SPA town - A Weekend in Bad Kissingen, Germany

Today's #podcast is our lovely relaxing and restorative weekend in Bad Kissingen #Germany. I've included our itinerary, where we stayed, visiting the KissSalis Therme and a lovely hike to the Bodenlauben Ruins. 

We really enjoyed this Baroque town (a part of UNESCO) that is a true #weekendgetaway from Stuttgart, Frankfurt or Munich. Come with me today to see why people have been visiting since the 1200s.

⏱TIMELINE⏱
1:00 History of "Bad" (Bath) Towns of Germany
1:35 Where we stayed? Haus Bethania
2:35 Design of our apartment and style
3:35 Travel TIP 🧳 Travel challenges in SEPTEMBER
4:05 Touring Bad Kissingen
5:10 KissSalis Therme
5:45 Visiting SAUNAs in Europe 😳 Be aware
6:20 Swimming around Stuttgart INFO
6:41 Hiking around Bad Kissingen - Ruins Botenlauben
7:40 Hiking around Germany - Hiking Ebooks!
7:48 Night Light Promenade Show & DaVito's Ristorante & Gelateria
9:25 Remember to 👍 and 🤝 share

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Transcript

A Weekend in Bad Kissingen

In today's podcast,  I am sharing my weekend itinerary in Bad Kissingen, Germany. My daughter, Katy and I had a ball discovering this spa town in Northern Bavaria. Germany is filled with spa towns and I have visited many, probably most of them. Here’s a cool fact, when the Romans were coming through Germany any town that had hot springs or healing springs, they would name "Bad" for bath. This indicated medical services, health and recuperation and eventually tourism for the region because Roman citizens and many more over the years would travel north for the healing powers of the springs.

Chances are if you have visited Baden-Baden or another Bad town in Germany their was a spa or thermal bath close by. I LOVE ‘em! Therapeutic, restful, and rejuvenating 

Are you hoping to visit Germany soon? Let me know if the comments below - There are so many treasures to discover, my recommendation is always to build in days or weekends of rest and recuperation. "Bad" towns are the way to go. Bad Kissingen is two and a half hours north of Stuttgart, two hours from Frankfurt and three hours from Munich. 

Where we stayed!
The Haus Bethania is a ferienwohnung (which means Holiday Apartment in german is located within walking distance of the Rosengarten or Promenade of Bad Kissingen. Actually it was less than 10 minutes by foot. Walking through this Baroque town is gorgeous too. The early 1800's architecture is still intact, restored or renovated. Our lovely gothic building was stunning. Definitely check out the pictures in the blog post or vlog. It reminds me of Norman Bates house.

Katy and I enjoyed our little apartment. We were on the first floor making it quite easy to come and go. Although the house is outfitted with a small elevator. Many houses of the day in the 1880s that have been converted have elevators that fit one or two people in them, hysterical in todays standards. 

Our apartment had a full kitchen and eating area. Large bedroom, couch and sitting area big closets and bathroom. 

The history is fascinating of this gorgeous house, now owned by the Kraft family since 1990 and renovated into several different apartments and sizes accommodating families, friends, girls trips, etc.  It was built in 1898 as The Villa Montana, as a spa home in the Neo-Renaissance style.

The Neo-Renaissance is expressed in the forms of canon frames and the balconies of the property were prominent. The cuboid or three dimensional appearance lbuilding was made of different colored sandstone with a hipped roof, pointed roofs over the dormers, two balconies facing Menzelstraße. The striking bay window is still impressive today. This turn of the century home. attracted a certain class of guest. 

We arrived late on Friday night and only a few places were open for grabbing a bite to eat. Many weekends in September are closed for hospitality businesses because they are on vacation. August is the busiest month of the year in Germany. Summer break for students, EU wide.

The Bethany House also had a quaint garden for rest and relaxation. They also provided a wonderful three-ring binder for guests filled with what to do, where to eat and recommendations around Bad Kissingen.

Touring around Bad Kissingen

After a good nights rest, we made our way downtown to grab a cup of coffee and breakfast at Mein Kissinger Kaffee. 

