Baden-Baden • Freiburg • Staufen • The Black Forest
Black Forest Sights in the Center
Locals and out-of-towners alike go cuckoo for this most romantic of German regions—famous for its mineral spas, clean air, hiking trails, cheery villages...and cuckoo clocks. The Black Forest (“Schwarzwald” in German) is a range of hills stretching along the French border 100 miles from Switzerland north to Karlsruhe (the highest peak is the 4,900-foot Feldberg). Ancient Romans found the thick forest here inaccessible and mysterious, so they called it “black.”
Until the last century, the Schwarzwald was cut off from the German mainstream. The poor farmland drove medieval locals to become foresters, glassblowers, and clockmakers. Today, the Black Forest is where Germans come to recuperate from their hectic workaday lives, as well as from medical ailments—often compliments of Germany’s generous public health system. Key words you’ll see everywhere are Bad (or Baden), meaning “bath”; and Kur, loosely, “cure.” Either term is synonymous with “spa” and directs you to a place to relax, soak, and recover. The region is also known for its favorite dessert, Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte—Black Forest cake, a mouthwatering concoction with alternating layers of schnapps-soaked chocolate cake, cherries, and whipped cream.
Germans use the term “Schwarzwald” to refer to the entire southwestern corner of Germany (whether forested or not). The region’s two major (and very different) towns are Baden-Baden in the north and Freiburg in the south. Neither feels particularly woodsy—instead, their proximity to France lends both cities a sunny elegance. Baden-Baden is Germany’s grandest 19th-century spa resort—old, elegant, and sedate. Stroll through its stylish streets and casino, then soak in its famous baths. Youthful and lively Freiburg is the Black Forest’s de facto capital and main university town. For a small-town experience, hang your hat in cozy Staufen.
Back up in the hills, a pair of worthwhile museums show off two different sides of the local culture—the Vogtsbauernhof Black Forest Open-Air Museum near Gutach, and the German Clock Museum in Furtwangen. You’ll also find plenty of opportunity for lazy drives and hikes. The area’s two biggest tourist traps are the tiny Titisee (a lake not quite as big as its parking lot—skip it) and Triberg, a small town bisected by a waterfall and filled with cuckoo-clock shops.
By train, Freiburg and Baden-Baden are easy. Exploring the rural delights of the region by public transit is tougher, but not impossible. Baden-Baden has enough sightseeing to merit two nights and a day. Tour Freiburg for at least an afternoon, and consider sleeping in overlooked Staufen.
With more time and a car, do the whole thing: two nights and a relaxing day in Baden-Baden, a busy day doing the small-town forest medley south (with stops at the Vogtsbauernhof Black Forest Open-Air Museum and Furtwangen’s German Clock Museum), and a quick visit to Freiburg (sleeping either there or in Staufen).
Of all the high-class resort towns I’ve seen, Baden-Baden is the easiest to enjoy in jeans with a picnic. The town makes a great first stop in Germany (an easy 1.5 hours from Frankfurt’s airport by train).
Baden-Baden was the playground of Europe’s high-rolling elite around 150 years ago. Royalty and aristocracy came from all corners of the continent to take the Kur—a soak in the curative mineral waters—and enjoy the world’s top casino. Wrought-iron balconies on handsome 19th-century apartment buildings give Baden-Baden an elegant, almost Parisian feel. The town acquired its hyphenated double name—short for “Baden in Baden” (that is, Baden in the state of Baden, like New York, New York)—in 1931, to distinguish it from other places named Baden (German for “baths”).
With its appealing combination of Edenism and hedonism, the town remains popular today. How popular? It’s known among hoteliers as unique: In your typical convention town hoteliers expect that 85 percent of their guests will need single rooms and 15 percent will need doubles; here they flip-flop those figures, as spouses insist on coming to conventions held in Baden-Baden.
Recently the town has also become popular among Russia’s elite, and direct flights from Moscow land at Baden-Baden’s airport. Many of the town’s top hotels—and increasingly, cafés and other smaller businesses—are now Russian-owned. Around town, expect to see Russian on multilingual signs...and Russian-style customer service behind counters.
Along with conventioneers and rich Russians, a middle-class crowd of European tourists in search of a slower pulse—including Germans enjoying the fruits of their generous health-care system—flock to this lush resort town.
Baden-Baden, with 55,000 residents, is made for strolling...with a poodle. Except for the train station and a few accommodations, everything that matters is clustered within a 10-minute walk between the baths and the casino.
Although you’ll barely notice if you just stick around the center, Baden-Baden is actually a long, skinny town, strung over several miles along the narrow valley of the Oosbach River (conveniently accessed by bus #201—see “Getting Around Baden-Baden,” later). The train station is at the lower (northern) end of the valley, in a suburb called Baden-Oos, three miles from downtown; the Lichtentaler Abbey marks the upper end of the valley. The casino and town center are about halfway between, at the point where a small side valley joins the Oosbach Valley. The church, castle, baths, and oldest sections of town are a few blocks uphill on the north slope of this side valley.
Baden-Baden’s TI is in the Trinkhalle (Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00, Sun from 14:00, free WC, tel. 07221/275-200, www.baden-baden.de). Pick up their free monthly events program, Baden-Baden Aktuell (German only) and a map. Hikers like the TI’s Panoramaweg map (€1.50, German only). (Unfortunately, Baden-Baden is one of the worst towns for English translations. Throughout town, non-German-speaking tourists are generally left in the dark.) If you’re driving into the countryside, consider the €1 Outline Map, which helps you get your bearings for the region, and the €6 Black Forest guidebook.
The main TI shares space with a ticket agency (for theater, opera, orchestra, and musicals; Tue-Sat 10:00-18:00, Sun 14:00-17:00, closed Mon, tel. 07221/932-700, www.tickets-baden-baden.de).
Another TI is at the B-500 autobahn exit (Mon-Sat 9:00-18:00, Sun until 13:00, Schwarzwaldstrasse 52).
By Train: The train station has lockers (platform 1) and a handy Reisezentrum that sells tickets (long hours daily). To get from there to downtown in 15 minutes, catch frequent bus #201 (see “Getting Around Baden-Baden,” later). A taxi to the center costs about €20.
By Car: Because most traffic goes underneath Baden-Baden (through long tunnels), finding your way to your hotel can be counterintuitive. Most hotels I recommend are in the town center; to reach them, first follow the blue Therme signs to the baths neighborhood, then look for green signs with the hotel’s name. Ask your hotelier for parking tips (you’ll likely wind up at one of the big garages in the town center).
By Plane: While Baden-Baden has a small airport (served by Ryanair from London), you’ll more likely fly into Frankfurt. One of the world’s busiest airports, it’s 1.5 hours away by car (on the autobahn) or train (hourly, €50).
Shopping and Groceries: The big Wagener Galerie department store at Lange Strasse 44 has just about everything, including a huge über-trendy supermarket and a café on the top floor (Mon-Sat 9:00-19:00, closed Sun) and a post office on the ground floor.
Horse Races: Book well in advance if you’ll be visiting Baden-Baden during its three annual horse races (usually in May, Aug, and Oct; races are held in nearby town of Iffezheim, check dates at www.baden-racing.com).
Baden-Baden in Bloom: Gardening events draw people throughout the year, particularly in June when the roses are in full bloom.
Wi-Fi: The city’s free Wi-Fi network “BAD-WLAN” works well in the city center.
Laundry: Klara Ross Wäscherei is a dry-cleaning shop in the town center that also does laundry (full service, same-day or next-morning turnaround). Friendly Klara speaks Russian, but no English (€12/load; Mon-Sat 8:00-12:00, also 14:00-18:00 Mon-Tue and Thu-Fri, closed Sun; Eichstrasse 14, easily walkable from hotels in the city center—otherwise take bus #201 to Augustaplatz stop, tel. 07221/22676).
Bike Rental: You can rent bikes a few bus stops away from the town center at Rent-A-Sportsman (€10-15/day, show ID and leave cash deposit, call ahead to reserve, daily 8:30-21:00; Eisenbahnstrasse 1a, mobile 0172/721-4280, www.rent-a-sportsman.de). Take bus #201 (or walk 15 minutes) toward the train station, get off at Verfassungsplatz, and cross the busy street; the rental office is behind the Olive restaurant. Active Klaus-Peter also offers lessons in the sport of Nordic walking.
Train Info: The Derpart travel agency, between Leopoldsplatz and the casino, posts a train schedule outside. They charge €7 to sell you a ticket—pricey, but it saves you a trip to the station (Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat 10:00-14:00, closed Sun, Sophienstrasse 1B, tel. 07221/21050).
Within town, only one bus really matters: Bus #201 runs straight through Baden-Baden, connecting the train station in Oos, the town center (Leopoldsplatz), and Lichtentaler Abbey at the southeast end of town (every 10 minutes or so; €2.40/person single ticket, Citysolo day pass for 1 adult-€6.20, Cityplus day pass for up to 5 adults-€10.10; bus info at www.kvv.de). Buy tickets (valid for 90 minutes in one direction) from the driver or machines, then validate them in the machine on board. With convenient bus #201, drivers staying at my recommended places outside the center don’t need to mess with downtown parking.
Bus #208 can serve as a fun sightseeing bus, though it only runs five times a day and not at all on Sunday. Hop on at Augustaplatz or Leopoldsplatz and enjoy the full, hour-long, figure-eight trip looping through the countryside around town. Buses #204 and #205 end at the Merkur funicular (about 2/hour).
City-Bahn Baden-Baden is a putt-putt tourist train that chugs from the casino to the base of the Merkur funicular and back, with a stop near the Baths of Caracalla (€7, recorded English narration, hourly, departs the Kurhaus at about :40, 45 minutes).
(See “Central Baden-Baden” map, here.)
This self-guided walk starts at the casino, loops through the Old Town to both of the famous baths, and ends back at the river, where you can stroll up to the abbey. In other words, it covers everything. Consider interrupting this route with a visit to the casino and actually taking the waters at your choice of baths.
• Start on the steps of the...
The impressive building called the Kurhaus is wrapped around a grand casino. Designed to resemble Versailles, it still looks like it did when it was built in the 1850s. You can tour it in the morning, and gamble away the afternoon and evening.
To get a visual overview of the town from the casino, stand between the second and third big white columns of the entrance portico and survey the surroundings from left to right: Find the ruined castle near the top of the hill, then the rock-climbing cliffs, the new castle (top of town) next to the copper-topped brick spire of the Catholic church (the famous baths are just behind that), the Merkur peak (marked by a modern observatory tower, 2,000 feet above sea level, easy to reach by bus and then funicular), and the bandstand in the Kurhaus garden. The Baden-Baden orchestra plays free concerts here (most Sundays, March-Oct except in Aug, usually at 16:00).
While you’re here, consider popping inside for a tour (in the morning), or to gamble or watch the action in the afternoon or evening—if you’re properly dressed (described later, under “Sights in Baden-Baden”).
• Leaving the casino, walk about 100 yards to the left, past the five 19th-century gas lampposts (still lit by hand each night) to the...
Beyond the trees is the old Trinkhalle—with a long entrance hall decorated with nymphs and romantic legends. This grand corridor was designed for 19th-century needs: drinking the spa water while promenading out of the sun and rain. It’s now home to the TI, a recommended café, and a ticket agency. Wander around its fancy portico, studying the romantic circa-1850 paintings that spa-goers a century ago could easily relate to. For a sample of the warm spring water, go inside and look for the tap at the central column.
Despite the label, a sip of this water is indeed safe (but quite hot, about 110 degrees)—even supposedly curative. (EU laws require these Kein Trinkwasser warnings on any water that isn’t safe to drink day in and day out, and this water’s high mineral concentration makes it unwise to drink much more than a cup or two at a time.)
From the Trinkhalle, walk down the steps and tip your hat to Kaiser Wilhelm. Locals like this Prussian king because in 1848 he used military force to silence revolutionaries demanding liberal reforms, ensuring that Germany’s elites could continue to enjoy this fine town undisturbed. Look up at the charming spa-promotion provided by the relief in the pediment of the Trinkhalle: People come to the goddess of the spa sick and tired. They leave young, beautiful, ready to dance, and suddenly quite fertile. Spa is an acronym for the Latin “Sanus per Aquam,” which means “health through water.”
• Cross the mighty Oos River.
