The next stop on our German road trip was Wiesbaden! Wiesbaden is the ancient spa capital of Germany. With over 20 natural hot springs, the town was historically a getaway for the rich and famous. And today, we all get to enjoy the lovely architecture and culture that they all left behind! Lets explore Wiesbaden!

Getting There

Only 20 minutes from the Frankfurt Airport and 35 minutes from downtown Frankfurt, Wiesbaden is very accessible. It is the perfect destination to tack onto either a larger trip or even to use as a city break on an extended layover. For us, we headed there after we explored Frankfurt. It is the perfect Hessen roadtrip stop!

Where To Stay

Wiesbaden is a fun little city, With cool cafes and beautiful architecture, it is no surprise that there are amazing boutique accommodations available like the Hotel Klemm. Located on a residential street, Hotel Klemm is a beautifully renovated old home, that reminds me of the Lark Hotels we have here in New England.

The room was spacious, well decorated and the balcony looked out onto a beautiful little street and had a nice view of the surrounding area.

And in the morning, we woke up to a lovely breakfast buffet in a quirky dining room. Hotel Klemm was just perfect and there is even a garage located underground as well.

What to Do

Wiesbaden is a walkable city; you can explore the whole thing in a day. And if you are lucky enough to have the lovely weather that we did you will want to! From an amazing central park to the “Kurhaus” and the nearby wineries, there is plenty to do in this small city.

Start your day at the Kurhaus.

The Kurhaus is the city’s grand hall and casino and is located in the center of town. And it is also home to a lovely bistro, perfect for a relaxing lunch. Restaurant Lambertus is an amazing place for lunch, either the dining room or the patio outside are relaxing, the dishes are seasonal and the staff is friendly. On our trip we tried the steak tartare, roasted duck leg, schnitzel with white asparagus and some of their amazing desserts.

After that, take a stroll through town, especially down the main boulevard towards Kunder, their famous chocolate maker! Inside you will notice there are quite a few ladybug chocolates—their town symbol! And that’s something us Bostonians can relate to, the ladybug is also our state bug!

After you pick up a few goodies, maybe keep on strolling so you can check out some more architecture, this time a modern addition, the fabulous conference center.

And once you’ve had your fill of exploring, hop in a taxi to a local winery. We visited Henkell, the local producer of German sparkling wine, which they call Sekt.

What a better way to celebrate a day of exploring than with a wine tasting!

Where to Eat

German has more to offer than just sausages and schnitzel, although I do recommend you have some of both of those when you visit! Wiesbaden has all sorts of international cuisine available! We tried Sherry & Port, a tapas bar one night and we had all the classics, potatas bravas, shishito peppers, albondigas, and more!

 

 

And the next night, we went back to downtown to the Kurhaus for a lovely evening on the patio at Restaurant Lambertus to enjoy a contemporary European meal along with some live music. On a beautiful spring evening, the patio is just delightful! And the menu is refreshingly modern for such a historic setting. We absolutely loved the entire experience and can’t wait to come back again on our next trip to Wiesbaden.

Road Trip Tips

We love road trips, we honestly think they are one of the best ways to really see a place like a local. You have the freedom to go at your own pace, you aren’t beholden to train or plane schedules and you can add on new stops as you fancy. And when you are travelling through a region like Frankfurt Rhine-Main, there are so many amazing castles and vineyards that you need a car to get to. And on this trip, our Hertz Europe Mercedes Benz E-Class was the perfect travel companion, since on a road trip the best pit stops are the surprise ones!