Wiesbaden, the capital of Hesse, sits between the Taunus highlands to the north and the Rhine to the south. Its 26 hot springs were already noted by Roman writers, and the city has been a fashionable spa destination since the 18th century — Dostoyevsky gambled away his fortune at the Kurhaus casino, and the grand Wilhelminian-era buildings along the Wilhelmstraße still carry that old-world elegance.
The city centre is walkable and well preserved. The Kurhaus and its surrounding park are the natural starting point; the Neroberg hill behind the city offers panoramic views over the Rhine-Main area and can be reached by a water-powered funicular railway dating from 1888. The warm springs themselves are still in use at the Kaiser-Friedrich-Therme, a beautifully restored Art Nouveau bathhouse.
Wiesbaden is quieter and more residential than neighbouring Frankfurt — locals like to say that Frankfurt is where you work and Wiesbaden is where you live.