Centuries ago, this stream flowed outside the town walls, which would have been ahead of you at this point. As the city had little strategic importance and no reason to be fortified, its walls were torn down in the 1830s. Baden-Baden was not damaged in either world war. (The French made sure it was unscathed in World War II—they knew they’d be setting up occupation here, and why not have a nice place to call headquarters?) Baden-Baden’s seen as a fine place to relax by whomever may be its ruler.
• Walk one block inland, then go left on the pedestrian Lange Strasse past fine shops. Three feet below you is the ancient Roman road. And a block in front of you on the left is the Läderach shop—air-conditioned and fragrant with a tempting array of fine Swiss chocolate. At the Hotel zum Hirsch (look for the Hirsch, or deer), take a hard right, and climb up Hirschstrasse until you hit a big church.
Baden-Baden’s Catholic church looks over the marketplace that has marked the center of town since Roman times. Inside you’ll see windows from the 1950s. The fine crucifix, carved out of a single stone in the 15th century, stood in a nearby cemetery until it was moved here in the 1960s. The front part of the church is lined with tombs and memorials to local big shots (counts and margraves) from the 16th to the 18th centuries. The fanciest memorial, filling most of the right wall, is Baroque and honors a local military figure who helped defend Europe against the Turks in the 17th century.
Back outside, you can see the edge of the “new castle” towering above the square. It’s owned by a Kuwaiti woman who hopes to open a fabulous five-star hotel at a cost of €500 million (if she can clear the hurdles that come with renovating a historic building).
• Now we’ll explore the area around Baden-Baden’s namesake and claim to fame.
Walk to the back of the church, under a modern art installation (of jugs on stilts—reminders of the Roman spa that once stood here). Head down the cobbled lane behind the Roman-Irish Bath complex. Because the soil is spa-warmed, a garden of lush Mediterranean vegetation stretches left from here up towards the castle (an area nicknamed “Florentine Hill”). At the end (top of stairs), enjoy the viewpoint; Baden-Baden’s high-rent district—nicknamed “Paradise”—climbs the hills opposite.
Take the steps down to the water spigot that taps the underground spring called the Fettquelle (“rich water source”). It’s 105 degrees—very hot—as hot as a spa open to the public can legally be. Until recently, this was a practical source of hot water for Baden-Baden residents. Older locals remember being sent here to fetch hot water for their father’s shave.
Walk to the sensuous (if armless) statue 50 yards ahead. To your left (her right, but it’s missing) is the modern Baths of Caracalla. To your right (her left, still missing) is the venerable and more traditional Roman-Irish Bath (both described later).
• Return halfway to the Fettquelle spigot and take the stairs down into the parking level (signposted Römische Badruinen) into the small tunnel to find the...
This ancient bath, now in ruins, was built for Roman soldiers. It’s just one room—most of which you can see through the big windows—and worth the entry fee only if you want to use the included audioguide to learn its story, including how it was engineered (€2.50, open only two hours a day—11:00-12:00 & 15:00-16:00, closed in winter). As it was only for soldiers, this spa is just a simple terra-cotta structure with hollow walls and elevated floors to let the heat circulate.
• Walking past the museum, you hit daylight, jog left, hook right around an outdoor café, then head down the pedestrian shopping lane called...
Walking down Gernsbacher Strasse, consider the 2,000-year heritage of guests who have been housed, fed, and watered here at the spa. Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Mark Twain, Johannes Brahms, and Russian princes all called this neighborhood home in its 19th-century heyday. Germany’s oldest tennis and golf clubs were created here (for the English community) in the 19th century.
In the late 20th-century Germany’s health-care system was very, very good for Baden-Baden. The government provided lavishly for spa treatment for its tired citizens. Times have changed, and now doctors must make the case to insurance companies that their patients are more than tired...they must actually be sick to have their visit subsidized by taxpayers. And the insurance company then dictates where they’ll go. The government will still pay for up to two weeks of recreation at a spa like this, but patients must go to the spa that’s recommended and sleep in its clinic. If they sleep in a hotel, the jig is up—and they lose their government funding (that’s austerity, German style).
• After two blocks, you hit Sonnenplatz. Hang a left, then a right, and continue down...
This street enjoys the reliable shade of a long row of tall chestnut trees. In the 1870s, when it was lined exclusively by hotels, this was the town’s aristocratic promenade. Back then there were 15,000 bedrooms for rent in Baden-Baden (triple what the city has today).
• After a short block you’ll see a fine little heron fountain. Turn right there, down Rittergasse to the recommended ivy-and-flower-bedecked Löwenbräu beer garden (a festival of Bavarian clichés even though we’re not in Bavaria). Head left, past the lederhosen and dirndls, and peek back right up some stairs to the stern stone statue of Otto von Bismarck. Nicknamed the “Iron Chancellor,” he spearheaded German unification under Prussia in 1871 (and gave Germany its national healthcare system shortly after unification). Directly ahead is Leopoldsplatz, Baden-Baden’s main square.
Until 1985, this square was a busy traffic hub, with 30,000 cars muscling through it each day. Now a 1.5-mile-long tunnel takes the east-west traffic under the city, and the peace and quiet you’d expect in a spa town has returned. Actually, Baden-Baden had to get rid of the noise and pollution caused by the traffic in order to maintain its top rating as a spa resort—lose that, and Baden-Baden would lose half its business. The main city bus stop is just off the square, on Luisenstrasse.
• From Leopoldsplatz, head left on Lichtentaler Strasse. You’ll pass the venerable and recommended Café König (on right), jewelry stores, and plenty of high-end shops. Head for the big fountain in the distance, which marks Augustaplatz (public WC nearby). At the fountain, go right, through the park, and over the petite bridge, where you’ll come to a sweet riverside path called Lichtentaler Allee (described under “Sights in Baden-Baden,” next).
From here the casino is to your right. A stroll to the left—down Lichtentaler Allee—takes you to the rose garden, City Museum (an elegant old mansion with a humble but well-displayed collection of artifacts and etchings showing the history of the spa town), and out to Lichtentaler Abbey. You choose which way to go.
Baden-Baden’s top sights—two much-loved but very different baths—stand side by side in a park at the top of the Old Town. The Roman-Irish Bath is traditional, stately, indoors, contemplative, and extremely relaxing...just you, the past, and your body. The perky, fun, and modern Baths of Caracalla are less expensive, both indoor and outdoor, and more social. Some hotels sell discounted tickets (10-15 percent off) to one or both of the baths—ask.
At either bath, you’ll get an electronic wristband, which you’ll need when you’re ready to leave. If you overstay your allotted time, you pay extra. You can relax while your valuables are stowed in very secure lockers. The baths share the huge underground Bäder-Garage (reduced price for bathers if you validate your parking ticket before leaving either bath, entrance on Rotenbachtalstrasse).
The highlight of most visits to Baden-Baden is a sober 17-step ritual called the Roman-Irish Bath. This bathhouse pampered the rich and famous in its elegant surroundings when it opened in 1877. Today, this steamy world of marble, brass columns, tropical tiles, herons, lily pads, and graceful nudity welcomes gawky tourists as well as locals.
Cost and Hours: €25/3 hours, €12 more gets you a soap-and-brush massage, another €12 for final crème massage; daily 9:00-22:00, last entry 2 hours before closing; no kids under age 14, Römerplatz 1, tel. 07221/275-920, www.friedrichsbad.eu. It’s possible to speed through the bath in an hour, but the whole idea is to...slow down.
Dress Code: Everyone in these baths is always nude (even prudish American tourists). On Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, men and women use separate and nearly identical facilities—but the sexes can mingle briefly in the pool under the grand dome in the center of the complex (yes, everyone’s nude there, too). Shy bathers should avoid Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays, and holidays, when all the rooms are mixed—including the steam and massage rooms. If you’re concerned, you needn’t be; there’s no ogling going on. It’s a classy and respectful ritual, and a shame to miss just because you’re intimidated by nudity.
Procedure: You’ll pay, get a wristband, and activate it as you enter. Choose a locker (where you’ll find your bed-sheet-like towel), and change in a changing cabin. Lock your locker by pressing on the button with your wristband. Remember your locker number; for security, it’s not indicated on your wristband. Inside the baths, the complex routine is written (in English) on the walls with recommended times—simply follow the room numbers from 1 to 17. Instructions are repeated everywhere. And English-speaking attendants are there when necessary. For the first couple of stops only, you use plastic slippers and a towel for hygienic reasons and because the slats are too hot to sit on directly.
You’ll start by taking a shower. Grab a towel and put on plastic slippers before hitting the warm-air bath for 15 minutes and the hot-air bath for five. Shower again. If you paid extra, take the rough and slippery soap-brush massage—which may finish with a good Teutonic spank for the gents and a gentler tap-tap for the ladies. Play Gumby in the shower; lounge under sunbeams in one of several thermal steam baths; and glide like a swan under a divine dome in the mixed-gender royal pool. Don’t skip the invigorating cold plunge, but do go in all at once—the relaxation you’ll experience after emerging is worth it. Dry off with warmed towels. If you prepaid for the eight-minute crème massage, now’s the time. Then you’ll be wrapped like a baby to lie on a bed for 30 minutes, thinking prenatal thoughts, in the mellow, yellow silent room. At the end, there’s a reading room with refreshing drinks, chaise lounges, and magazines. You don’t appreciate how clean you are after this experience until you put your dirty socks back on. Ewwww (bring a clean pair).
All you need is money. Hair dryers are available, and clocks are prominently displayed throughout. If you wear glasses, consider leaving them in your locker (it’s more relaxing without them). Otherwise, you’ll find trays throughout for you to park your specs.
Afterward, before going downstairs, sip just a little of the terrible but “magic” hot water (Thermalwasser) from the elegant fountain (locals ignore the “no drinking water” sign), and stroll down the broad royal stairway, feeling, as they say, five years younger—or at least, after all that sweating, a pound or two lighter.
For a more modern experience, spend a few hours at the Baths of Caracalla, a huge palace of water, steam, and relaxed people. More like a mini water park, and with bathers clothed, this is a fun and accessible experience, and is recommended for those who’d prefer less nudity (sauna-goers upstairs, however, are nude).
Cost and Hours: €15/1.5 hours, €16/2 hours, €19/3 hours, any overage time charged at €0.70/10 minutes, €23 buys the whole day, multiple-visit tickets available and can be split among your group, discounts with hotel guest card (Kurkarte); massages and other spa treatments available; daily 8:00-22:00, last entry 90 minutes before closing, no kids under age 7, kids 7-14 must be with parents (it’s not really a splashing and sliding kind of pool); tel. 07221/275-940, www.caracalla.de.
Procedure: At this bath, you need to bring a towel (or rent one for €6) and a swimsuit (shorts are OK for men, no swimsuit rental available but you can buy one in the shop).
Find a locker, change clothes, strap the band around your wrist, and go play. Your wristband gets you into another poolside locker if you want to lock up your glasses. You won’t need your wallet inside, though: If you buy something to eat or drink, you’ll pay on exit (it’s recorded on your wristband). Bring your towel to the pool. The baths are an indoor/outdoor wonderland of steamy pools, waterfalls, neck showers, hot tubs, hot springs, cold pools, lounge chairs, saunas, a wellness lounge/massage area, a cafeteria, and a bar. After taking a few laps around the fake river, you can join some kinky Germans for water spankings. Then join the gang in the central cauldron. The steamy “inhalation” room seems like purgatory’s waiting room, with a misty minimum of visibility, filled with strange, silently aging bodies.
Nudity is limited to the sauna zone upstairs. The grand spiral staircase leads to a naked world of saunas, tanning lights, cold plunges, and sunbathing outside on lounge chairs. At the top of the stairs everyone stows their suit in a cubbyhole and wanders around with their towel (some are modest and wrapped; others just run around buck naked). There are three eucalyptus-scented saunas of varying temperatures (80, 90, and 95 degrees) and two saunas in outdoor log cabins (with mesmerizing robotic steam-makers). Follow the instructions on the wall. Towels are required, not for modesty but to separate your body from the wood benches. The highlight is the arctic bucket in the shower room. Pull the chain. Rarely will you ever feel so good.
