstlervereinigung Baden, a free association of artists, and has served ever since as a showcase for classical, modern and contemporary art. Today it is run under the Baden-Württemberg ministry responsible for science, research and the arts.

    Its defining feature is what it lacks: the Kunsthalle has no collection of its own. That gives it great freedom to plan its programme and react quickly to new movements. Several exhibitions a year are dedicated to individual artists or to current and historical questions of art and culture, so each visit is different. Since May 2025 the house has been led by a director duo, Eckart Köhne and Susanne Schulenburg, who followed Çağla Ilk and Misal Adnan Yıldız.

    The Kunsthalle charges entry too. Choose it over the Burda if you prefer to see what is being discussed in art right now rather than a fixed private collection; choose both if you have the afternoon.

    From here it is 280 m, about 4 minutes, to the Lichtentaler Allee.

    Hours
    Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–18:00, Monday closed (24 and 31.12 closed)
    Price
    10 EUR regular, 7 EUR reduced (students, trainees, severely disabled, unemployed, groups of 15+), pupils (9-17 yrs) 4 EUR, family card 18 EUR
  6. 6

    Lichtentaler Allee

    Lichtentaler Allee in Baden-Baden, stop 6 on the self-guided walking tour

    The Lichtentaler Allee is a 2.3 km long street running through parkland right in the centre of Baden-Baden. You only walk a short part of it on this route, but it is the stretch that explains the town's reputation.

    In the 19th century this was the promenade where the famous guests of the fashionable spa town were seen, at a time when Baden-Baden was called the "summer capital of Europe". Strolling here was the point: to walk, to watch and to be watched. Imagine the avenue then, and the museums you have just passed suddenly sit in a long tradition of people coming here for culture and company.

    It is open around the clock and free. If you have spare time, follow it a little further at your own pace before rejoining the route; it is the easiest way to slow the day down between museums.

    The Kurhaus is 250 m, about 3 minutes, from here.

    Hours
    Open 24/7
    Price
    0 EUR
  7. 7

    Kurhaus

    Kurhaus in Baden-Baden, stop 7 on the self-guided walking tour

    The Kurhaus was designed in the 19th century by the Karlsruhe architect Friedrich Weinbrenner in the classicist style. It stands on the site of the Promenadenhaus, built in 1766, so the spot was already the social heart of the spa before the present building rose.

    Today it houses the casino, event rooms and places to eat and drink. The spa garden, the colonnades and the foyer are free to visit, which means you can take in the setting without spending anything. Look at the colonnades and imagine them as a stage for the guests who promenaded on the Lichtentaler Allee you have just left.

    Whether to go further inside depends on your interest in the casino: a guided historic tour shows it without gambling, and in the afternoon classic gaming opens to visitors. For everyone else, the free spaces give you the atmosphere.

    The Trinkhalle is just 180 m, about 2 minutes, away in the same spa garden.

    Hours
    Spa grounds open continuously; casino tours daily 10:00–13:00 (hourly); casino classic gaming daily from 14:00/15:00
    Price
    0 EUR (spa garden, colonnades and foyer); casino classic entry 5 EUR, historic tour 10 EUR (children 6-16 yrs 4 EUR, family 25 EUR)
  8. 8

    Trinkhalle

    Trinkhalle in Baden-Baden, stop 8 on the self-guided walking tour

    The Trinkhalle was built between 1839 and 1842 to plans by Heinrich Hübsch, a pupil of Friedrich Weinbrenner, so it continues the work of the man behind the Kurhaus next door. It stands in the spa garden on the right-hand side of the Kurhaus.

    Sixteen Corinthian columns carry the 90 m long open hall. Walk its length slowly and look at the wall: 14 murals by Jakob Götzenberger, a contemporary of Moritz von Schwind, show scenes from the myths and legends of the region. They also record places for excursions in the surrounding area, a kind of painted travel guide for the spa guests of the 19th century.

    The walkway is freely accessible during the day and costs nothing, which makes this one of the best value stops of the route. Give yourself time with the murals rather than rushing through.

