Baden bei Wien

Although I've been trying to travel around UNESCO sites for several years (but not exclusively), I've only now decided to write my first review. And just at the time when I have the nicest travel restrictions - an 11 month old son - so my travel is not as frequent as it used to be. So I'll do my best in this and the next review to follow the issue of accessibility with a small child.

On our way to our first family holiday to the seaside, in Grado, Italy, we needed some sort of stopover for about 2 hours. So the spa town of Baden bei Wien was ideal. From this serial entry, I have already visited Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně in the Czech Republic and very briefly Montecatini Terme in Italy (and I plan to spend a few days in Františkovy Lázně in autumn 2025). So I have the opportunity to compare.

The town is easily accessible, close to the motorway from Vienna to the south, and there is plenty of parking in the parking houses. Unlike other parking houses in German-speaking countries, it is also easy to pay by credit card here.

And now to the review of Baden itself. The city is very pleasant, easily accessible, without any steps, with a stroller ideally passable and very compact. There are plenty of places to have a snack or go to a café. A spa park adjoins the development to the north. Unfortunately, it is not possible to sit on the grass here, for example. The town is nice, there are also some spa buildings. The town is quite uniform in its Biedermeier style of building. The big drawback, however, is that none, except one with a modern art gallery, is accessible. You can't even taste the mineral springs here, as you can in Czech spa towns. Similarly, the Kaiserhaus, where some Austrian emperors stayed, is not currently accessible. Without this experience, it is difficult to grasp the spa heritage of Baden. For example, in Luhačovice, where I was a few months ago and which unfortunately did not make it into the serial registration, there is a beautifully renovated building from the beginning of the 20th century, where there is a museum of local spa.

In conclusion, Baden is a very pleasant town, even more so with a baby in a stroller, but not too different from other small towns in this part of Austria. A stop in Baden is interesting if you have a drive by or want a half-day trip from Vienna, but I wouldn't recommend visiting as a standalone destination. There are certainly more interesting places within the series entry, and I wouldn't even be afraid to say that there are more interesting spa towns in Central Europe with a better preserved historical heritage and more of a spa atmosphere than Baden.