Baden-Baden’s grand casino occupies a classy building called the Kurhaus. It still looks like it did in the 1850s when it was built. Inspired by the Palace of Versailles, it’s filled with rooms honoring French royalty who never actually set foot in the place. But many other French people did. Gambling was illegal in 19th-century France...just over the border. The casino is state-owned, and the revenue it generates (about $25 million a year) funds all sorts of social services and city projects. The staff of 180 is paid mostly by tips from happy gamblers.
You can visit the casino on a guided tour in the mornings, when it’s closed to gamblers, but it is most interesting to see in action. (While gambling starts at 14:00, there’s a much better scene and energy later in the evening.) You can gamble if you want, but a third of the visitors come only to people-watch under the chandeliers. The scene is more subdued than at an American casino; anyone showing emotion is more likely a tourist than a serious gambler. Lean against a gilded statue and listen to the graceful reshuffling of personal fortunes. Do some imaginary gambling or buy a few chips at the window near the entrance (an ATM is downstairs). The Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky came here, lost his fortune in these very rooms, and wrote a book about it: The Gambler.
The casino has a pricey restaurant (with a lovely garden), and the Equipage cocktail bar has live music and hanky-panky most nights (from 21:00 until late, closed Mon).
Cost and Hours: €5 entry, free with voucher from guided tour (see “Tours” later), €2 minimum bet; open daily 14:00-2:00 in the morning, livelier after dinner and liveliest after 22:00; no athletic shoes, no sandals or short sleeves for men, coat and collared shirt required for men and ties are encouraged—coat can be rented for €8, collared shirt can be purchased for €18, nice jeans OK; passport required—driver’s license isn’t enough, under 21 not admitted, no photos, pick up game rules as you enter; tel. 07221/30240, www.casino-baden-baden.de.
Lower rollers and budget travelers can try their luck downstairs at the casino’s slot machines (called Automatenspiel), or give video poker or video roulette a go (€1 entry or included in €5 casino admission, opens at 12:00—otherwise same hours and age restrictions, passport still required, but no dress code).
Tours: The casino gives 40-minute German tours every morning (€7, €1 discount with hotel guest card—Kurkarte; April-Oct at 9:30, 10:15, 11:00, and 11:45; Nov-March at 10:00, 10:45, and 11:30; grab the succinct yellow English information sheet, some guides might add short English summaries if asked; tel. 07221/30240). Even peasants wearing T-shirts, shorts, and sandals, with cameras and kids in tow, are welcome on tours. After the guided visit, tour-takers (21 and up) receive a voucher for free entry during regular gambling hours.
Imagine yourself dressed as a 19th-century aristocrat as you promenade down elegant Lichtentaler Allee, a pleasant, picnic-perfect 1.5-mile-long lane. Stroll through a park along the babbling brick-lined Oosbach River, past old mansions and under hardy oaks and exotic trees (street-lit all night). The lane is nicknamed “The Green Mile” for the huge variety of trees planted here back in the 19th century, when nature was all the rage (and appreciating it was part of the ritual of the Kur). It’s also called “The Culture Mile” for the many museums that line it. The most interesting is the City Museum (€5 including an audioguide that gets an A for effort, Tue-Sun 11:00-18:00, closed Mon).
By the tennis courts (gear rentable), cross the footbridge into the free Art Nouveau Rose Garden (Gönneranlage, hundreds of labeled kinds of roses bloom May-June, great tables and benches). Next to the courts is a popular Italian restaurant (Rosso Bianco). The promenade leads all the way to Lichtentaler Abbey (described below).
You can either walk round-trip, or walk one way and take city bus #201 back (runs every 10 minutes along the main street, parallel to the promenade, on the other side of the river). Many bridges cross the river, making it easy to shortcut to the bus anytime. Biking is another option (see “Helpful Hints,” earlier), but you’ll have to stay on the road in the bike lane, since the footpath is only for pedestrians.
An active Cistercian convent founded in 1245, Lichtentaler Abbey welcomes the public into its tranquil, gated world. And since 1245, here in what they call “a school for the service of the Lord,” the Cictercians have embraced the teaching of St. Benedict: to live with moderation, show compassion for all, be unselfish, and follow the Golden Rule. The abbey has survived nearly eight centuries of threats, including the dissolutions of the abbeys in Napoleonic times and the destruction of both world wars. When you walk through its gate into the courtyard, ringed by trees and so peaceful, you sense that the place is blessed.
You can visit its 13th-century chapel, check out the shop (with herbs, liquors, etc.), and have lunch or a drink at Café Lumen (heavenly homemade cakes, Tue-Sun 11:00-18:00, closed Mon). They host sometimes-free concerts on Sundays in summer at 15:00. They also run the delightful Kloster Lichtenthal Guesthouse (see “Sleeping in Baden-Baden,” later).
Cost and Hours: Free, gate closes at 20:00, Hauptstrasse 40, tel. 07221/504-910, www.abtei-lichtenthal.de.
The town’s Russian link dates back to 1793, when the future Czar Alexander I took Louise, Princess of Baden, as his wife. Later, many Russians, including Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy, flocked here after gambling was banned in their motherland. Some lost their fortunes, borrowed a pistol, and did themselves in on the “Alley of Sighs” (Seufzerallee, near the Caracalla baths).
The Russian Orthodox church is just south of the town center—step in (€1 donation requested, daily 10:00-17:00 or according to whim, services Sat evening and Sun morning, Lichtentaler Strasse 76, near rose garden across river from Lichtentaler Allee, or take bus #201 to Bertholdplatz stop). Why no pews? In Orthodox churches the congregation stands throughout the service—sometimes for hours.
While the church dates from about 1900, the Russian community has been invigorated in recent years. In the 1990s, Russians of German ethnic origin were allowed to emigrate to Germany, and many settled in Baden-Baden. More recently, ultra-wealthy Russians seeking safe property investments have poured their rubles into Baden-Baden, and a new wave of Russian visitors and business owners have come in their wake.
This delightful trip to a hilltop overlooking Baden-Baden is easy, quick, and a good reason to explore beyond the main drag. Catch bus #204 or #205 from the city center (departing 2/hour from Leopoldsplatz, on Sophienstrasse in front of Volksbank) and ride 11 minutes through the ritzy “Paradise” neighborhood to the end of the line at the base of the Merkur Bergbahn. Take the funicular to the 2,000-foot summit.
At the top, you can enjoy a meal or drink (restaurant open until 18:00 or later) or explore some hiking trails. And, if the weather’s good (with winds from the south or west), you can watch the paragliders leap into ecstasy. Take the funicular back down, or risk getting lost and walk down the lane to the base of the funicular (2.5 miles, signposted Merkurbahn Talstation). From the bottom of the funicular, buses depart back to Baden-Baden twice hourly.
Cost and Hours: €2 each way, departs frequently, daily 10:00-22:00, ticket office closes at 18:00, tickets also available at machines at both departure points, restaurant tel. 07221/31640.
Baden-Baden is at the northern end of the Black Forest. If you’re not going south, but want a taste of Germany’s favorite woods, consider one of several hikes from town. The TI has details and can suggest routes. If you’re serious about hiking, invest in the TI’s good (but German-only) Panoramaweg map, which outlines a 25-mile trail leading all the way around Baden-Baden’s perimeter and nearby Geroldsau Valley (it’s easy to do just part of the trail, since you’re never far from the town center or a bus stop).
While Baden-Baden has some grand hotels, my recommended places are mostly small, family-run, and more budget-friendly (though all accommodations are pricey in this posh town). Hotel am Markt is a particularly great value and worth reserving in advance. Note that most hotels here don’t have 24-hour reception desks; most close for the night at 21:00 or earlier, though they can wait up for you if they know you’re arriving later. Call ahead with your specific arrival details if you’ll be coming after 17:00.
While weekends and summer are generally more expensive, demand—and prices—change from day to day based on conventions, theater performances, and other events.
All hotels and pensions are required to charge an additional €3.50 per person, per night “spa tax.” This comes with a “guest card” (Kurkarte), offering small discounts on tourist admissions around town (including the casino and the Caracalla Spa). If you’re coming into town by car or foot, look for helpful green signs that direct you to each hotel by name.
These well-located options stick you right in the heart of Baden-Baden, in a pleasant, stepped pedestrian zone a short saunter from the baths.
$$$ Hotel Rathausglöckel is a 16th-century guesthouse that has undergone a tasteful 21st-century renovation. Zoia, Sebastian, and Jasmine make this classic little place one of the town’s most inviting hotels. Steep stairs lead to 15 antique-furnished rooms (plus a few grand suites) and an inviting rooftop deck (RS%, family rooms, no elevator, church bells every 15 minutes 8:15-22:00, pay parking, Steinstrasse 7, tel. 07221/90610, www.rathausgloeckel.de, info@rathausgloeckel.de).
$$$ Heliopark Bad Hotel zum Hirsch—hardly a “bad hotel”—is an “antique-boutique” resort hotel. Its 71 rooms, many of them quite spacious, come with stylish furniture (some traditional, some modern) and all the fixin’s. It’s wonderfully located in the middle of the pedestrian zone, an easy walk from the baths (excellent breakfast, elevator, Hirschstrasse 1, tel. 07221/9390, www.heliopark-hirsch.de, info@heliopark-hirsch.de).
$$ Hotel am Markt is Baden-Baden’s best little hotel. Family-run since 1951, this 21-room place offers all the modern comforts a commoner could want in a peaceful, central, nearly traffic-free location, two cobbled blocks from the baths. The church bells ring every 15 minutes from 8:15 until 22:00. Otherwise, quiet rules. The ambience makes it a joy to have breakfast or just kill time on the small terrace (elevator, pay parking; Marktplatz 18, tel. 07221/27040, www.hotel-am-markt-baden.de, info@hotel-am-markt-baden.de; run by sisters Frau Jung and Frau Bogner-Schindler, and daughters Lisa and Laura).
$$ Hotel Etol is in the quiet courtyard of a renovated industrial complex, which celebrates its history as a tile and bathtub factory from around the year 1900. You’ll climb the stairs to reach any of the 18 rooms, each named for a town in the Black Forest. Natural light, tasteful design, friendly staff, and a central location make this a winning choice (RS%, family rooms, pay parking, Merkurstrasse 7, 2-minute walk from Augustaplatz stop of bus #201, tel. 07221/973-470, www.hotel-etol.de, info@hotel-etol-badenbaden.de).
$$ Hotel Schweizer Hof’s 39 rooms mix classic style and modern comfort. It’s about a seven-minute walk north of the pedestrian district, on a little square next to the opera house (elevator, pay parking, Lange Strasse 71—for location see map on here, bus #201 stop: Festspielhaus/Alter Bahnhof—then walk 50 yards past the opera house, drivers follow Festspielhaus/Casino signs, tel. 07221/30460, www.schweizerhof.de, mail@schweizerhof.de).
The following listings are a few stops from the center on bus #201 (for locations, see the map on here).
$ Kloster Lichtenthal Guesthouse lets you be a part of the peaceful cloistered world of a working Cistercian abbey. Its 45 rooms are monastic chic with meditative simplicity under historic beams, and your money supports the work of the sisters here. Their rooms with only a sink (modern bathrooms down the hall) cost about a third less then the en suite rooms. There is no TV and no Wi-Fi. When the abbey gate closes at 20:00, you feel quite special (reception open Mon-Fri 8:00-17:00, Sat-Sun closes at 15:00; free parking, Hauptstrasse 40, tel. 07221/504-9119, www.abtei-lichtenthal.de, gaestehaus@abtei-lichtenthal.de).
$ Hotel Deutscher Kaiser, a good choice for those looking to spend less, is a traditional guesthouse with 14 spacious and modern rooms, run by no-nonsense Frau Peter. Don’t confuse this with the independent “Hotel Deutscher Kaiser” near Augustaplatz, which has different owners and is much less of a value. The one you want is just before the Eckerlestrasse bus stop (bus #201, 6/hour, 10 minutes from center, 20 minutes from train station) or a 25-minute stroll from the city center down polite Lichtentaler Allee (cheaper rooms with shared bath, family rooms, free and easy public parking nearby, Hauptstrasse 35, tel. 07221/72152, www.hoteldk.de, info@hoteldk.de). Drivers: Get directions in advance.