    From here the walk leaves the spa quarter: 600 m, about 11 minutes, to the Neues Schloss.

    Hours
    Walkway freely accessible during the day; tourist information Mon–Sat 10:00–17:00, Sun/holiday 14:00–17:00
    Price
    0 EUR
  9. 9

    Neues Schloss

    Neues Schloss in Baden-Baden, stop 9 on the self-guided walking tour

    The Neues Schloss stands on the Florentinerberg and was the seat of the Margraves of Baden from the late 15th century to the end of the 17th century, and from 1535 of the Margraves of Baden-Baden. It began as a late medieval castle and was rebuilt and extended several times, which you can read in its layered appearance.

    Its recent history is a story of its own. In 2003 the Baden family sold the castle to Kuwaiti investors who planned to turn it into a luxury hotel. Construction stalled for years, and in 2022 the town cancelled the development plan for the hotel project. The castle remains in private ownership and is not open to the public, so you see it from outside only, free of charge.

    Use the stop to connect the dots: the margraves who lived here were buried in the church you visit next. The Stiftskirche is 470 m, about 6 minutes, away.

    Hours
    Open 24/7 (exterior view only)
    Price
    Free (exterior view; castle in private ownership, not open to the public)
  10. 10

    Stiftskirche

    Stiftskirche in Baden-Baden, stop 10 on the self-guided walking tour

    The Stiftskirche Liebfrauen sits on the Florentinerberg below the Neues Schloss, above the old town, and its tower of about 68 m shapes the skyline of Baden-Baden. First mentioned in 987, it is the oldest continuously used building in the town, and you can read its long life in the stone: the Romanesque lower tower survives from the 13th century, the choir and nave were built in late Gothic style between 1453 and 1474, and the Baroque domes on the tower date from the rebuilding after the town fire of 1689.

    From 1391 to 1793 the choir served as the burial place of the Margraves of Baden, the family whose castle you have just seen. The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the apostles Peter and Paul. Its name comes from the collegiate chapter set up in 1453; the chapter was dissolved in 1808, but the name stayed.

    Go inside: entry is free and the church is open daily. Look for the crucifix by Niclas Gerhaert van Leyden, the 15th-century sacrament house and the lavish 18th-century epitaph of Margrave Ludwig Wilhelm of Baden, known as the Türkenlouis. Together they span the centuries of the building itself.

    This is where the walk ends, in the old heart of the town, with the baths, the spa quarter and the margraves' castle all part of one story behind you.

    Hours
    Daily: 09:00–18:00
    Price
    0 EUR
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10stops 4.1km 59 minwalking 13languages
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Shorter Ways Through Baden-Baden

The full route links baths, museums and the old town. If you only want one side of the town, these two cuts follow the same order and keep the walking short.

The free half: promenade, Kurhaus and old town

Stops: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

For anyone who wants Baden-Baden's history without tickets. From the Lichtentaler Allee to the Stiftskirche you walk 22 minutes in total, and every stop is free to see; only the casino inside the Kurhaus is extra if you choose it. With time to look around, plan on roughly an hour and a quarter.

The art mile

Stops: 3, 4, 5, 6

For museum lovers. The Fabergé Museum, Museum Frieder Burda and Staatliche Kunsthalle are linked by 27 minutes of walking and end on the Lichtentaler Allee. All three charge entry, so pick one or two museums unless you want to spend the whole day indoors.

How Long Does This Baden-Baden Tour Take with Baths and Museums?

The pure walking time is 59 minutes. The longest leg, from the Fabergé Museum to the Museum Frieder Burda, takes 16 minutes; most others are only a few minutes, so the stops sit close together and the day is shaped by how long you spend inside.

With short looks at each stop and a visit to the Stiftskirche, about three hours is realistic. Each museum adds around an hour and a half, and booking a bath turns the walk into a full day. The free half takes about an hour and a quarter; the art mile fills most of a day if you go into all three museums.

