A large mountain range covered by forests in southwestern Germany, 160 km long from north to south, and 30-50 km wide. The Black Forest region is a highly popular tourist destination throughout the year, with valleys, hills, mountains covered with dense woods, rivers, and recreational lakes. The marvelous nature creates a magnificent setting for charming traditional small towns and villages, numerous SPA towns and various family attractions.
Bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and road 81 in the east the region is heaven for outdoor activities lovers offering overwhelming scenery. Enjoy endless hiking and biking trails, hang gliding and paragliding locations, and in the winter, Alpine, downhill, and Cross Country skiing.
Traveling the Black Forest Region TheTjoy.com recommends;
- Visit the beautiful nature wonders scattered throughout the region such as the Schlossberg Castle Hill and Schauinsland Mountain near Freiburg, the impressive Triberg Waterfalls, the Todtnauer waterfalls, and the beautiful Hell’s Valley and Ravenna Gorge, a great place for hiking.
Be sure to enjoy the popular recreational lakes of Titisee, Schulchsee, and Mummelsee for swimming, water sports, and beautiful hiking trails.
- The Black Forest is mainly rural, with numerous charming villages and small towns.
Visit and enjoy the highly popular and luxurious SPA city of Baden-Baden, the picturesque Medieval city of Freiburg, Triberg home to an Open Air Museum and The world’s biggest Cuckoo Clock, beautiful Schiltach, and Calw in the north located within a peaceful and tranquil countryside. - Visit charming Breisach close to Alsace France, the beautiful mountain resort of Baiersbronn famous for its cousin scene, and Gengenbach with its surrounding vineyards.
- The Region is famous for its Thermal Springs and SPA towns, where in addition to Baden-Baden also popular are the picturesque Bad Wildbad, Bad Teinach with its Mineral Thermal Bath SPA, and Bad Liebenzell and its Paracelsus Thermae SPA.
Cuckoo Clocks
Abbey in Calw
Triberg Waterfall
- For families with children the Black Forest offers numerous great attractions on top of what nature has to offer. Enjoy great amusement and adventure parks including Europapark, Steinwasen adventure Park, Todtnau Toboggan Coaster (Hasenhorn Rodelbahn), and Mundenhof large animal park. In Gutach children will enjoy slides (Sommerrodelbahn), Open Air Museum, and the Park with All Senses theme Park.
- There are some beautiful scenic roads in the Black Forest highly recommended for driving and enjoying the landscapes. Drive to enjoy the Black Forest Panoramic Route, The Black Forest High Road (Schwarzwald Hochstrasse), The Black Forest Railway train route, and others.
- While in the Black Forest enjoy the local culture, traditional customs and history as presented in the Black Forest open Air Museum, the local wine, the gourmet cuisine, and the famous Black Forest Chocolate Cake.
- Great areas for Winter Sports in the Black Forest are around the Feldberg Mountain near Todtnau, with its famous downhill ski run, in Hinterzarten center for ski jumpers, in the north along the Black Forest High Road, and around Kaltenbronn.
- There are also numerous great hiking trails all around the region, of all levels and lengths, and overlooking different landscapes. We would recommend to consult with the local tourist information centers available in all the major towns and cities for the specific routs available.
TheTjoy.com recommends several options to access the Black Forest including;
- Driving while using the excellent German Autobahn Motorway A5 from the north along the western edge of the Black Forest, and the Autobahn A81 through the eastern side.
Gutach Farmhouse
St. Blasien
Baiersbronn
- You can also use the great German Train System from all major cities, connecting to the Black Forest train routes of Schwardwaldbahn (central and northern regions) and the Höllentalbahn (east-west across the southern region).
- When flying to the Black Forest use one of few nearby airports including Frankfurt and Stuttgart in the north, the Euro-Airport of Basel-Mulhouse in the southwest, and Munich airport in the west.
- The best way to travel in the Black Forest would be by car, even though using the local train routes is also an option.
Enjoying the Black Forest is possible all year round, for winter outdoor activities and obviously in all other seasons enjoying the beautiful landscapes, the numerous attractions, hiking, biking and skiing, and much more.
Spend at least one week visiting the Black Forest region exploiting what the region has to offer.
While in the Black Forest consider 1-2 days trip west to the beautiful French Alsace Region and Strasburg, and 2-3 days south to Lake Constance and Lindau the starting point of The German Alpine Road.