¢ Werner Dietz Hostel, between the station and the center, is big, modern, and has the cheapest beds in town (private rooms available, 23:30 curfew, outdoor swimming pool next door, Hardbergstrasse 34, tel. 07221/52223, www.jugendherberge-baden-baden.de, info@jugendherberge-baden-baden.de). To reach the hostel from the train station or downtown, take bus #201 to Grosse Dollenstrasse (also announced as Jugendherberge); it’s a steep, well-marked 10-minute climb from there. Drivers: Call the hostel for directions.
(See “Central Baden-Baden” map, here.)
$$$ Weinstube im Baldreit, with both a cozy cellar and a leafy back courtyard, is ideal on a hot evening. Dining here, I feel like a pampered salamander in a Monet terrarium. While her French husband Philippe cooks near-gourmet regional dishes, Nicole is happy to translate the daily specials chalked in German on the board. Reservations are smart (Tue-Sat 17:00-22:00, closed Sun-Mon; from Lange Strasse 10, walk up the higgledy-piggledy street called Küferstrasse, follow Weinstube signs, Küferstrasse 3, tel. 07221/23136).
$$$$ Schneider’s Weinstube, in a convivial space just outside the main tourist zone, is not nearly as atmospheric as Weinstube im Baldreit and has no outdoor seating option. But Herr und Frau Schneider serve what many locals consider the town’s best cuisine and offer a fine selection of wines. Reservations are smart. While game and meat are the specialty, there is always a good vegetarian dish (Mon-Sat 17:00-22:00, closed Sun, Merkurstrasse 3, tel. 07221/976-6929, www.schneiders-weinstube.de).
$$$$ Rizzi Wine Bistro & Restaurant is the stylish choice for VIPs, offering formal service, good Mediterranean cuisine, and just a dash of pretense. It’s chic and designed so you feel like you’re eating in a park. Reserve in advance (daily 12:00-23:00, in the park at Augustaplatz 1, tel. 07221/25838).
(See “Central Baden-Baden” map, here.)
$$ Gasthaus Löwenbräu, a sloppy, Bavarian-style Biergarten, slings good beer and basic schnitzel fare under a vine-covered trellis. This place is so very Bavarian they serve lederhosen wedgies in season (daily 10:00-23:00, Gernsbacher Strasse 9, tel. 07221/22311).
$$ Restaurant La Casserole, with a delightful interior and good seating on the peaceful square, is ideal if you feel like a French-style pizza. Flammkuchen comes with all the topping options popular at any pizza place and makes a nice budget meal (dinner from 17:00, closed Sun, Gernsbacher Strasse 18, tel. 07221/22221).
(See “Central Baden-Baden” map, here.)
$$ Das Olivenhaus, a delightful little haven tucked sweetly into a modern gallery, serves creative plates mixing German and French influence in a quiet space designed to make you feel at home (Tue-Sat 11:30-16:00, closed Sun-Mon, Kreuzstrasse 3 in Kreuzpassage, tel. 07221/271-810, Olivia Pallas).
$ Peters Gute Backstube is a fast, healthy salad and sandwich place with nice seating inside and outside facing Augustaplatz (Mon-Sat 6:00-19:00, Sun 8:00-18:00).
$ Peter’s am Leo Café is a self-service joint offering big breakfasts, sandwiches, salads, pastries, and a few outdoor tables with views over Baden-Baden’s central square (daily 6:30-19:00, on Leopoldsplatz at Sophienstrasse 10, tel. 07221/392817).
$ Fatih Döner Kebab and Frischshop is a basic falafel joint with a few stools and an attached deli serving fresh produce and picnic goodies (Mon-Fri 7:00-19:00 or later, Sat until 17:00, closed Sun, Sonnenplatz 1).
(See “Central Baden-Baden” map, here.)
Baden-Baden’s many cafés are variations on a genteel theme. They serve chocolates, coffee, cakes (including the famous Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte—Black Forest cake), and light meals. Figure around €5-6 to savor a slice of cake and cup of coffee, or €8 or so for light food (such as sandwiches and salads). Most cafés close for dinner. I like the following three:
$ Café König is the place to bring your poodle and spend too much for an elegant cup of coffee and a slice of Black Forest cake. Grab a seat and then go to the counter to choose your cake (daily 9:30-18:30, fine shady patio, between Leopoldsplatz and Augustaplatz at Lichtentaler Strasse 12, tel. 07221/23573). This little slice of Vienna also serves light meals.
$ In der Trinkhalle, a café that shares the handsome Trinkhalle building with the TI, has comfy leather sofas, international newspapers and magazines, a casino-view terrace, and a club-like ambience on Friday and Saturday nights (Sun-Thu 10:00-18:00, Fri-Sat until 22:00, Kaiserallee 3, tel. 07221/302905).
$ Böckeler Café, a good but less fancy option, has an extensive dessert counter, a modern interior, and outdoor tables along a lively pedestrian street (daily 8:30-18:30, Lange Strasse 40, tel. 07221/949594).
From Baden-Baden by Train to: Freiburg (direct fast trains every hour or so, 45 minutes; cheaper regional trains take 1.5 hours with change in Offenburg), Triberg (hourly, 1.5 hours), Munich (hourly, 4 hours, change in Mannheim or Karlsruhe), Frankfurt (hourly, 2 hours, direct or with a change in Karlsruhe), Frankfurt Airport (roughly hourly, 1.5 hours, mostly with a change), Bacharach (hourly, 3 hours, 1-3 changes), Strasbourg, France (every 1-2 hours, usually 1.5 hours with a change in Appenweier), Bern or Zürich, Switzerland (every 1-2 hours, 3 hours, change in Basel). Train info: Toll tel. 0180-699-6633, www.bahn.com.
Freiburg (FRY-boorg) is the capital of the Schwarzwald. This “sunniest town in Germany,” with 30,000 students, is a lively and youthful complement to more sedate Baden-Baden. While its old center was almost entirely rebuilt after a November 1944 bombing (and feels that way), this university town is a hive of small shops, cozy cafés, and people living well. Less touristy than Baden-Baden, mostly traffic-free, and generously served by sleek and silent trams, it exudes an “I could live here” appeal. Freiburg’s striking red-sandstone cathedral and its leading Augustiner Museum are world-class. And with lush forested hills reaching above its venerable town gates, it’s a handy springboard for Black Forest adventures.
With about 230,000 people, Freiburg is a happening midsize city. Most points of interest to visitors are concentrated in the compact Old Town (Altstadt), bounded to the west by the train station and to the east by Freiburg’s mountain, Schlossberg, and circled by a ring road. You can walk from one end of this zone to the other in about 20 minutes. The town’s centerpiece, always in view, is the spiny spire of its cathedral. A center of higher education for centuries, its image is a town of highly educated, politically correct people with a smart opinion about everything.
Freiburg’s helpful TI, on Rathausplatz, is a good source of information for the entire Black Forest region (June-Sept Mon-Fri 8:00-20:00, Sat 9:30-17:00, Sun 10:30-15:30; Oct-May Mon-Fri 8:00-18:00, Sat 9:30-14:30, Sun 10:00-12:00; tel. 0761/388-1880, www.freiburg.de).
By Train: The bustling train station has lockers (near track 1), a pay WC (downstairs), and a useful Reisezentrum that dispenses rail info and sells tickets (long hours daily). The bus station is next door (under the bridge; follow signs for “ZOB”—the German initials for central bus station).
To get to the city center, you can take a taxi (€10), tram, or walk. To access trams, take the escalators up to the bridge above the tracks. Cross to the other side and take tram #1, #3, or #5 to get downtown. Get off at the second stop, Bertoldsbrunnen.
To reach the city center by foot (about 15 minutes), walk straight through the train station, cross the busy street, and continue ahead up the tree-lined Eisenbahnstrasse (passing the post office). Within three blocks, you’ll cross the ring road, then continue straight (on the pedestrian-only Rathausgasse) to Rathausplatz. This is where you’ll find the TI and where my self-guided walk begins. Most of my recommended accommodations are within a 10-minute walk of here.
By Plane: EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg is connected to cities across Europe by both major carriers and discount arlines (www.euroairport.com). FlixBus serves downtown Freiburg (€20, hourly, 1 hour, handy app, www.flixbus.com).
Sightseeing Pass: The €7 entry to the Augustiner Museum (or the “city pass” ticket, sold at any other museum) includes all the city museums.
Farmers Market: A wonderful market surrounds the cathedral each morning (except Sunday), with the most action on Wednesday and Saturday.
Festivals: Freiburg’s favorite block party, Oberlindenhock, takes place the last weekend of June on Oberlinden and Herrenstrasse near the Swabian Gate (Schwabentor), featuring street food, beer, wine, live music, and conviviality (www.oberlindenhock.de). The town’s low-key Weinfest goes on for six evenings in early July, when Münsterplatz fills up with happy Freiburgers enjoying local wines and live music (www.freiburger-weinfest.de). Later in July comes the Schlossbergfest, with live music up on the town mountain (www.schlossbergfest-freiburg.de). And December sees one of Germany’s better Christmas markets (on Rathausplatz, www.weihnachtsmarkt.freiburg.de).
Laundry: An old-school self-service launderette, Miele, is at Adelhauser Strasse 24 (Mon-Fri 8:00-20:00, Sat 7:00-17:00, closed Sun, in passageway behind hair salon at corner with Marienstrasse, tel. 0761/35656).
Supermarket: Pick up picnic supplies at REWE (Mon-Sat 9:30-20:00, closed Sun, in basement of Karstadt department store on Kaiser-Joseph-Strasse, near the cathedral). Their rooftop cafeteria offers a fine budget buffet at lunch.
Bike Rental/Tours: Freiburg Bikes, across the tracks from the train station, rents bikes and has free route maps (€10/4 hours, €15/24 hours, show ID, €50 cash deposit per bike, rentable route map-€1.50; June-Sept Mon-Sat 9:30-19:00, Sun 10:00-18:00; Oct-May Mon-Sat generally 10:00-17:00, closed Sun; from station, cross tram bridge over train tracks, walk away from center to round building on left and go downstairs, look for Radstation and Fahrradverleih signs; Wentzingerstrasse 15, tel. 0761/202-3426, www.freiburgbikes.de).
Local Guides: Iris Bürklin leads good tours around Freiburg (€100/2 hours, mobile 0162/595-6876, www.iris-freiburg.de, contact@iris-freiburg.de).
The city center (which includes most of my recommended hotels) is completely walkable. Trams are useful to reach outlying sights, such as the Schauinsland lift (€2.20/ride, €5.60/24-hour pass, €11/24-hour pass for 2-5 people, buy tickets from machine at train station or inside cars). For local transport info in English, see www.vag-freiburg.de.
To visit Staufen, St. Peter, or St. Märgen by regional train and bus, you’ll need a two-zone ticket (€4 each way) or a 24-hour regional pass (€11.20 for 1 adult, €22.40 for 2-5 adults, sold at ticket machines and TI). If you’re staying in one of those towns (but not Freiburg), your hotel tax includes a KONUS card, giving you free access to all public transit in the region (see here).
(See “Freiburg map, here.)
This self-guided orientation walk, starting at Rathausplatz (and the TI), leads you through the top sights in the old center of Freiburg in about an hour.
• Begin on the square in front of the Town Hall buildings.
The relaxing square with the fountain used to be an enclosed courtyard—the cloister of the neighboring Franciscan Church of St. Martin. The gothic arcade (on the far side) is part of a still-active monastery. Today, the square’s fronted by twin city administration buildings (both with big clocks): the red Old Town Hall (on the right, with the TI inside) and the two-tone New Town Hall (on the left). The double eagle adorning the Old Town Hall recalls four centuries of Habsburg rule (until Napoleon in 1806).
Embedded in the cobbles in front of both of the Town Hall buildings are mosaic coats of arms representing each of Freiburg’s sister cities. Many of them—including Padua (Italy), Madison (Wisconsin), and Isfahan (Iran) are university towns, like Freiburg. The New Town Hall was originally the headquarters of Freiburg’s first university. The town has been a university center since the mid-15th century, and the prestigious university is still the town’s biggest employer.
The statue in the square honors Berthold the Black, a medieval monk credited (wrongly) with inventing gunpowder. Look into his face and then, speaking of explosives, think of the medieval city of Freiburg—almost entirely destroyed in the last months of World War II. Nearly all of what surrounds you (and that you’ll see on this walk) was rebuilt since.
