Things to Do in Rhine River

The pretty spa town of Wiesbaden might be proud of its reputation as one of Europe’s most prestigious wellness centers but its self-effacing elegance keeps its feet firmly on the ground. This might be a town of glitzy shopping boutiques and exclusive health resorts, but there’s still something for everyone in the provincial capital of Wiesbaden.

Lying across from Mainz on the banks of the Rhine and perched at the gateway to the idyllic Rheingau Wine Region, Wiesbaden benefits from a tranquil location worthy of its many health resorts. The town’s popularity can be traced back to Roman times when word about the region’s thermal springs quickly spread around the country. There are twenty-six natural thermal springs in the city, renowned for their health and healing properties and founding an enormous health industry. The exquisite 1,500-square-meter Kaiser Friedrich baths, built on the site of an ancient Roman steam room, are the most celebrated, but hotels all over the city feature thermal spas and wellness facilities.

The Roman spas aren’t the only reminder of the city’s historic prowess and a walking tour of Wiesbaden unveils a number of notable buildings. The Heidenmauer (Heathens' Wall), the Römertor (Roman Gate) and the Roman Open-Air Museum are the most impressive remnants of the city’s Roman past, but the oldest intact building is the early 17th-century Old Town Hall. Equally impressive are the 129-meter long spa colonnade, the longest columned hall in Europe; the 19th century Hessian State Theater; and the neoclassical domed Kurhaus, one of the city’s most spectacular buildings, now housing the famous casino of the same name.

The continual influx of well-heeled Europeans has served to make Wiesbaden one of Germany’s most sophisticated cities and the city center is teeming with luxury restaurants, chic bars and bistros, distinguished art galleries and grand hotels. As such, you’ll never be short of things to do, but for a real celebration of local culture, time your visit for the Wilhelmstrasse street festival, one of Germany’s biggest, held on the city’s principal shopping street.

Part antiquities collection, part archeological dig, the Roman-Germanic museum (or Römisch-Germanische Museum) sits atop the last vestiges of the Roman town villa. In the museum's basement is a well-known Dionysus mosaic, undisturbed from its original installation.

Remnants of Roman architecture, inscriptions, portraits of Caesar Augustus and his ceramics and more piece together the story of Cologne's development from a Germanic tribal settlement (the Ubii), to the Roman Cologne, to the capital of the Lower Germania.

Other highlights of the museum are the 15 meters (50 foot) high sarcophagus of Poblicius, a legionnaire from the first century AD. Like the mosaic and the Roman road outside, this funereal monument was uncovered during excavations in the city. The collection also contains the largest collection of Roman glass, more mosaics and ceramics, as well as the stone, clay and bronze idols specific to various Roman cults.

Tours are available, but the museum is fairly easy to negotiate by oneself. Given the wealth of archeological finds in the surrounding area, the Roman-Germanic Museum is one of the most important museums in the world, and is one of the most popular museums in all of Germany.

Worms (pronounced more like Vohrms in German), is a town of around 86,000 people on the banks of the Rhine River. While it is now quite industrial, with some fame for its wine, its real claim on our attention is its age. Worms was settled by the Celts and is locked in a 3-way battle with the cities of Cologne and Trier for the title of Oldest City in Germany. It is Germany's only member of the Oldest European Towns Network.

Another claim to fame is that is was the place Martin Luther made his stand against the Catholic Church in 1521 and the Protestant movement was born. Today it is a center for the chemical and metals industry, but despite this, the river is clean enough for swimming and there are even reputed to be salmon. There is also a Romanesque cathedral worth a visit.