Bad Zurzach combines thermal waters with a sculpture park, church and local history, and the landscape along the Upper Rhine. When choosing a hotel, you can first consider whether the thermal baths, cultural discoveries or trails through the landscape will shape your stay. The options focus on different things and can be planned around your interests.
Thermal waters, park and Rhine
Therme Zurzach combines warm, mineral-rich thermal waters with the Bohrturm sauna complex, spa treatments and a fitness centre. This means bathing and wellness options sit alongside the area's cultural and nature attractions. As individual services may change, check the current offering before your visit.
Admission to the publicly accessible Himmelrych Park is free. It is open daily from 10 a.m. until dusk. Thirty sculptures are set beneath and around a 54-metre-high giant sequoia; the exhibition may be updated. Bad Zurzach Castle is separate from the park and opens only for special events. Individual guided tours about the castle's history and the sculpture exhibition in the park are available by arrangement; check dates in advance.
The Schlosspark Bistro serves coffee, homemade cake, cheese, wine, grilled dishes and pasta seasonally. The offering may change. For Rhine swimming, a stretch between Germany and Switzerland is recommended in summer: enter the water at the Bad Zurzach/Rheinheim Rhine bridge and get out near the former campsite before BarzmĂĽhle. Swimming is at your own risk.
Churches and the history of the market town
Bad Zurzach lies in the northeast of the canton of Aargau, is the capital of the Zurzach district and a regional sub-centre. The town is traditionally known as a «Flecken» (market town). Its ecclesiastical heritage is linked to the tomb of Saint Verena. An early Romanesque collegiate church was built here around the year 1000, and the town developed into an important pilgrimage centre.
Today's Verenamünster combines Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque features. The tomb of Saint Verena is in the Gothic crypt. A guided tour of the market town visits Verenamünster, the Upper Church and the Reformed Church, as well as the Messehäuser and the historic market town. If you would like to plan a tour, check availability in advance.
The Höfli District Museum displays prehistoric and early historic finds from the district, particularly finds from the Roman settlement of Tenedo. The medieval townscape of Bad Zurzach was known by this name. The museum thus complements the town's ecclesiastical history with archaeological themes. It is about a seven-minute walk from the station; alternatively, the Zurzi bus stops at the «Höfli» stop.
The salt drilling towers offer another glimpse into the town's history. They are around 17 metres high; one of the towers houses a salt museum. You can look inside through peepholes at any time and set the brine pump in motion at the touch of a button. These interactive features may change.
Trails, puzzles and activities
The landscape around Bad Zurzach brings together gentle hills, forests and river scenery along the Aargau Upper Rhine; flora and fauna are also diverse. The wider area offers hikes through forests, hills and river landscapes, as well as themed trails such as the Art Trail, the Salt Route and the Chly Rhy floodplain. Cycling tours follow the Aargau Upper Rhine and pass through vineyards. These options are in the wider area and offer a different focus from the town's history.
The ViaRhenana is one of the long-distance hiking options in the municipality of Zurzach. It follows the historic waterway along the Upper Rhine and Lake Untersee between Basel and Kreuzlingen. For shorter puzzle stops, the Papa Moll Trail is another option: it features 15 puzzles with clues at built and natural puzzle stations. The trail is suitable for pushchairs. Papa Moll Golf offers a choice of 18 traditional mini-golf holes, twelve adventure-golf holes and a PitPat course.
Getting here and finding your way around
You can reach Bad Zurzach on the S36 from Waldshut or BĂĽlach, the S27 from Baden, and bus 360 from Brugg. Free local buses run from the station in various directions. Check the timetable before travelling so you can plan your connection and onward journey locally.
You can also plan your route to individual destinations: the Tierpark bus stop is just under 100 metres from the animal park, which is a little over 15 minutes away on foot from Bad Zurzach. The museum, animal park, thermal baths, park and historic sites all offer different reasons to visit.
Discover more destinations: Endingen, Tegerfelden, Koblenz, Siglistorf, Böttstein, Wislikofen
Back to the main travel overview: Zurzach.
