Is a trip to the World Heritage Site of Bad Ems, Germany worth it?

 Is a trip to the World Heritage Site of Bad Ems, Germany worth it?

 

 

 

July 24, 2021 - UNESCO added Bad Ems to the World Heritage List as one of the most important spa towns in Europe.

Wow, what a blast. World heritage site with a thermal spa.

A spa town, I can relax.

A cure in a place where many poets and thinkers have already taken a cure.

I immediately thought of Baden-Baden, wealth, glamour, history, casinos, shopping and promenades. A beautiful spa park.

Off to Bad Ems, since I can't afford the beautiful Grand Hotel, the accommodation was a bit smaller.

10 days Bad Ems cure. I arrived on a Monday around midday with the Deutsche Bahn.

Oh dear, what kind of train station is that or should we call it a ruined building?

Totally demolished and neglected. Ok, you don't need a photo of it. I convinced myself that it belongs to Deutsche Bahn, and they just must renovate it; in other cities, for example Cochem, the train station also looks run down.

There were a few taxis at the train station, I wondered if I needed a taxi since it was only a few minutes away. Nope. Walking and getting to know the surroundings, I sent my luggage off in a taxi and it arrived intact.

So off we go from the train station into the city. There was nothing going on at the train station or the road into town. No souvenir shops or boutiques. A flea market shop spread across several shops, a pharmacy, a bakery and small casinos is how I remember it.

Ah, there comes the river Lahn, a beautiful bridge over the Lahn and on the left, you can see the beautiful Grand Hotel. Once on the other side of the street there were no shops again, just a few bars, an ice cream bar, a kebab grill, small casinos and a hotel.

So off to the Grand Hotel on Römerstr. In Römerstr. I also stayed overnight, unfortunately not in the Grand Hotel. I looked at it completely from ALL SIDES, including the casino, the marble hall and the restaurants in it. Magnificent buildings from an OLD era, beautifully preserved and maintained.

To get to the casino I took Römerstr. walked towards the city center. Every second shop is empty, no boutiques or souvenir shops. Closed flea market shops spread across several shops and nothing special, a few pubs, bars, an ice cream bar and a pizzeria.

Then nothing comes at all, every second shop is empty or real estate offices. Smaller shops, driving school, glasses and hearing shops, kebab shop, etc. This extends into the city center. A Rewe market is the highlight of Bad Ems. Around the market there is a shoe shop, various hairdressers, travel agencies, doctors' offices, a restaurant and nothing else.

Anyone who comes to Bad Ems to shop will be disappointed, there is nothing to buy there. Only the classic grocery discounters and drugstores. A school shop and 3 small shops for younger fashion, various real estate offices.

Oh well, now I almost forgot the spa park. It is tiny, but beautifully planted. In some cases, you can dine there. The park was very well maintained, the Karlsburg (house with 4 towers) is the highlight in the spa park, unfortunately it is currently being renovated and rebuilt. The noise echoes throughout Bad Ems.

Addendum on July 3rd, 2024, this building was on fire, a major fire.

The casino didn't meet my expectations, no Monte Carlo or Baden-Baden flair.

Now there is one more attraction worth mentioning: the thermal spa with sauna on the Lahn. 

The sauna on the Lahn is an attraction. Why? Because it's on the Lahn, otherwise it's just a sauna.

The thermal baths deface the cityscape, the architecture doesn't fit into the cityscape at all.

The entrance fees are expensive. An absolute failure.

There is a campsite called Beachclub about 5 km from Bad Ems. That's an attraction. Instead of going to the thermal baths, I go there every day.

This is also because you never have a quiet moment in Bad Ems.

It is far too noisy for a spa town, and relaxation treatments are not possible here.

The city is overwhelmed with construction sites; people worked on Karlsburg from Monday to Friday. With motor chainsaws, the noise is and was unbearable.

When there was peace and quiet, the motorized lawn mowers came into the park. Also, a hell of a noise. According to residents, it is even forbidden because it is a water protection area.

Hellish noise during the day from Monday to Friday. Since Bad Ems is in a valley, the noise echoes throughout the entire valley.

On Friday nights, cars constantly drive down Römerstr. up and down. The engines roar. Mostly younger people with strange license plates drive towards the casino and terrorize the residents and spa guests.

The noise is increased by driving over the traffic calming bollards.

Saturday wasn't a day of rest either. From morning to evening, tourists walk through the town and Römerstr.

This also creates noise that is unbearable.

Same game on Saturday night as Friday night. Howling engines towards the casino

On Sundays the same game as on Saturdays, masses of tourists walk through the town, and you can hear them complaining.

There is nothing to see in Bad Ems, no shops, few restaurants. Café Maxeiner is permanently closed. A smaller café is completely overcrowded why did we go here?

I started talking to the citizens and residents of Bad Ems. The residents of Römerstr. complain massively about the noise and the authorities do nothing. There is also no consideration given to the Malberg Clinic, which is also affected and disturbed by the noise from Römerstr.

Römerstr. is just a side street, even the Bundesstrasse. (Lahnstrasse) has noise warning signs and is quieter.

They even must pay €45 a month in parking fees without having a legal right to a parking space. The rents are excessive.

My question as to why so many cars from foreign cities are heading towards the casino at night was explained as trading, hawala or gambling.

It's the same every weekend and the noise on weekdays is unbearable. Drunk people walking around Römerstr. And the spa park.

There would hardly be any apartments for residents anymore; everyone would convert living space into holiday apartments to be able to participate in the world cultural heritage boom.

CONCLUSION

I can understand the residents, I came to the same conclusion as a spa guest.

BAD EMS IS NOT WORTH TRAVEL

I didn't like it, the thermal baths were too expensive, there was no shopping or promenade.

It's too dirty and far too loud for a spa town.

No comparison to Baden-Baden or other health resorts I know.

Why it was given World Heritage status is inexplicable to me. The Therma destroyed the cityscape.

I advise everyone not to stay in Bad Ems.

On a positive note, I would like to mention the campsite in Fachbach again and of course the Grand Hotel with its buildings down to the casino. Beautiful, like in the OLD TIMES. The churches are also worth seeing.

 

I WILL NOT VISIT BAD EMS AGAIN – IT IS NOT WORTH A VISIT

https://bademswelt.blogspot.com/2024/07/lohnt-sich-eine-reise-nach-bad-ems-ins.html