Casino Baden-Baden
Germany's oldest casino, this testament to 19th-century decadence was the brainchild of Parisian Jacques Bénazet, who persuaded the sleepy little Black Forest spa town to build gambling rooms to enliven its evenings after gambling was banned in France (just a few miles away). Opened in 1855, the sumptuous interior was modeled on Versailles, right down to the Pompadour Room, home to a "practice" roulette table, and the luminous Winter Garden, with white marble and antique Chinese vases. The richly decorated gaming rooms could make even an emperor feel at home—Kaiser Wilhelm I was a regular patron, as was his chancellor, Bismarck. Russian novelist Dostoyevsky related his experiences here in his novella, The Gambler, and Marlene Dietrich reputedly called it the most beautiful casino in the world. Passports are necessary as proof of identity. Come in the morning before the doors open to players for a guided tour (40 minutes), available in English on request. To try your hand at either French or American roulette, blackjack, or Texas hold'em, you'll need to be over 21 and follow a strict dress code (jacket for men, no sneakers).
