The Iffezheim racecourse, about ten kilometres north-west of Baden-Baden, is the home of German thoroughbred racing. Three meetings a year — spring, late summer (the Grosse Woche), and autumn — draw crowds of 50,000-plus and bring the same theatrical Ascot-style dress codes you would expect at any old-money racing venue.
Out of season the course is quiet but the stables and the village around them are interesting in their own right. For most visitors the appeal is to time a trip to coincide with a race day — the special trains and buses from Baden-Baden run direct, and the atmosphere is among the most agreeable in European racing.