For an entirely new perspective on the area, go hot-air ballooning. Ballooning 2000 offers rides between the Black Forest and the Vosges. Contact pilot Rainer Keitel (tel. 07223/60002; www.ballooning2000.de) for details. A 2-hour champagne breakfast trip over the Rhine Valley goes for 253€ per person.
For a more up-close-and-personal experience, rock climbing at all levels and altitudes can be enjoyed on the Battert rocks directly over the city. For a climber's guide, contact the German Alpine Club, Rathausplatz 7 (tel. 07221/17200; www.alpenverein.de). You can also walk the 8km (5-mile) nature trail from the Strouzda chapel via Friesenberg to Fremersberg.
Horse races and horseback riding provide additional entertainment in Baden-Baden. Most races take place at the racetrack at Iffezheim, 30km (19 miles) from Baden-Baden, but for tickets and information about the races, contact their organizers, the Internationaler Club, Lichtentaler Allee 8 (tel. 07229/187332; www.baden-galopp.com). Highlights of Baden-Baden's racing season, of which the Internationaler Club is the primary architect, occur during Spring Meeting (a week in late May and early June) and Grand Week (the last 8 days of Aug) with races on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Many other outdoor sports are offered as well. The local 18-hole course in Fremersberg is one of the most scenic in Europe; contact the Baden-Baden Golf Club at tel. 07221/23579; www.golf-club-baden-baden.de. Monday to Friday greens fees are 50€, Saturday and Sunday 65€.
For tennis, contact Tennis Club Rot Weiss, at Lichtentaler Allee 5 (tel. 07221/24141; www.tc-rw-baden-baden.de), which offers only outdoor tennis courts. At this complex, outdoor courts are available daily late April to October (weather permitting) from 8am to an hour before sundown for around 6€ per hour.
Swimmers can exercise and splash around at the Bertholdbad, on the Ludwig-Wilhelm-Strasse 24 (tel. 07221/277581). The complex contains a Hallenbad (indoor heated pool) that's open to the general public Tuesday to Friday 7:30 to 9:15am and 1 to 8pm (Wed until 9pm), Saturday 7:30am to 3pm, and Sunday 7:30am to 1pm; and a Freibad (outdoor swimming pool) that's open mid-May to mid-September daily from 9am to 7pm. Daily entrance to the compound costs 3.50€ for adults and 2.50€ for students and children 8 to 16.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
