A margrave who dreamed of Versailles: that's how Rastatt entered history. Victor over the Ottoman armies, Louis William of Baden-Baden, whom Europe nicknamed "Türkenlouis," had his hunting lodge transformed from 1700 onward into a grand residence entrusted to the Italian architect Domenico Egidio Rossi. The result, the first great Baroque ensemble on the Upper Rhine, still dominates the centre of this Baden town, which river cruises reveal from the riverbank.

From Plittersdorf to downtown

Boats dock at Plittersdorf, Rastatt's oldest district, set right on the Rhine facing Alsace. Since 2017, a modern landing stage has welcomed large cruise vessels here, a few metres from the ferry that links the German bank year-round to the French village of Seltz. The historic centre is about six kilometres away: organized excursions and shuttles cover the distance in about fifteen minutes across the fields of the Rhine plain. Those who stay by the river discover a village with real character, where the old fishers' houses watch convoys of barges pass between the floodplain meadows.

The Residential Palace

You can't miss the building: three monumental wings enclosing a vast courtyard of honour, a sand-coloured façade and, at the top, a gilded figure that glitters in the sun. Inside, suites of state rooms display stucco, gilding and trompe-l'œil ceilings painted by Italian masters. Guided tours lead all the way to the Hall of Ancestors, where the master of the house celebrated his military victories beneath a ceiling painted in his glory. The residence served as a model for other German courts, and it's easy to see why: nothing seems left to chance, from the axis of the gardens to the smallest gilded medallion. The palace also houses a museum of military history, while the French-style gardens invite a peaceful stroll among the flowerbeds.

Favorite, the porcelain palace

Five kilometres from the centre, Türkenlouis's widow, Sibylla Augusta, had a summer retreat of rare refinement built between 1710 and 1727: Favorite. Behind its façade inlaid with sparkling pebbles, the cabinets lined with faience and porcelain earned it its nickname. It's one of the few "porcelain palaces" in Europe to have survived in their original state; several shore excursions combine it with the main visit.

A small town, two treaties and a revolution

Rastatt has seen European history written at its table. In 1714, the treaty signed here ended the War of the Spanish Succession. A century and a half later, the town became the last stronghold of the Baden Revolution of 1849: the federal fortress surrendered here after a long siege, and a memorial in the palace now traces this struggle for democratic freedoms in Germany. Between visits, the market square, St. Alexander's Church and the Baroque façades of the centre are easy to explore on foot.

Practical pointers

• Docking at Rastatt-Plittersdorf, on the Rhine; downtown about 6 km away by shuttle or excursion.
• Margraves' Residence: interiors accessible by guided tour; gardens open to all.
• Favorite: combine with the first visit, about 15 minutes by road.
• The Plittersdorf ferry allows a foray on foot to the Alsatian side, toward Seltz.

Before casting off

On the way back to the river, the bell towers of the plain file past behind the orchards, and you appreciate the contrast of this port call: a fishing village on the water's edge, a palace on the horizon and, between the two, three centuries of European history condensed into a town few travellers could place on a map. It's exactly this kind of surprise that gives sailing on the Rhine its flavour.