While riding the Mozart Radweg, a 250-mile bicycle route in southern Germany and Austria, my husband and I made a quick stop at the German spa town of Bad Reichenhall.

It’s a lovely town at the foot of the Bavarian Alps with gorgeous views and thermal waters. After just a few hours there, we vowed to return.

Last spring, we did. And I wasted no time heading to the Rupertus Therme, a spa and fitness resort.

If this is not paradise, what is? Soaking in warm, salty water surrounded by grand Alpine peaks; slowly slithering from powerful water jets to soothing massages; standing under gentle showers and sprays; gliding from pool to pool, then lounging in the sunshine while pondering the spectacular scenery. It was glorious.

Bad Reichenhall is known for salt and treatments associated with saltwater. Salt from prehistoric oceans is hidden inside the Bavarian Alps and has been mined from underground springs in the area for centuries. Bad Reichenhall was a salt producing center in the Middle Ages, when salt came to be known as “white gold” because it was paid for with gold and brought wealth and fame to the region.

The town, which had about 1,800 saltwater baths, was destroyed by fire in 1834, but rebuilt in a manner that let it capitalize on the healing properties of its waters and the development of spa facilities. Shortly thereafter, King Maximilian II of Bavaria visited to soak in the waters and made the town his summer resort, enhancing its reputation as an elegant spa with high society. He stayed at the Hotel Axelmannstein, still the city’s premier residence.

The story of salt is shown in the city’s Old Salt Works, which has been in operation for some 150 years and still produces salt from brine.

An hourlong tour includes the main pumping hall with immense water wheels and a trek through dark, damp and spooky underground tunnels that carry the brine through marble canals. The main spring shaft, still in use, dates to 1507, and the still-functioning pump, which forces the brine to the surface, is from the mid-19th century. The tour ends at a museum with fascinating exhibits on the history and production of salt.

On my first visit to Bad Reichenhall, I was intrigued by the Gradierhaus. It’s a bizarre, open-air structure called an inhalatorium — two 568-foot-long corridors running along 46-foot-high walls composed of 90,000 bundles of blackthorn and hawthorn twigs. Brine trickles slowly through the mass of twigs. As water evaporates, the level of salt in the air increases. It is recommended to spend an hour a day walking along the walls, breathing the salt air through the nose. The inhaled salt particles are said to purify and activate circulation of the mucus walls of the respiratory passages.

I passed — and there weren’t too many inhalers during my visit — but I did take off my shoes for a walk through a chilly salt water basin, the Kneipp-anlage. It was refreshing, but I’m not sure what it was supposed to do for my health.

Weather changed during our visit, so we canceled a planned ride on the Predigtstuhlbahn, said to be the oldest continually working cabin cable railway in the world. But before the clouds rolled in, we took a stroll up into the hills around the town, past remaining parts of the city walls.

Just above the town is the Gruttenstein Castle, a medieval structure with both Gothic and Renaissance elements. Below is the St. Sebastian quarter, the oldest part of the city with houses from the Middle Ages, many with charming painted facades. Walking back to the center we passed the Old Town Hall, built in 1849 and decorated with frescoes in 1924.

The center of Bad Reichenhall is a joy. It has two parallel pedestrian streets, together about 1½ miles long, with 300 shops and numerous cafes with tables spilling onto the thoroughfare. Many shops sell salt products for health benefits as well as seasoning. One specializes in a specific candy: Mozart Kuglen. You can’t miss it — the cafe/bakery shop named after the composer is decked out with displays of the candy made with chocolate, marzipan and nougat.

“It’s the best composition. Think of it as a Mozart composition,” remarked a local.

Although the candy was invented in Austria, the Bad Reichenhall company Reber says its version is tops.

Mozart visited Bad Reichenhall, a city that has a passion for music and stages a Mozart Week every March with some of the composer’s best works being performed. Throughout the year there are concerts by the Bad Reichenhaller Philharmonic, in the Kurpark or in the spa buildings.

The Kurpark is a lush botanical garden that invites visitors to linger. It includes one of the town’s 52 spa fountains, and its pool is a popular place for both spa guests and tourists to relax amid the soothing sound of trickling water.

If you get tired of the town, take a hike in the surrounding mountains, or cycle along the many miles of marked bike routes, including the Mozart Radweg. Salzburg is just 12 miles away, perfect for a day trip.

• The place to stay in Bad Reichenhall is the Radisson Blu Axelmannstein Resort. In the 11th century, Achselmannstein was the name of a noble residence/castle. The architecture of the present structure dates to 1909 when an older hotel was rebuilt in Italian Belle Époque style as the first grand hotel of the health resort. For years, it was one of Germany’s top 10 hotels.

It’s still quite grand and delightful. In addition to a gourmet restaurant, there’s the Axel-Stuberl, a cozy, Bavarian tavern with local specialties and zither music. The hotel has a spa offering a variety of massages and saltwater baths. Double rooms begin at 109 euros per night (with advance booking, a little less). Find more information at www.radissonblu.com/resort-badreichenhall.

• Fees for the Rupertus Therme vary depending on length of stay and type of treatments, such as massages, desired. A standard four-hour entrance card is 16 euros. Find a list of rates and other details are at www.rupertustherme.de.

• Admission to the Alte Saline (Old Salt Works) costs 6.50 euros for adults and 4.50 euros for ages 4-16. Find details at www.alte-saline-bad-reichenhall.de/en/global/home.html.

• More information on Bad Reichenhall is available at www.bad-reichenhall.de.

Photojournalist Leah Larkin lives in France and can be contacted through her Web site, www.leahlarkin.com, or blog address, www.provencetales.typepad.com.

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