Now, listen to the silence. No traffic. You can even hear the trickle of the little stream in the pavement.
• Curl around the far side of St. Martin’s Church and head up Franziskanerstrasse. As you walk, notice the small canal lining the street. Such canals are called...
These “stream-lets,” as their name translates, have been running down nearly every Freiburg street since the 13th century. Originally they were designed to keep fires from spreading (they could be quickly dammed to flood the street). And they did the job—Freiburg had no major fires after it introduced its Bächle.
The canals also provided a constantly replenishing source of water for people and cattle. These days, Freiburg’s trademark canals are just fun: A sunny day turns any kid-at-heart into a puddle-jumper. Toddlers like to sail little boats and splash in the water to cool off when it’s hot. Freiburg still employs two Bächleputzer to scrub the canals clean with steel brooms. Local lore promises that if you fall into a Bächle, you are destined to marry a Freiburger.
At the end of the church, look at the facade of the red building on the left, the House of the Whale, featuring one of many whimsical little statues that decorate Freiburg. Look closely at the right-hand gargoyle on the facade. The veiny growth hanging from her neck is a goiter (a result of iodine deficiency). These were so common here in the Middle Ages that the local folk costume includes a tightly fitting band around the neck to disguise a goiter.
A plaque on the building reminds us that Dutch philosopher Desiderius Erasmus, who traveled widely to expand his knowledge and worldview, once lived here. The humanist and scholar is the namesake for a program that allows hundreds of thousands of European students to study abroad within the EU (European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students, ERASMUS). Many of the students who enliven the streets of Freiburg are ERASMUS students from other EU countries.
• Continue ahead one block, until you reach the wide cross-street called...
Since the Middle Ages, this street has been the center of commerce in Freiburg, and is now lined with its biggest department stores and malls.
Look before crossing the street: Virtually silent trams glide along here constantly. Laced with tram and bus lines, Freiburg is proud of its reputation as a “green” city where most trips are made by public transit, bike, or on foot. The city is home to a large solar-panel factory, and it started the annual Intersolar trade fair.
Looking down the street to the right, you can see one of the two surviving towers of Freiburg’s former town wall, St. Martin’s Tower (or as some call it, the McDonald’s Tower). If you were to head in that direction, then turn right just before you reached the tower, you’d wind up in the colorful student quarter called the “Bermuda Triangle.” The tower is dedicated to the beloved saint who is celebrated with children’s parades all over Germany every November 11. (For a commanding terrace view, ride the elevator from here to the rooftop Skajo Restaurant.)
• Jog a half-block to the right, then left, and continue straight to the towering church spire at...
The square surrounding the cathedral hosts a bustling outdoor produce and crafts market six mornings a week (Mon-Fri 7:30-13:30, Sat until 14:00, biggest Wed and Sat, no market on Sun). On the north side of the cathedral (to the left) vendors sell local produce; in front of the cathedral’s door, flowers and herbs; and to the south (right), imported goods (Alsatian, Italian, crafts). Around the left side, you’ll also find stands selling Freiburg’s distinctive type of bratwurst—long, red, and skinny, called a lange Rote. If you order one, they’ll ask you “Mit oder ohne?”—“with or without” onions.
Carved into the church’s stones is evidence that the town market goes way back. On the giant buttress to the left of the cathedral’s main door look for the engravings with different years (e.g., ADMCCLXX—that’s A.D. 1270) next to oval and circular shapes. These were the officially decreed sizes for a loaf of bread; customers could bring their purchases here to be sure they weren’t being cheated. Deceitful merchants faced immediate punishment. Notice that the size of the standard loaf shrunk between 1270 and 1317...medieval inflation.
In the alcove in front of the cathedral entrance are more official measures. For example, to the left, you’ll see the standard measures for a basket (the circle plus the line), an “elbow” (the line), and a barrel (the square with a diagonal line). On the right are measures dictating standard sizes for home-construction supplies (bricks, roof tiles, floor tiles, and beams). Nearby, the inscription boasts that since the 16th century, Freiburg has enjoyed the right to hold a large-scale market twice a year (a rare privilege in the Holy Roman Empire).
• Now’s a good time to visit the cathedral if it’s open (described on page 325). When you’re done, exit the cathedral out the side door (around the right side of the building) to continue this walk.
For many, the most memorable part of the cathedral is its gargoyles. Find the “mooning” gargoyle (facing the entrance, walk around the right side—or if leaving the church from the side exit, walk to your right—and count from the corner to the fourth buttress)...and wait for rain.
Do an about-face and salute the Habsburgs, who are represented by the statues and the coat of arms on the Historical Merchant House (Historisches Kaufhaus, from 1532). This was the trading and customs center in the 16th century.
To the left as you face the Merchant House is the gray building that houses the City History Museum (described on here). Then, farther to the left, just next to the church, is the Alte Wache. A former police station, this was recently turned into a wine bar and is a fine place to sample local wines, either indoors or on the square (self-service, an “achtel” is an eighth of a liter). Most of the wine made here uses grape varieties from Burgundy. This corner of Germany enjoys some of the country’s balmiest weather, thanks to the so-called “Burgundy Gate”—a gap between the Vosges and Jura mountains, which channels in warm Mediterranean air from the south of France.
• Leave Münsterplatz via Buttergasse, the narrow lane between the City History Museum and the Merchant House. On the way, notice two Stolpersteine in the pavement. Then turn left and head up...
This pleasant street is typical of old Freiburg, lined with a Bächle, with historic labels on many of the houses, and mosaic seals (made of rounded Rhine River stones) in front of most doors. For example, the building at #35 (on the left) is labeled Haus zur kleinen Meise (House of the Little Bird), with a knife mosaic out front. While the house labels date from the Middle Ages, the mosaics are typically more modern, paid for by today’s merchants to match the purpose of the building. This one is a knife shop. The mosaics are portable, so if the vendor moves shop, he can just lift his up and take it with him.
• Cross Herrenstrasse and continue up the narrow lane called Münzgasse. Turn right onto...
Named not for a convict but for a convent, this is another typical Freiburg street. Not long ago a seedy zone with prostitutes, today it’s known for its high rents. Chain stores and chain restaurants are forbidden along this storybook lane, and in the springtime it is draped with fragrant purple wisteria. Walk slowly to take it all in.
• Konviktstrasse brings you to a major street right in front of the...
This second of Freiburg’s surviving gates is named for the Swabians, the historical rivals of the Freiburgers (the gate leads to where you’d head to meet them).
The painting on the arch features a dandy salt merchant with a wagon-load of salt kegs—a reminder that salt mining was big in the Black Forest back in the 13th century. You’re standing on Salzstrasse (“salt street”), and just inside this gate were Freiburg’s original pubs and hotels (like Hotel Bären, with the golden bear).
Just below the big painting, at the apex of the arch, look for the little figure pulling a thorn out of his foot. This is the last thing Freiburgers would see before leaving town, to remind them to stay on the right path and avoid the “thorns” of sinful living.
• Freiburg’s little mountain, Schlossberg, is nearby. It’s best at sunset, but if you want to head up now, simply climb the stairs at the Schwabentor, use the pedestrian overpass to cross the busy road, and take the free elevator on up (see here).
Or, for some back-street experiences, stick with me for a few more minutes. Cross the busy Oberlinden, passing the Schwabentor, and then make a hard right onto the downhill road, toward a canal.
While Freiburg turns its back on its river, water from that river is channeled throughout the town. Walking downhill to reach the canal, you can see how the street level of town was actually raised to create a steeper incline to power the Bächle system of tiny streams that trickle throughout the town. A delightful district of shops and cafés today, this used to be Freiburg’s industrial quarter—the smelly tanners’ and millers’ quarter, with waterwheels powering everything.
Follow the canal for a while and soon you’ll reach two recommended eateries: On the left is the picturesque Sichelschmiede; a few more steps up (also on the left—beware of the crocodile) is the modern Hausbrauerei Feierling microbrewery. Its inviting beer garden is across the street in the shade of chestnut trees, near a playground handy for parents needing a place to park their kids when it’s beer o’clock. Just beyond that is Augustinerplatz, a popular hangout for students.
• Your town walk is finished and you have options: Overlooking Augustinerplatz is Freiburg’s leading museum, the Augustiner Museum. Continuing along the little street called Grünwälderstrasse (directly across from the Augustiner Museum entrance) brings you to a thriving neighborhood of cafés and eateries (including the wonderful Markthalle food circus, described later, under “Eating in Freiburg”). Or maybe it’s time for that beer.
The lacy spire rocketing up from Freiburg’s skyline marks its impressive main church. While Germany may have bigger and better cathedrals, Freiburg’s is well worth a visit.
Cost and Hours: Cathedral interior-free, usually Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00, Sun 13:00-19:30; choir-€2, includes helpful English pamphlet, open most days 10:00-11:30 & 12:30-16:00; tower-€2, Mon-Sat 9:30-16:45, Sun 13:00-17:00, enter from outside church on right and pay at top.
Organ Concerts: The powerful cathedral pipe organ gets lots of use. There are free concerts on Saturdays (at 11:30). And on Tuesday evenings at 20:15, guest organists from around the world perform (€9, www.freiburgermuenster.info).
Self-Guided Tour: Begin out front. The scaffolding is an almost permanent feature as the cathedral walls are made from a soft local sandstone that’s easy to work—but also extremely fragile. Decorations made from this distinctive pink stone need to be replaced every 30 to 60 years, so keeping the church from falling apart is a never-ending task. Elderly locals who’ve lived here their entire lives report having never seen the church without at least some scaffolding.
The frilly tower (Münsterturm) is as tall as the church is long (127 yards)...but not worth the 329-step ascent. Up in the tower are 16 different bells, each one with a different name and purpose. Traditionally, Catholics could not eat meat on Fridays, so instead they’d eat Spätzle (German egg noodles)—giving the oldest bell, rung just before lunchtime on Fridays, its nickname: the “Spätzle Bell.”
Before going inside, enjoy the ornately decorated entryway. The 418 colorfully painted statues (protected with netting from destructive pigeons) ooze with medieval church symbolism. Each has an identifying symbol. As you look back out to the square, the first figure on the left is St. Catherine, holding a “breaking wheel.” This kind of wheel was a torture device used during the Middle Ages; a victim’s limbs were stretched along a cart wheel and crushed (after this saint was sentenced to be executed with one, it also became known as a “Catherine Wheel”).
Two particularly memorable characters have become mascots of Freiburg. In the tympanum (over the door), find Jesus on the cross. Just below him and a bit to the right is the “Praying Devil.” This pot-bellied devil greedily rubs his hands together as he watches the Archangel Michael weigh the goodness of a person’s soul (while two other devils try to fix the results). Then, along the left wall, notice the strange little character under the third statue from the right (with the realistic green robe)—playing his nose like a trumpet.
Now go inside. Head right and look along the back of the side wall, where you’ll find a photo of Freiburg after it was devastated by WWII bombs. The city made it through most of the war virtually unscathed—until November 27, 1944, when, in just 20 minutes, about 80 percent of Freiburg’s buildings were destroyed by an Allied bombing run. The cathedral was one of the few structures that survived. Some credit divine intervention, while others claim the bombers intentionally avoided it; either way, the steeple’s latticework top and underground lead anchors probably saved it, since shockwaves from explosions all around it would have leveled a solid, less-supported tower.
Ringing the nave are the church’s original stained-glass windows from the 13th and 14th centuries, which were hidden away and protected during World War II. Each one is marked with the seal of a local merchant who sponsored it (go on a scavenger hunt to find the pretzel, from the baker; the barrel, from the cooper; the scissors, from the tailor; and the hammer, tongs, and snake—representing fire—from the blacksmith).
Looking around, you might notice that the cathedral’s architecture doesn’t entirely conform to the pointed-arch Gothic style. That’s because most of what we see today was built on the site of an earlier church. After its thriving market and Black Forest silver mine made Freiburg rich, work began on a new church in about 1200, and most of the structure was finished relatively quickly (it has the only Gothic steeple in Germany that was actually completed during Gothic times, in 1330). For a time it was the tallest spire in Europe.
