In autumn many people don’t quite know where to go. The big names like Colmar or Baden-Baden are well filled on fine weekends – so here are my quieter alternatives right next door. And because autumn is also thermal-bath season: the right wellness tip for every place.
Eight destinations for a weekend
- Eguisheim & Turckheim (Alsace, approx. 2 hrs) – Colmar’s little sisters: half-timbered houses, wine taverns, winegrowers pouring their new vintage, hardly any coaches. Wellness: spa at the Resort Barrière in Ribeauvillé (20 min) – thermal pools with a view of the Vosges. Hotels in Eguisheim on Booking.com · Resort Barrière Ribeauvillé
- Staufen im Breisgau (approx. 1 hr 45) – The Faust town south of Freiburg: market square, castle ruins overlooking the vines, wine estates on the edge of town. Wellness: Vita Classica thermal baths in Bad Krozingen (10 min) – one of the finest spas in southern Baden, with a large sauna village. Hotels in Staufen on Booking.com · Hotels in Bad Krozingen
- Gengenbach (Black Forest, approx. 2 hrs) – One of Baden’s prettiest half-timbered towns, with town gates and vines right up to the houses. From late November the town hall becomes the world’s largest Advent calendar. Wellness: the hotel spas in Bad Peterstal-Griesbach in the Rench valley (30 min) – Black Forest wellness in the quietest of settings. Hotels in Gengenbach on Booking.com · Wellness hotels in Bad Peterstal-Griesbach
- Rottweil (approx. 1 hr 15) – The oldest town in Baden-Württemberg: colourful oriels, carnival museum – and with the 246-metre test tower, Germany’s highest viewing platform. Almost no tourists. Wellness: Solemar in Bad Dürrheim (20 min) – brine baths with sauna landscape, ideal after a stroll through town. Hotels in Rottweil on Booking.com · Hotels in Bad Dürrheim
- Bad Wildbad (northern Black Forest, approx. 2 hrs 15) – The quiet alternative to Baden-Baden: treetop walk and suspension bridge on the Sommerberg, autumn forest as far as the eye can see. Wellness: Palais Thermal – an Art Nouveau bath straight out of a picture book, plus the Vital Therme next door. Hotels in Bad Wildbad on Booking.com
- Überlingen & Birnau (Lake Constance, approx. 1 hr 20) – In autumn the lake shows its quiet side: lakeside promenade, minster, the baroque church of Birnau above the vineyards, apple juice straight from the farm. Wellness: Bodensee-Therme Überlingen – lie in the warm outdoor pool and look out over lake and Alps. Hotels in Überlingen on Booking.com
- Feldkirch (Vorarlberg, approx. 1 hr 30) – Medieval old town with arcades, Schattenburg castle with panoramic views, coffee-house culture without the crowds. Wellness: Val Blu in Bludenz (20 min) – pools and saunas with mountain views. Hotels in Feldkirch on Booking.com
- Bregenzerwald: Schwarzenberg & Bezau (approx. 1 hr 50) – Wooden-shingle villages, cheese road, modern architecture in old farmhouses, Käsknöpfle in the parlour. Wellness: here the spa belongs to the hotel – many houses have wooden saunas and outdoor pools overlooking the autumn forests. My tip: a room with half board, then there’s nowhere else to go in the evening. Hotels in Schwarzenberg on Booking.com · Hotels in Bezau
My tip: leave on Friday evening, explore on Saturday, thermal baths on Sunday and a leisurely drive home. Hotels are cheaper in autumn than in summer – and rooms are often still available at short notice.
Hotels in the Black ForestBooking.com – Staufen, Gengenbach, Bad Wildbad; free cancellation.
Hotels on Lake ConstanceBooking.com – Überlingen, Meersburg, Birnau; many with lake views.
Hotels in the BregenzerwaldBooking.com – Schwarzenberg, Bezau, Mellau; wellness included.
Hotels in AlsaceBooking.com – Eguisheim, Turckheim, Ribeauvillé; wine estates and spa hotels.