Before You Set Off in Baden-Baden

  • Start and finish: The recommended start is the Friedrichsbad and the walk ends at the Stiftskirche, but you can join at any stop. From the end, the GPS navigation in your browser can lead you back to the start if you want.
  • Best day: Any day works for the outdoor stops, but the Museum Frieder Burda and the Staatliche Kunsthalle are not open every day, so plan your walk for a day when both are open.
  • Best time: Starting at the Friedrichsbad in the late morning with a short look at both baths brings you to the Fabergé Museum around the time it opens. The historic casino tours in the Kurhaus run in the morning, so if you want one, begin at the Kurhaus instead. Aim to reach the Stiftskirche by early evening, before it and the museums close.
  • Costs: Walking the route is free, and so are the Lichtentaler Allee, the Kurhaus spa garden, colonnades and foyer, the Trinkhalle, the view of the Neues Schloss and the Stiftskirche. You pay only for what you go into: the baths, the three museums and the casino.
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10stops 4.1km 59 minwalking 13languages
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What the AI Tour Guide Adds Along the Allee

On this route the AI Tour Guide leads the walk as a conversation: it greets you at the Friedrichsbad, tells the stories of the margraves, the spa guests and the collectors as you go, and asks what you care about, whether that is bathing culture, Richard Meier's architecture or the legends painted in the Trinkhalle. It remembers your answers and shifts the conversation, so you can dig into the regional myths behind Götzenberger's murals or the life of the Türkenlouis while the free GPS route keeps you heading for the next stop. You start with 100 free credits; after that you choose this tour all-inclusive for €19.99 with no time limit, or €5 per hour.

A Real Conversation A voice AI Tour Guide greets you, leads the whole route, and tells the stories and facts as you walk, asking what you want to see and keeping a real conversation going. Not a recording you press play on.
Map Navigation Follow the route on the map and walk at your own pace. You choose where to start and when to move to the next stop.
Ask Anything Curious about a building you pass? Ask your AI Tour Guide on the spot and the conversation carries on.
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Common Questions about Walking Baden-Baden

Can I see inside the Baden-Baden casino without gambling?

Yes. The historic tour of the casino in the Kurhaus shows you the rooms without playing, and there are reduced tickets for children and families. Classic gaming starts in the afternoon and has its own entry fee.

Is the Stiftskirche part of a UNESCO World Heritage site?

Yes. The Stiftskirche lies in the core zone of the UNESCO World Heritage area in Baden-Baden, and it is also listed as a cultural monument of special significance for the state's history and art history.

Are the museums on this route affordable for families?

Yes, families are well catered for. The Museum Frieder Burda has reduced prices for children and teenagers and a family card, the Staatliche Kunsthalle offers reduced tickets for school pupils and a family card, and the Fabergé Museum offers family tickets as well, priced by the size of the group.

Which other city walks are close to Baden-Baden?

Strasbourg is the nearest at 41 km, and Speyer is 63 km away. For a longer day, Heidelberg and Freiburg both have their own free routes.

Is the tour really free?

Yes. The whole tour is free: the route, the interactive map and the navigation cost you nothing. Only the voice AI Tour Guide is optional and paid: you test it with 100 free credits, then you pay either €5 per hour or €19.99 for this whole tour, with no time limit. Admission to 5 of the 10 stops is not included: Friedrichsbad, Caracalla Therme, Fabergé Museum, Museum Frieder Burda and Staatliche Kunsthalle charge their own entry fees.

Do I need to download an app?

No. Everything runs in your phone browser. Open the route and start walking, no download and no sign-up required.

Do I need to book the walking tour in advance?

No booking needed. This self-guided tour is available anytime. Open the route in your browser and start walking. The AI Tour Guide works instantly, no app, no reservation required.

What languages is the AI Tour Guide available in?

The AI Tour Guide speaks 13 languages, so you take the tour in your own language and can switch at any time.

Can I skip stops or change the route?

Yes. Skip any stop, spend extra time at places you like, or start the route from any point. It is your walk, you set the pace.
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