Many churches from this era have 12 pillars lining the nave, each one with the statue of an apostle. But after the primary construction on this cathedral was finished, a large choir was added beyond the altar, so two more pillars were needed—bringing the total to 14. The new pillars were granted to Paul and Jesus himself. Look at the statues on the two pillars flanking the altar: On the right is Jesus, and on the left is Thomas—pointing two fingers because of his insistence on touching Jesus before he’d believe in the Resurrection. Thomas’ privileged position in this church is based on the philosophy that nonbelievers should be closest to Christ.
At the front of the nave, over the choir, hangs a 12th-century silver triumphal crucifix. The finest chapels with exquisite paintings, carvings, and glass are in the choir (well worth the small fee that supports the ongoing renovation work; follow their English flier).
When you’re finished, head outside using the side door (right transept). You’ll emerge on Münsterplatz near the tower entrance. Take a moment to get a sense of the statuary high up in the exterior niches. While these are mostly replicas, you can admire the original stone prophets nearby in the Augustiner Museum.
Freiburg’s top museum (refreshingly air-conditioned) does a great job of displaying local fine art and medieval artifacts in inventive ways around the reconstructed shell of an Augustinian church.
Cost and Hours: €7, includes entry to the City History Museum, Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00, closed Mon, enter on Augustinerplatz, tel. 0761/201-2531, www.freiburg.de/museen.
Visiting the Museum: Start by taking the elevator up to the top floor, then work your way down. The top floors show off beautiful, regional 19th-century paintings, unique eye-level view of some gargoyles, and a peek-a-boo view of a Baroque pipe organ. The second and first floors have 16th- through 19th-century stained glass and religious artwork. The ground floor offers close-up looks at some of the cathedral’s original 13th-century medieval statuary. Imagine the 10 gigantic prophet statues that once adorned the cathedral (with proportions elongated so they’d appear normal from far below) slowly floating down from the sky to where they stand now—which is indeed how they got in here: lowered by crane through the open ceiling, the only way they’d fit.
Also on the ground floor, be sure to look for original work by Lucas Cranach the Elder, as well as a feisty Cupid with the Flaming Arrow (Hans Baldung Grien, c. 1530), a 14th-century painted wood Christ on a Donkey (Christus auf Palmesel), and The Fall of Man, an exquisite, early 16th-century boxwood sculpture by an artist known mysteriously as Master H.L.
Telling the story of Freiburg (in German only), this museum is worthwhile if only to see the two town models in the cellar and the cathedral model upstairs. Downstairs, one model shows medieval Freiburg circa 1590, with the city wall and all five city gates intact. Notice the little wall around the cathedral (today’s Münsterplatz). This was the town cemetery, and the little house huddled next to the grand church was the charnel house, where exhumed bones were stored. The other model, from the early 1700s, shows how the French King Louis XIV turned the whole city into one gigantic fortress—and built out from the medieval hilltop castle to create what became one of Europe’s largest fortifications at the time (see next listing). Upstairs you’ll find other exhibits and artifacts documenting town history, with limited English descriptions. Linger at the wooden model of the cathedral mid-construction and the delightful miniatures depicting daily medieval life on the Münsterplatz.
Cost and Hours: €3, covered by Augustiner Museum ticket, Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00, closed Mon, Münsterplatz 30, tel. 0761/201-2515.
Schlossberg towers over the east end of Freiburg’s Old Town. A monstrous 18th-century fort once stood here on “Castle Hill,” built by the French to control the citizens of Freiburg during a period of French occupation. The giant fortress garrisoned as many as 150,000 soldiers at once. (The long-running debate about where the border between France and Germany should be was only put to rest after World War II.) The French destroyed the fortress when they retreated, leaving behind only a few stony walls. Today Schlossberg is Freiburg’s playground, popular for its views over the city. A modern lookout tower (100 feet high) stands where the French Fort d’Aigle (Eagle Fort) once stood.
To get to the top of Schlossberg, you can hike or take a free elevator. From the Schwabentor, the half-timbered tower at the east end of the Old Town, look for the pedestrian walkway over the busy ring road. Once across, if you want to walk, bear left and hike up the steep switchbacks for 10 minutes. Or, to take the elevator (Aufzug), continue straight through the cave-like tunnel to access it.
For even better views, keep hiking to higher perches. About a seven-minute hike above the restaurant is a broad, flat plateau with benches overlooking the town’s rooftops. From there, you can hike about five more minutes up to a stubby stone bastion. Don’t bother with the 20-minute trek up to the modern lookout tower; it’s closed.
Eating: For a cheap meal atop Castle Hill, consider the self-service open-air $ Biergarten Kastaniengarten (open in good weather only, April-Oct daily 12:00-24:00). There’s also the more expensive $$$$ Greiffenegg Schlössle Restaurant.
Freiburg’s own mountain, little more than an oversized hill, is nine miles southeast of the center. The viewpoint at its 4,000-foot summit offers the handiest panorama view of the Schwarzwald for those without wheels. The gondola system that takes you up—one of Germany’s oldest—was designed for Freiburgers relying on public transportation. At the top, you’ll find a view restaurant, pleasant circular walks, and the Schniederlihof, a 1592 farmhouse museum. A tower on a nearby peak offers an even more commanding Black Forest view.
Cost and Hours: €12 round-trip for gondola, €25.50 family ticket includes 2 adults and up to 4 kids, daily 9:00-18:00, Oct-June until 17:00; catch tram #2—direction: Günterstal—from town center until the final stop, then take bus #21 to the Talstation stop; city center to gondola takes 25 minutes, gondola ride lasts 20 minutes; tel. 0761/451-1777, www.schauinslandbahn.de.
If you want to hike, consider the St. Peter-St. Märgen trail described on here, which is cheaper and quicker to reach from Freiburg than the Schauinsland.
For sleeping, choose between quieter and less-expensive little Staufen (see here), or livelier and easier-for-non-drivers Freiburg. This area tends to get pretty hot for a few days every summer, and like most non-chain hotels in Germany, my listings lack air conditioning (though most offer fans on request). If you have a car, hotels can usually get €12/day deals in city parking garages that otherwise charge twice that. The busiest months with the highest rates are May, June, September, and October. Most hotels don’t have 24-hour reception desks. If you’ll be arriving after 20:00, call ahead.
$$$ Hotel Oberkirch is pricey but ideally situated. Nine of its 26 rooms sit right on the main square (facing the cathedral and above a restaurant—earplugs included); the rest (and reception) are in a nearby building on Schusterstrasse. While some rooms feel a bit dated, all are clean and comfortable (family rooms, reception at Schusterstrasse 11, main-square rooms at Münsterplatz 22, tel. 0761/202-6868, www.hotel-oberkirch.de, info@hotel-oberkirch.de, friendly Dina).
$$ Schwarzwälder Hof, just a block behind the cathedral, has 25 bright, modern rooms over a reasonably priced restaurant, and 15 more around the corner on pedestrian, wisteria-covered Konviktstrasse. Guests get a free regional transport card (see here), making their prices a particularly good deal (Herrenstrasse 43, from station take tram #1 in direction: Littenweiler three stops to Oberlinden, tel. 0761/38030, www.shof.de, info@schwarzwaelder-hof.com, Engler family).
$$ Hotel Alleehaus lies in a big, creaky-floored house that retains a bit of its 19th-century elegance. Its 21 rooms (some in an annex) are nothing fancy and somewhat overpriced, but they’re comfortable and spacious. While close to the action, it’s on a quiet, leafy street a short walk south of the Old Town, and is warmly run by Bernd and his team (family rooms, pay parking, Marienstrasse 7, tel. 0761/387-600, www.hotel-alleehaus.de, wohlfuehlen@hotel-alleehaus.de). From the station, take tram #3 or #5 three stops to Holzmarkt.
$ Hotel zur Sichelschmiede rents five small, comfy rooms with attractive, traditional decor. To reach them, you’ll climb a dark-wood staircase above a recommended restaurant in the cutest part of town, overlooking a canal (family room, Insel 1, tel. 0761/35037, www.sichelschmiede.de, kontakt@Sichelschmiede-Freiburg.de, Gerdi Stark and family).
$ Hotel Schemmer, though literally on the wrong side of the tracks, is close to public transport and a workable option if you’re on a tight budget. It has 16 basic but more-than-adequate rooms on five floors (no elevator). Rooms with a private bath, which face the back, are quieter than shared-bath rooms, which front a busy street (family rooms, cheaper rooms with shared bath; Eschholzstrasse 63; take tram #1, #3, or #5 one stop to Eschholzstrasse—or on foot just follow the tracks 10 minutes from the station to the tram stop, then turn left on Eschholzstrasse, and walk a block and a half; tel. 0761/207-490, www.hotel-schemmer.de, kontakt@hotel-schemmer.de).
$$ Motel One is a stylish, simple, and economic hotel chain with a motto that nails what they offer: great design for little money. The Freiburg Motel One is in a modern building a short walk from both the train station and the Old Town (Friedrichring 1, tel. 0761/1206-9900, www.motel-one.com, freiburg@motel-one.com).
¢ Black Forest Hostel has 105 of the cheapest beds in Freiburg. Run by friendly Tania and Cori, with a young, bohemian attitude, it’s bare-bones simple (private rooms available, sleeping bags OK, cash only, no curfew, no Wi-Fi, free parking nearby, Kartäuser Strasse 33—look for anchor sign and go down driveway; 20-minute walk from station or take tram #1—direction: Littenweiler—to Oberlinden stop, then walk 7 more minutes; tel. 0761/881-7870, www.blackforest-hostel.de, backpacker@blackforest-hostel.de). If full, try the much larger, more distant ¢ Freiburg Youth Hostel at Kartäuser Strasse 151 (tel. 0761/67656, www.jugendherberge-freiburg.de, info@jugendherberge-freiburg.de).
(See “Freiburg map, here.)
As a university town, Freiburg is heavy on inexpensive eateries serving traditional German cuisine. Many of Freiburg’s best choices are conveniently concentrated within a block or two of Augustinerplatz, along Grünwälderstrasse, and just beyond the cathedral on Konviktstrasse. (See the map on here to locate these favorites.)
$$$$ Wolfshöhle makes “casual fine dining” an art form. While owner/chef Sascha Weiss has earned a Michelin star here, there’s no pretense—just a focus on great modern cuisine with a sleek, stylish ambience. If you’d like to trust the chef, his “surprise menu” is a popular option (always two serious vegetarian dishes, plan on €60 for dinner, €30 for lunch, closed Sun-Mon, reservations smart, Konviktstrasse 8, tel. 0761/30303, www.wolfshoehle-freiburg.de).
$$ Hausbrauerei Feierling is a rollicking microbrewery that also serves good meals. The cozy upstairs seating looks down over the big copper vats. Order the local brew—Inselhopf. On pleasant summer evenings, their $ beer garden across the street offers cool, leafy shade and a bustling atmosphere. While a cheap, cold-cuts-oriented menu is offered at both places, hot meals are served only inside (daily 11:00-24:00, food until 22:00, indoor section closed on warm, sunny summer afternoons, Gerberau 46, tel. 0761/243-480).
$$ Sichelschmiede is a good option rain or shine. Its timbered alcoves and cluttered interior give it a cozy living-room feel, and its creekside seating is nice when it’s hot. Come here for easygoing seasonal regional cuisine, good value, and a family-friendly ambience (daily 12:00-22:00, Insel 1, tel. 0761/35037; also rents rooms—see “Sleeping in Freiburg”).
$$$ Restaurant Skajo is a trendy rooftop place popular with locals for contemporary European dishes, cocktails, and a fine city view. The service, food, and view are worth the splurge (Mon-Sat 11:00-23:00, closed Sun, fifth floor of building at Kaiser-Joseph-Strasse 192, tel. 0761/2025-1240).
$$ Manna Die Spezerei, a modern self-serve place with fine seating inside and out, overlooks the Augustinerplatz scene. It’s popular for its gourmet sandwiches made to order, soup, and fancy juices. Portions are small and it’s not cheap, but you’ll get healthy, top-notch food (daily 8:30-21:00, Salzstrasse 28, tel. 0761/290-9664).
$ Markthalle is a wonderful food court where you can pick up fresh produce and choose cuisines from around the world—German, French, Swiss, Italian, Indian, Brazilian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and more. Sa Su Bar is good for soups and hearty salads (eat at shared tables, Mon-Thu 11:00-20:00, Fri-Sat until 24:00, closed Sun, live music or DJ on weekends after 20:00—no cover, Grünwälderstrasse 4).
