Bad Salzig expedition hike – all about springs, cherries or what?

About the spa town expedition

A total of 30 gardens can be discovered along the World Heritage Gardens route in the UNESCO World Heritage Upper Middle Rhine Valley. Whether left in their wild natural beauty or subject to strict symmetry, whether they are utility or ornamental gardens, parks or promenades – the gardens on this route have one thing in common: shaped by human hands, they are reflections of social change and make the relationship between humans and nature visible.

Our excursion takes you to one of these World Heritage gardens – the spa gardens in Bad Salzig. Located in a protected side valley of the Rhine, it offers a healing spring and interesting spots for rest and relaxation. And that’s not all: in the Hintere Dick-Eisenbolz nature reserve, we will stroll through orchards teeming with insects and learn about the Middle Rhine Valley cherry with its old, regional varieties. Once we reach the top, we will take a look at the ‘Feindliche Brüder’ (Enemy Brothers) and enjoy a hearty, regional picnic with wine tasting.

Bad Salzig is the only spa town in the entire Middle Rhine Valley to have an impressive collection of native and exotic trees in its World Heritage Garden and spa park. In addition to the special mild climate, first-class healing water bubbles up here from the ‘Leonorenquelle’ healing spring – as it does in Bad Neuenahr, Bad Bertrich, Bad Wildungen and Karlsbad: a mineral spring, thermal bath and acidulous spring all in one.

However, there has never been any jet-set scramble in Bad Salzig – the success of the spa treatments here lies in their authenticity, tranquillity and relaxation. The greenery of nature, the mild climate and the soothing sounds of nature in Bad Salzig’s spa gardens contribute to the success of the spa treatments. The Mittelrhein Clinic is located in the middle of the park and uses a historic bathhouse for treatments. On our spa park expedition, we discover not only art objects and nature installations, but also a therapy garden to try out, outdoor fitness stations, water treading pools and special features from earlier times.

And that’s not all: the Bad Salzig discovery tour joins the spa park.  After walking through the Bad Salzig stream valley, we roam through orchards teeming with insects in the Hintere Dick-Eisenbolz nature reserve. It is the nature reserve with the highest currently known insect biodiversity in Germany! With a little luck, you can hear and perhaps even see rare bird species such as the wryneck or the red-backed shrike here.

In the orchards, we will also discover the remains of ancient cherry trees. In the 19th century, Bad Salzig was a metropolis of cherry cultivation with regional specialities such as ‘Geisepitter’, ‘Kesterter Schwarze’, ‘schwarze Hävels’ and ‘dicke Schwarze’, which were exported as far as Holland and England. In 2021, Slow Food Deutschland e.V. added the ‘Traditional Cherry Varieties from the Upper Middle Rhine Valley’ to its Ark of Taste, in an effort to save them from oblivion.

We continue our hike to the Peace Cross. Once we reach the top, we take a look at the ‘enemy brothers’ opposite and enjoy a hearty regional picnic with wine from the region.

The tour ends at the vineyard newly planted by Bad Salzig’s hobby winegrowers on the site of an old vineyard.

Don’t hesitate to bring your children along! Children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews can have a wonderful time exploring the spa gardens and solving exciting quiz questions.