Spa Hotels in the Black Forest
The Black Forest region may be known for its outdoor activities, such as hiking and skiing.
But it is also one of the most renowned parts of Europe when it comes to thermal waters and spa facilities.
The town of Baden-Baden, for example, can trace its history back to Roman troops using the spring waters for rest and relaxation.
Over the centuries, ruling families from around Europe made it into what was known as the 'Summer Capital of Europe' as they visited to 'take the waters'.
Baden-Baden still has its historic spa buildings and thermal springs, but there are plenty of other locations around the Black Forest which can offer luxurious spa packages and accompanying wellness facilities.
Here are some of the top spa hotels in the Black Forest:
Spa Hotels in Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden is renowned for its history as a spa town, dating back to the days of the Romans.
These days the town has two thermal baths - the historic Friedrichsbad and the more modern Caracalla Therme - using mineral-rich water from 12 different springs.
The long association with 'wellness' (before that was a popular term!) means that Baden-Baden can boast a number of quality hotels with extensive spa facilities. Here are three spa hotels rated very highly by visitors from our accommodation fulfilment provider Booking.com:
Brenners Park Hotel & Spa
The Brenners Park Hotel is one of the most prestigious spa hotels in Baden-Baden and can trace its history back to 1872. The hotel and wellness facilities are spread over a number of buildings in their own grounds.
The Villa Stéphanie offers five floors and 5000m² of spa services including an extensive sauna area and indoor pool.
Where is Brenners Park Hotel & Spa?
The hotel is located
in private parkland facing the Lichtentaler Allee and the River Oos and only a few minutes' walk from the historic centre of Baden-Baden.
Aqua Aurelia Suitenhotel
The Aqua Aurelia Suitenhotel is a modern four-star superior hotel connected by an underground passage to the Caracalla Therme baths at the heart of Baden-Baden.
Hotel guests can purchase discounted tickets to the baths at reception and have VIP access to avoid any queues at the entrance to the Caracalla Therme.
Where is Aqua Aurelia Suitenhotel?
The hotel is located
opposite the modern Caracalla Therme spa facilities and near the historic Friedrichsbad thermal baths at the heart of Baden-Baden's spa area.
Maison Messmer
The Maison Messmer is a non-smoking five-star hotel with a history dating back to the middle of the 19th century.
The wellness facilities in the Royal Spa include a 60m² indoor pool and various saunas with decoration inspired by ancient Rome and by Gustav Klimt.
Where is Maison Messmer?
The hotel is situated in an enviable location right next to the Kurpark and Casino in the centre of Baden-Baden.
Spa Hotels in Baiersbronn
The small town of Baiersbronn is located just to the north of Freudenstadt in the Murg valley. It is a popular tourist destination and has become well-known in culinary circles because of the impressive number of Michelin-starred restaurants in the area.
Hotel Traube Tonbach
The Hotel Traube Tonbach is a five star superior hotel in a quiet location among the fir trees near the popular Black Forest resort of Baiersbronn.
The Traube Tonbach can trace its history back to a tavern used by foresters in the 18th century. These days it offers an extensive pool and spa area with water used from the local Buschbrunnen spring.
Where is Hotel Traube Tonbach?
The hotel is located in a small hamlet in a scenic side valley five kilometres to the north of Baiersbronn.
Spa Hotels in Badenweiler
Badenweiler is a small town in the southern part of the Black Forest. Remains of a Roman thermal bath complex show the importance of the hot springs to the town over the centuries. The Cassiopeia Therme spa and bath complex has been built next door.
Park Hotel & Spa Katharina
The Park Hotel & Spa Katharina is a four-star hotel located near the centre of the spa town of Badenweiler
The Park Hotel has a extensive spa facilities, including saunas and an indoor pool using thermal water at a temperature of 32°C.
Where is Park Hotel & Spa Katharina?
As its name suggests, the Park Hotel is only a short walk through the Kurpark away from the Cassiopeia Therme and the Roman ruins in the heart of Badenweiler.
Wellness-Privathotel Post an der Therme
The Hotel Post is a four-star hotel with wellness facilities stretching over an area of 750m². The hotel has its own indoor pool filled with warm thermal waters from the same spring as the Romans used
Where is Wellness-Privathotel Post an der Therme?
The hotel is located just on the other side of the road from the Cassiopeia Therme in the centre of Badenweiler.
Spa Hotels in Bad Wildbad
Bad Wildbad is a spa town on the Enz river a few kilometres to the north-west of Calw in the Black Forest.
The thermal springs have been used from the 15th century onwards and the town boomed with the building of spa facilities and accommodation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The spa town of Bad Wildbad in the northern Black Forest
These days there are two thermal baths open to the public: the Palais Thermal, which used to be a massive former Victorian spa and was renovated and modernised in the 1990s, and the Vital Therme, a more modern facility with thermal springs in its own grounds.
Mokni's Palais Hotel
The Palais Hotel is located within a few steps of the Palais Thermal and Vital Therme warm springs and facilities. Accommodation is in one of two buildings only 40 metres across a courtyard from one another.
The 'Badhotel' offers direct access to the Palais Thermal (entry to both spa buildings is free for hotel guests) while the 'Rossini' houses the hotel reception and breakfast restaurant.
Where is Mokni's Palais Hotel?
The hotel consists of two buildings with access to the Palais Thermal and Vital Therme in the heart of Bad Wildbad.