$ Edo’s Hummus Küche, a modern place serving Middle Eastern dishes, is understandably popular with students (Mon-Thu 11:30-21:00, Fri-Sat until 22:00, closed Sun; in Dietler Passage—from Markthalle exit behind the sushi bar, tel. 0761/5195-8605).
Night owls flock around St. Martin’s Tower (Martinstor), in the area affectionately called Freiburg’s “Bermuda Triangle.” Take the street to your right just before going through the gate, and get sucked into the party in this zone rife with students.
$ UC/Uni-Café, which spills onto the square in good weather, is the place to join the cerebral grad-student crowd for cheap, all-day breakfast options, crêpes, salads, and light meals, including €5 Flammkuchen—German-style flatbread. Or just hang out with the cocktail of the week (daily 8:00-23:00, Niemensstrasse 7, at Universitätsstrasse, tel. 0761/383-355).
The full name of the town—and the station—is Freiburg im Breisgau, often abbreviated as “Freiburg (Brsg)” on schedules.
By Train to: Staufen (hourly until about 24:00, 30 minutes, most require transfer at Bad Krozingen), Baden-Baden (direct fast trains hourly, 45 minutes; cheaper regional trains take 1.5 hours with change in Offenburg), Munich (hourly, 4.5 hours, most with 1 change), Interlaken, Switzerland (hourly, 3 hours), Colmar, France (hourly, 1.5 hours; train to Breisach, then bus); Basel, Switzerland (about 3/hour, 40 minutes; 1 hour on cheaper regional train), Bern, Switzerland (about 2/hour, 2 hours, some transfer in Basel), Frankfurt (hourly, 2 hours, most direct), Frankfurt Airport (hourly, 2 hours, most with 1 change). Train info: Toll tel. 0180-699-6633, www.bahn.com.
Hemmed in by vineyards and watched over by the ruins of a protective castle, Staufen (SHTOW-fehn) is small and peaceful. Staufen’s quiet pedestrian zone of colorful old buildings and reasonably priced hotels makes it a delightful home base for your exploration of the southern trunk of the Black Forest. You can also make Staufen a half-day outing from Freiburg.
Staufen (pop. 8,000) is simple. The main square is an easy 10-minute walk from the train station, and everything I list is along the way (or just off it). Though Staufen feels small, its high school, courthouse, and shopping district serve all the villages in the Münstertal valley.
Tourist Information: Staufen’s helpful TI is on the main square in the Rathaus (Mon-Fri 9:00-12:30 & 14:00-17:30, Sat 10:00-12:00, closed Sun, shorter hours Nov-March; tel. 07636/70740, www.muenstertal-staufen.de). The City Museum is upstairs (free, same hours as TI).
Arrival in Staufen: The train station is often unstaffed and has no lockers. To get to town, exit the station with your back to the pond and angle right up Bahnhofstrasse. Turn right onto Hauptstrasse, which leads through the town center to the Rathaus and TI.
If you’re arriving by car, be sure you’re going to Staufen im Breisgau, and follow signs for Stadtmitte to find the town center. If your hotel is in the pedestrian zone, it’s OK to drive there to park. If you’re day-tripping, you’ll find a handy parking lot right at the entrance to the center (and at the start of my self-guided walk).
Helpful Hints: Market days are Wednesday and Saturday on the main square (8:00-13:00). Local guide Marianne Pfadt enjoys taking visitors on a casual but insightful tour around her hometown’s back streets (€50/1.5-hour walk, tel. 07633/982-529, siegfried.pfadt@t-online.de).
Staufen is an enjoyable town to explore—it feels real and is welcoming to visitors without being a tourist trap. This self-guided stroll begins at the start of the cobbled pedestrian zone, near the parking lot; if you’re coming from the train station, this is the first part of the old center you’ll reach.
• Begin on the square with the big tree, fountain, and giant wine press.
Don’t get too excited about this spot’s nickname; unfortunately there’s no magical spring spouting free wine here. The big old oak wine press adjacent is a reminder that wine has indeed flowed from this spot for years—produced from the vineyards just uphill from here. The winery facing the square, Weingut Peter Landmann, has long housed the local vintners’ shared bottling cooperative (now run by a privately owned winery).
Wine (along with taxes levied on silver, which was mined deeper in the Black Forest) once brought Staufen wealth...and it still helps out.
At the benches between the fountain and the gigantic wine press, look for the photo of a red-sandstone courthouse that once stood here. That building, like much of Staufen, was devastated by an Allied bombing late in World War II (February 8, 1945)—you’ll see other photos of the damage around town.
• Now walk up Staufen’s main street called...
Like its big sister Freiburg, Staufen has little canals called Bächle running along its main street. While back in the 12th century this was state-of-the-art city planning for hygiene and fire protection, today these little canals are simply part of the atmosphere. The charm of this colorful town center is governed by strict building codes: Only certain colors can be used, and the shutters are uniform. But locals grumble that sometimes the rules go too far. Notice the rain gutters that empty out onto the cobbles. These used to run underground, but were relocated to be more authentically historic—and now the streets turn into an ice rink when it freezes.
Notice the painting at the Gasthaus Die Krone (#30). It recalls an event in 1848 when the owner of the inn (and his sad wife)—supporters of democracy—stood up to government troops who put down a revolution. The adjacent fountain is dedicated to Mary as the town was thankful to have survived a plague.
Just before you reach the main square, on the left (at #47), look for the red Gasthaus zum Löwen. In the early 16th century, a popular and successful doctor/scientist/fortune-teller/alchemist named Johann Georg Faust was brought to Staufen to find a way to literally create gold for the town. He lived and worked in this house, experimenting with chemical processes until an accidental explosion killed him around the year 1540. The townspeople assumed that the devil must have had a hand in his death, and legends began to swirl. Over time, these stories grabbed the attention of various writers, including Goethe (the “German Shakespeare”). In Goethe’s seminal work Faust, the title character sells his soul to a demon in exchange for unlimited earthly powers. (You might see a costumed demon leading tours through the streets of Staufen.) The building is now run as a guesthouse—you can sleep in Faust’s actual room.
Across the street, at #56 (marked Stubenhaus Stadtmuseum), duck into one of Staufen’s oldest courtyards, where historically the townsfolk gathered for social and cultural events. Concerts are still held here (and the public toilets are always open).
• Continue out to Staufen’s main square.
Looking around the square, notice the intentionally clever design: The four converging streets are offset, making the square feel especially cozy (and stopping the cold winter wind from howling through the town).
The soldier atop the fountain holds the shield of Staufen, with its symbol: three golden goblets on a red field. The medieval word Stuff meant “goblet”; Staufen was named for its castle hill, which resembles an upside-down goblet.
This has long been the town’s marketplace (busy markets these days on Saturday and Wednesday mornings). The Kornhaus (or grain house) is where farmers would bring their taxes—a tithe, or tenth of their produce. Dominating the square is the Town Hall (Rathaus). The left part (Gothic) is older than the right part (Renaissance). The coats of arms represent the various powers that have controlled Staufen over the centuries. The golden seashell at the top on the right indicates that this was a stop along the Camino de Santiago, the medieval pilgrimage route that leads all the way to the northwest corner of Spain. And the iron neck collar was the pillory—for public shaming of anyone so deserving. Inside the Town Hall are the TI and a very humble town museum (Stadtmuseum, upstairs, a few town artifacts, not a word of English, free).
Look for cracks in the Town Hall’s walls. In 2007, Staufen proudly embarked on an innovative plan to drill 460 feet down and tap into a geothermal power source. For a few weeks, things worked great. Then cracks like these began to show on buildings around town. Catastrophically, the drills had pierced a layer of anhydrite and broken into an underground reservoir. From its contact with water, the anhydrite became gypsum and expanded, which caused parts of the town to sink and rise by up to four inches a year. The entire town’s underground infrastructure needed to be dug up and replaced. Now hundreds of buildings are suddenly structurally unsound. Insurance companies and the government are at an impasse regarding who should pay, so no one can sell anything. It’s a terrible mess. For a better look at the damage, walk into the Town Hall and check out the old spiral staircase leading to the City Museum in the back.
• Before moving on, put your back to the Town Hall and look out toward the busy street in the distance. The yellow building on the right with the big CAFE sign is Café Decker, a good place for cakes and chocolates. Five minutes’ walk beyond that is Staufen’s fascinating little cemetery (explained later).
Now, to see a side of Staufen most visitors miss, walk through...
Leave Marktplatz on the little lane (called Freihofgasse) between the Kornhaus and the Volksbank. Stick with this lane as it curls around to the left, passing a butcher shop on the right (with fine Schwarzwälder—Black Forest—ham in gift packs). The street leads through a residential neighborhood. Then continue moseying straight along Spitalstrasse, the oldest quarter of town. Until the 1980s, this was a poor neighborhood. But now it’s become gentrified. As you stroll, listen to the constant sound of running water from little fountains. Look for the former town wall (on the right). Where the street does a little jog and hits a bigger road, the big building on the left was a hospice (Spital), which wealthy townspeople financed to house people who were ill and too poor to care for themselves. After renovation it will continue to be a home for the elderly and needy.
Turn left and head for the church. This area has some fun boutique shops: Around the right side of the church is a local coffee roaster (Alexandra’s Coffee & More Kaffeerösterei), good for a delightful break.
Facing the church, look left, and notice the big doorway at #9, marked Jägergasse. Go into the passage and continue. Peek into the classic old winery at #10. Meiergasse leads to the left and back to the cobbled pedestrian zone.
• If you still have time and energy, consider poking around Staufen’s evocative cemetery, just across the river, or hiking up to its hilltop castle (both described next).
To reach the cemetery, leave Market Square toward Café Decker. Cross the bridge and head to the right along the river until you reach the small footbridge on your right. Then turn left down Wettelbrunner Strasse, where the onion-domed chapel marks Staufen’s cemetery.
In this atmospherically shady, even comforting cemetery, ornate headstones stand among flowering shrubs and a number of old trees—some of which grow right up from the graves. As in much of Europe, plots in this cemetery are not purchased, only leased. Notice that some headstones have several added-on plaques identifying the remains of many generations of tenants. Locals lovingly tend to the graves, tidying the ivy and planting flowers.
Nearby: On your way back to Market Square, you’ll see Staufen’s pottery museum, in the building labeled Keramik-Museum.
For another detour, go down the street on the right side of the Hotel Kreuz-Post, where you’ll find the Schladerer distillery and its outlet shop—look for the Verkauf sign.
Staufen’s own little vineyard-covered mountain is topped by the remains of a castle (once the residence of the Lords of Staufen) that was destroyed by Swedish troops in 1632. The most direct route to visit these ruins is to charge right on up, but you can also take one of the less-steep roundabout trails.
Your hotel will add a local tax of €1.50 per person per night, which provides you with a KONUS card (KONUS Gästekarte). This covers all transit for the entire Black Forest region, including unlimited use of buses, regional trains, and local transit (such as buses or trams in Freiburg or Baden-Baden), but doesn’t cover express ICE or IC trains. All the following listings have free parking.
$$$ Hotel-Gasthof Kreuz-Post, in the pedestrian zone just off Marktplatz, is the town splurge. It rents 12 bright, tidy rooms over a well-regarded but pricey restaurant (some rooms have elevator access, Hauptstrasse 65, tel. 07633/95320, www.kreuz-post-staufen.de, info@kreuz-post-staufen.de).
$$ Gasthaus Krone, the town’s top value, sits in the middle of Staufen’s main pedestrian drag like it owns it. Charming, friendly, and with nine comfortable rooms, it’s a winner. Try here first (some rooms with balconies, Hauptstrasse 30, tel. 07633/5840, www.die-krone-staufen.de, info@die-krone.de, Lahn family).
$$ Gasthaus zum Hirschen, also family-run and with a storybook location on the main pedestrian street, has 15 rooms, a roof deck, and a traditional restaurant on the ground floor (family rooms, most rooms with balconies, elevator, Hauptstrasse 19, tel. 07633/5297, www.hirschen-staufen.de, hotel@hirschen-staufen.de, Dieter and Isabelle).
