Baden-Baden

Baden-Baden earns its reputation as the "European capital of the art of living." Twelve natural thermal springs, welling up from 2,000 meters below ground at 68°C, have drawn visitors here for two millennia, and the town's 19th-century heyday -- when European royalty and high society flocked here -- left behind a genuinely opulent legacy that's still fully intact today. The alabaster-white Kurhaus, with its Belle Epoque interior, houses the Casino Baden-Baden, one of the most beautiful casinos in the world and the oldest, most traditional in Germany, blending French-inspired classicist rooms with nearly 200 years of tradition. You don't need to gamble to appreciate the crystal chandeliers and velvet decor -- tours are available outside gaming hours. For the spa experience itself, the historic Friedrichsbad (bathing under a grand dome, following an elaborate multi-stage Roman-Irish bathing ritual) and the more modern Caracalla Therme both draw on the same thermal springs. Lichtentaler Allee, a park running through the city like a green ribbon along the Oos river, connects much of the town and holds the Frieder Burda Museum, with one of the world's best modern art collections. Baden-Baden also sits at the edge of the Baden wine region, known for excellent Riesling and Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), with vineyard tours and tastings available nearby. The double name, incidentally, comes from a 1931 decision -- "Baden in Baden," referencing both the German word for bath and the state of Baden-Wurttemberg.