After we enjoyed this amazing breakfast we made our way to the Rose Garden is the center part of town. The walking promenade that skirts the Franconian Saale (river) running through town is majestic. The Kurgarten (or Spa garden) and Rose gardens are meant to bring health and wellness to those who enjoy it. 

I can build a personalized "SPA" itinerary for you and your spouse or a girls trip!

Throughout town, as we discovered more about Bad Kissingen I could feel the Franconian and Bavarian influences all around us. 

Walking around the park and grounds is a lesson in history and super relaxing.

For more information on our walking tour, check out the vlog!

My daughter and I share a love and adoration for the bath towns in Germany. Convincing her to discover a new one for a weekend under a three-hour drive was not hard to do. Of course, we chose KissSalis Therme, which is  the most famous of the spas in town.

Bad Kissingen is also a part of the protection of UNESCO as a spa town, so it will remain historically accurate and preserved. 

Here’s a TRAVEL TIP for visiting spas:  When visiting thermal baths in Germany, remember to bring flip-flops and most times your own bathrobe (Especially during COVID times)

KissSalis Therme is a gorgeous facility. Half-day and full-day rates are available through their website. Another travel tip is SAUNAS in Europe are almost always exclusively OHNE Kleidung 😳 or without clothing. These rules are strictly obeyed. Saunas are typically not located on the same floors as the "mit kleidung" with swimsuits are and typically cost an additional fee.  I have enjoyed both kinds in Europe. YOLO, right?  It all depends on your comfort level. 

For more BAD - Bath information around Stuttgart check out a blog I”ve written Swimmbads around Stuttgart

There are also Spa Hotels in Bad Kissingen. If you can't get enough of these relaxing services and need an extended stay, I can help you find one that fits your financial and comfort needs.

Hiking around Bad Kissingen

A weekend in Germany would not be complete without a hike somewhere for me. I was happy to discover there are castle ruins right in Bad Kissingen. Fortress or Castles almost always meant a hill or mountain of some kind, which typically means you are hiking up a hill. YAY!

The Ruins Botenlauben is located on the outskirts of town and I had already researched that it was a full 5.1km hike, you could begin from the center of town to walk to the Castle, however, being our first time visiting and the sun being a bit uncooperative we drove and found a place to park not far from the hiking trail.

The amazing views of Bad Kissingen from this castle were amazing. The Romans began ruling here in the 1100s and each year there is a Castle River Festival. 

I can't even imagine the history that took place right here, where we were standing.

For more Hiking around Germany - check out my downloadable Hiking Ebooks! 

Night Light SHOW!

After our glorious hike, we made our way back to town for some rest before heading out for dinner. We knew we wanted to see a light-water show we discovered on our first night in Bad Kissiingen in the Rosegarden, so we made reservations to sit on the Promenade, enjoy some Italian food and watch the show.

I will post the full video in the vlog. It was really super actually. Only five minutes long, it turned out to be an advertisement for the town (hahahaha) but if you were new to the city it was cool, its illumination, music and water show corresponded with the beauty of their town, the spas, the casino, gardens, and the hiking culture. Unexpected and enjoyable. The promenade was lined with people.

Good EATS!

I always make reservations when traveling in Europe. It's imperative. Weekend travel especially it is important, not to forget this TIP!

Finding a place to eat that was opened and took reservations was a bit challenging, but like I said it almost always is in September so do your research. We lucked out and made reservations at DaVito's Ristorante & Gelateria was very full with guests because the food was fantastic. We enjoyed pesto pasta, bruschetta, Margherita pizza, some wine and Katy loves the Aperol Spritzers.

It was another fun night in Bad Kissingen, great food and wonderful views with patio seating. We sat back and relaxed and restored as we watched the sun go down.

Another fantastic weekend getaway in Germany. We made our way back to Stuttgart ready to face a work week on our way as we made plans for another "bad" weekend before I made my way back to Alabama. So join me next week for another adventure we head to iBad Waldsee, close to the Bodensee/Lake Constanz in southern Germany.

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