Saarbrücken lies on the river Saar, close enough to the French border that some of its suburbs are across it, and the town carries both cultures in its stride. You can hear French in the market, find tarte flambée next to sausage on the menu, and watch locals switch between languages mid-sentence. It is the capital of Germany's smallest area state, the Saarland, and the region's history has been tugged back and forth between Paris and Berlin more than once.
After the Second World War the Saarland was placed under French protection, with its own currency and stamps, until in 1955 its people voted against a European statute and in effect chose to return to West Germany, which happened in 1957. Older Saarlanders remember it clearly. The industrial history is just as strong: coal and steel shaped the valleys, and the vast ironworks at nearby Völklingen, now a UNESCO World Heritage site, stands as a rusting cathedral to that era.
The most elegant sight in the city itself is the Ludwigskirche, an eighteenth-century Protestant church by the architect Friedrich Joachim Stengel, a baroque jewel whose pale stone glows at dusk. The old Saar bridges and riverside paths make a good short walk.
As a riding base the city is less thrilling than its surroundings. Heavy traffic clogs the motorway entries at rush hour, so leave early. But within half an hour you reach rolling forested hills, and further north the Hunsrück offers beautiful quiet roads with bends and views. Upstream near Mettlach, the Saar makes a dramatic loop around a wooded spur, the Saarschleife, a classic viewpoint reached by minor roads that suit a relaxed afternoon.
Fuel is easy and cheaper than in France on most days. Try a local dish like Dibbelabbes, a potato casserole, or Schwenker, grilled marinated pork turned over a beech fire, before you cross the line. Spring and early autumn are the best seasons.