The friendly and safe town of Offenburg, population 60,000, is at the centre of the beautiful Ortenau region, situated between the Rhine Valley and the Black Forest and characterised by a comfortable climate with warm and pleasant summers and winter temperatures rarely dropping below zero.
With almost 900 years of history, Offenburg offers a historical centre with a baroque scenery, a variety of cultural events, hiking and cycling trails along the Kinzig River and the surrounding vineyards, and typical Baden gastronomy.
Although Offenburg is relatively small, it offers great cultural and recreational possibilities. There are various festivals and festivities throughout the year, including the famous German carnival season, wine festivals in autumn, and very popular Christmas markets.
Offenburg's city centre offers a variety of department stores and speciality shops as well as a farmers' market on Tuesday and Saturday mornings. Inexpensive groceries can be found at the major supermarket chains around town.
Nearby cities include Strasbourg (France), 25 km, capital of the European Union and seat of the European Parliament; Freiburg, 65 km; Karlsruhe, 75 km; Heidelberg, 110 km; Basel (Switzerland), 120 km; Stuttgart, 140 km; and Frankfurt, 200 km.
Offenburg is close (35/50/130 km) to the international airports of Strasbourg, Karlsruhe, and Basel-Mulhouse, which are mainly served by low-cost carriers (easyJet and Ryanair, among others). The main German airport hub in Frankfurt can be reached by high-speed train in around 90 minutes.