A hike up the Fremersberg:
Views as far as the Vosges and dinner at Turm Fremersberg
There are evenings in Baden-Baden when you hardly meet a tourist. One of them begins with a hike up the Fremersberg. At the top, next to the tower, is the Turm Fremersberg forest inn, and the people sitting there are almost all locals. I go up regularly with my family and think it's quite wonderful. And now and then we bump into friends at the top, purely by chance.
From the Entenstall car park, the climb is straightforward and takes just under an hour. Experienced walkers set off right from our front door and are out for a good two hours. At the top, a superb view opens up across the Rhine Valley to the Vosges.
Afterwards there's meat from a particularly good butcher in Völkersbach, and in winter fondue by the tiled stove. Just one thing you mustn't forget: ring ahead and book a table.
(c) Baden-Baden Tourismus GmbH, N. Dautel
The hike: from our door up the Fremersberg
From the Entenstall car park, the climb up the Fremersberg is straightforward and takes 45 minutes to an hour. From Aqua Aurelia it's 6,3 kilometres and almost 400 metres of ascent, about two hours – better suited to experienced walkers.
The route from our front door is quite a stretch: almost 400 metres of ascent, and you should be fairly comfortable reading a walking map. The path leads through town, past the two forest lakes, and then up through the woods. The climb zigzags and stays almost entirely in the shade of the trees. Along the way you cross the road up to the tower several times. It's steep at the start and gets easier from about halfway.
If you'd like to shorten it, drive to the Entenstall car park, a little above the golf course. There's a small wooden hut there with a few seats. I'd say you have to think a little about where you want to park and how far you can and want to walk. One word of caution: there's a lot of traffic on Fremersbergstraße, so take care when crossing.
For experienced walkers there's a longer circuit from Waldseeplatz, just under 11 kilometres and a good three hours, passing Klostergut Fremersberg.
And think about the way back: the restaurant doesn't open until 5 pm. So in autumn and winter you'll be walking down in the dark after dinner – pack a head torch. There's a bus stop at the Entenstallhütte. Whether a bus or an on-demand shared taxi (Anruf-Linien-Taxi) still runs in the evening, you can check beforehand on kvv.de.
What's on the menu at Turm Fremersberg?
Turm Fremersberg serves Baden cooking, from the grill in summer, with meat from Metzgerei Glasstetter in Völkersbach. In autumn there's game, in winter fondue by the tiled stove. Allow around 20 to 50 euros per person.
The forest inn has made the grill its speciality. The meat comes from Metzgerei Glasstetter in Völkersbach, towards Karlsruhe, a family butcher since 1925. It simply tastes outrageously good. Alongside come homemade salads with homemade dressing – almost outrageously delicious. Just thinking about it makes me hungry.
The menu features classics such as Zwiebelrostbraten (roast beef with crispy onions) and steak. The inn has been awarded two lions by the state initiative "Schmeck den Süden" ("Taste the South"). Inside, you sit in the parlour by the tiled stove; outside, in the beer garden under the trees.
When it turns colder, the menu changes. In autumn there's game, and in winter the warm tiled stove and convivial fondue evenings draw people up the hill.
Tipps von Menschen, die hier wohnen
Einmal im Monat schicken wir Ihnen unseren Newsletter mit dem, was sich in Baden-Baden gerade lohnt: was neu aufgemacht hat, welcher Markt einen Besuch wert ist, wann es in der Therme ruhig ist. Dazu Neues und Angebote aus dem Haus.
Is the Fremersberg good for families?
The Fremersberg works well for families: at Turm Fremersberg there's a playground and seating outdoors. If the children are still small, take the shortcut from the Entenstall car park or drive all the way up.
Outside there's a really sweet playground – for children, but actually for everyone. While the children play, you sit right next to them at a table outdoors.
It gets funny when you suddenly realise at the top that my son's entire school class has happened to hike up too. Often lots of friends are up there, and you simply meet. It really is lovely.
When is the Fremersberg at its best?
The Fremersberg is worth it all year round: in summer for the beer garden and the grill, in autumn for game and the walk through the colourful woods, in winter for fondue by the tiled stove. The inn is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
In winter it gets dark early. When there's snow on the ground, the warm tiled stove is waiting at the top after the climb.
If you want to be up there when it opens at 5 pm, set off from us at around 3 pm. From the Entenstall car park, leaving at around 4 pm is enough. On Sundays the inn opens earlier, at 4 pm.
(c) Baden-Baden Tourismus GmbH, N. Dautel
The Fremersberg & Aqua Aurelia:
from our door to your table
For experienced walkers: you set off right from our front door, and a good two hours and almost 400 metres of ascent later you're sitting at a table at the top. For everyone else, the route from Entenstall is the better choice: take the bus or drive to the Entenstallhütte, and you'll be at the top in just under an hour.
Our own evening tip: I'm up there regularly with my family, and some of our team like to go up too.
The next morning: our underground passage takes you, in your bathrobe, straight into the Caracalla Therme, Baden-Baden's thermal spa. After almost 400 metres of ascent the day before, the thermal water does you good.
Treat yourself to an evening on the Fremersberg
Up there, the view reaches as far as the Vosges, the people around you are locals, and the food is outrageously good.
Ring ahead and book a table – in winter, with fondue.
And afterwards you spend the night with us, with the thermal water of the Caracalla waiting the next morning.