$ Gästehaus Kaltenbach is a great deal in a rural-feeling location. It’s a 10-minute, uphill walk from the station or town center; they’ll pick you up if you arrive by train with luggage. English teacher Gabriele Kaltenbach and her policeman-turned-farmer husband Günter rent six rooms in a huge farmhouse with horses out back. They have maps of local hiking trails (laundry facilities, yard with swing set; Bötzenstrasse 37, tel. 07633/95310, www.gaestehaus-kaltenbach.de, info@gaestehaus-kaltenbach.de). From the station, walk toward town and after a block look for the Bacchus statue at the corner of Bahnhofstrasse and Hauptstrasse. Head up Sixtgasse behind the statue, then turn left at the T-intersection onto Bötzenstrasse.
Many of the hotels listed earlier also have their own good restaurants. For fine dining, head for $$$$ Gasthaus Krone, which proudly uses regional products (closed Sat, Hauptstrasse 30, tel. 07633/5840). For a midrange option, try $$$ Gasthaus zum Löwen (tables on main square next to Town Hall, or in comfy interior, daily, Rathausgasse 8, tel. 07633/908-9390). Across the square, the informal $$ Kornhaus is a less-expensive, family-friendly option (seasonal menu, daily, Hauptstrasse 57, tel. 07633/5401).
Dessert: Every sweet-tooth in Staufen adores Café Decker for its 50 types of chocolates (€7/100 grams) and long display case showing off a wide array of cakes. The dining room is genteel, and the rooftop terrace has nice views (full breakfasts, light lunch specials, and good sandwiches to go; Mon-Sat 6:30-18:00, closed Sun; Hauptstrasse 70, tel. 07633/5316).
Staufen is on a tiny branch line (called the Münstertalbahn) that connects to the main line at Bad Krozingen. Keep in mind that the Staufen train station is rarely staffed (but ticket machines are on hand and schedules are posted).
From Staufen by Train to: Freiburg (hourly until late, 30 minutes, a few direct, most require transfer in Bad Krozingen; covered by a single €4 two-zone local transport ticket, available from ticket machines, covered by KONUS Card).
Baden-Baden, Freiburg, and Staufen are appealing towns and fine places to stay overnight. But the charms of the Black Forest are rural and best experienced by delving into the countryside of this land of cuckoo clocks and healthy hikes. You can enjoy picturesque driving tours, a hike between charming small towns, and some fun museums and scenic nature spots. Fair warning: The Black Forest is what I’d call “gently scenic.” Do it before you delve into the bigger, better Alps in Switzerland or Bavaria; otherwise, you might be underwhelmed.
On Your Own: Consider the Black Forest in three zones from Baden-Baden in the north to Freiburg/Staufen in the south: 1) The Black Forest High Road, a scenic drive through 30 miles of pine forests (an easy side-trip from Baden-Baden); 2) The sights in the middle, such as an open-air folk museum and a clock museum; and 3) The gentle southern area known as Black Forest Highlands, full of idyllic towns and easy hikes (most easily explored from Freiburg). Drivers have their choice of any of these options, while those using public transportation can day-trip from Freiburg to the small town of St. Märgen and then walk (2 hours) to St. Peter. Everything that can be done from Freiburg can also be done from Staufen (add another 30 minutes or so each way).
With a Driver/Guide: Freiburg-based Simone Brixel offers hiking and sightseeing tours of the Black Forest in her comfortable car or minibus. She enjoys tailoring a trip to your interests (€500/6-hour guided tour for up to 4, €280/4 hours, transport-only tours with custom itinerary available for up to 7; tel. 0761/5147-0551, www.the-black-forest.com, simone@the-black-forest.com).
The Black Forest was named by the Romans for its mysterious impermeability. And it wasn’t until the 20th century that the High Road (Schwarzwaldhochstrasse) was built along a ridge through the densest stretch of this fabled pine forest. This road takes you 30 miles (about one hour) on route B-500. Once on the High Road, there’s no way to get lost—just follow signs for Freudenstadt if heading south (or Baden-Baden if heading north).
Here are the highlights if driving south out of Baden-Baden:
Geroldsauer Mühle: A bit more than a half-mile out of Baden-Baden is Geroldsauer Mühle, the palatial wooden market hall that stands as if welcoming you to the Black Forest. Its prize-winning building is filled with local produce, a bakery, and enticing shops, including the Mühlenmarkt, a festival of Black Forest produce (Tue-Sun 8:30-19:00, closed Mon).
Top of the High Road: You’ll share the road with bikers, motorbikers, joy-riders, and Germans enjoying their hot cars. While this forest was just a black hole for the ancient Romans, in the 17th century the trees of this region were a much-needed resource for Amsterdam. Much of the Black Forest was deforested, made into huge log rafts, and floated down the Rhine to Amsterdam, where they were disassembled and used to build mighty ships and provide foundations for that city. (They say if you turned Amsterdam over, you’d find the Black Forest.)
B-500 was built in the 1930s, and many of the grand hotels you’ll pass were also built during the Third Reich. Today, clinics buried deep in the forest here provide places for German celebrities with various struggles to convalesce. Along with lots of Kliniks, you’ll pass trailheads with parking lots and (in August) locals picking blueberries.
This northern stretch of the forest, nicknamed “the Jungle,” is a high ridge with small views. Occasionally you’ll hit an opening on the east with views stretching across Alsace all the way to the Vosges Mountains. (Alsace, a region of France bounded by the Rhine River and the Vosges Mountains, has long been disputed: Germans have always thought the mountains are the rightful border and the French think the river is. Accordingly, Alsace changed hands several times over the centuries.)
Mummelsee: This tiny mountain lake at about 3,300 feet altitude is a classic German nature stop. It’s fun to park and check out the Mummelsee scene: a lakeside restaurant, an easy stroll around the lake, and lots of souvenirs and walking sticks for sale. This area was made a national park in 2014, and a big park center nearby is under construction (to open in 2020).
Lothar Trail (Black Forest National Park): In 1999, Hurricane Lothar blew down about 50,000 acres of the Black Forest. Germany decided to give visitors a front seat to the slow-motion spectacle of nature healing itself; they built Lothar Path (Lotharpfad), a family-friendly, half-mile-long boardwalk through the changing forest. It’s a delightful 20-minute circular walk (free, easy parking).
Three miles farther south, B-500 meets B-28. Your Black Forest High Road drive is done. From here you can return to Baden-Baden, or continue on to one or more of the sights described next.
Between the High Road in the north and the Highlands in the south is a middle zone with the main sightseeing stops of the Black Forest. Towns and various attractions are well-signposted and distances are short. Wolfach is the nicest town of the region (no actual sights, but well worth an hour’s wander). The Black Forest Open-Air Museum is by far the most important stop in the area (with traditional life and amazing old farm buildings on display in a sprawling park). Triberg is a touristy town with a famous waterfall and a smaller folk museum. And the clock museum in Furtwangen is exciting for people who get excited about old clocks.
The main Black Forest road takes you right through this delightful town nestled in the forest on the Kinzig River. It’s an old logging town—essentially one main street lined with fountains, fine facades, and inviting shops and cafés. The TI has a town walk brochure.
The Town Hall, rebuilt after a 19th-century fire, has a facade worth studying. Things are livelier on market days (Sat and Wed), but otherwise the town generally feels like it’s on Valium. At its south end is a castle with a chapel (note its 14th-century pietà) and a museum that explores the history of log rafting—a big part of this town’s economy in centuries past.
Sleeping in Wolfach: If you’re tempted to spend the night, two good hotels are on the main street—$ Hotel Krone (25 rooms, breakfast extra, Hauptstrasse 33, tel. 07834/83780, www.krone-wolfach.de) and $$ Gasthaus Hecht (17 rooms, Hauptstrasse 51, tel. 07834/83510, http://hecht-wolfach.de).
This museum offers the best look at this region’s traditional folk architecture. Built around one grand old farmhouse, the museum is a collection of several old farm buildings, some of which house exhibits on the local dress and lifestyles. While English information is sparse, the place gives you a good sense of traditional rural life in the Black Forest.
Cost and Hours: €10, April-Oct daily 9:00-18:00, Aug until 19:00, last entry one hour before closing, closed Nov-March, English audioguide-€3, along B-33/E-531 between the towns of Gutach and Hausach, tel. 07831/93560, www.vogtsbauernhof.de.
Demonstrations: In July and August the park is busy with costumed docents and live presentations; look for a schedule of today’s demonstrations when you buy your ticket or on the TV monitor in the entryway. One-hour English tours are offered daily for free in July and August (at 13:00). Off-season, the museum can be pretty sleepy.
Visiting the Museum: From the parking lot, it’s a five-minute walk past eateries and under the railroad tracks to the ticket windows and main building. Pick up the map of the complex. The various buildings are identified out front (find English on the spinning language board), but the explanations inside are in German only.
Hippenseppenhof, the building directly across from the entry, dates from 1599. The oldest home in the park, it’s a Catholic house with all the clichés on display. This is the closest thing to a museum in this park, where you’ll see costumes, logging exhibits, clock-making, and more. The huge attic is like a barn on top of a house, with its own back-door access.
The museum is named for the Vogtsbauernhof, the district governor’s farm—the biggest building and the prize of the museum. It’s the only original structure on the premises, around which the rest of the complex grew as other buildings were relocated here from around the region. Built in 1612 and occupied until 1965, this giant farmhouse has distinctive Black Forest features that you’ll also see on a smaller scale in the surrounding buildings. The characteristic “semi-hipped” roof is wider than the frame of the house, which creates ample dry storage space under the eaves as well as shelter during storms.
The house is built into the side of a hill, allowing easy ramp access to any of its levels—including the vast “attic.” From here, hay would be unloaded into the middle level, and then could easily be dropped down to where the livestock lived below.
Farmers and their animals lived under one roof. Explore the people’s quarters. The kitchen occupied the center of the building, where its stove radiated heat to the other living areas. Notice the lack of a chimney and the blackened walls in the kitchen. The stove was open to the roof to allow smoke to flow through the house, dry out the air (which was otherwise made uncomfortably humid by the animals), and seep out through the thatch. The two-story kitchen allowed farmers to smoke meat above while they cooked meals below. The soot also helped to coat and preserve the wood frame. Windows were a sure sign of wealth and status.
Surrounding the main building are several smaller ones to explore. The farm mill is popular during its live grain-grinding demonstrations, when water power sets the giant gears in motion. The day laborer’s cottage, which once housed a family with 14 kids, shows life in the early 20th century, when farm families had both electricity and outhouses. The bakery and distillery has a communal oven where families from the community baked their bread all at once—an efficient use of limited resources. The saw mill, which runs sporadically, saws planks of wood from huge trunks. One house is dedicated to children’s activities and another to cooking demonstrations.
Eating: The shops and restaurants scattered between the parking lot and museum entrance, while touristy, are a fair source for local specialties. At the outdoor stands you can try Frikadelle (a spiced pork-and-beef patty) or Schupfnudeln (potato-based noodles, fried up with sauerkraut). Don’t be shy to try a little of everything; the friendly ladies ladling the portions will fill up your plate with whatever you point to for a reasonable price. Indulge in a creamy slice of Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte.
Deep in the Black Forest along B-500, Triberg is a midsize town that exploits its cuckoo-clock heritage to the hilt. Despite the kitsch, it’s a pleasant place to stretch your legs under giant cuckoo-clock facades. Triberg’s two main attractions—the Black Forest Museum and Triberg Waterfall—are near each other. The TI is located in the Black Forest Museum (daily 9:00-17:00, closed off-season weekends, tel. 07722/866490, www.triberg.de).
Not to be confused with the Black Forest Open-Air Museum described earlier, this collection gives a fine look at the local culture. As you explore its three floors, you’ll find insightful exhibits on various facets of Black Forest cultural heritage, with a special emphasis on engineering (clockmaking, railways, mineral mining, locally built SABA radios) and crafts (woodcarving, glassmaking). Sadly, the only English you’ll encounter are the “do not touch” signs.
The main hall contains dozens of dolls wearing traditional dress from the region, including the distinctive maidens’ hats, piled with gigantic cranberries (married women’s hats have black puffballs). Player pianos, barrel organs, orchestrions (“orchestras-in-a-box”), and other music-making machines—which were built here alongside cuckoo clocks—were extremely popular in the days before recorded music. You’ll also see a replica of a farmer’s traditional quarters, a winter sports exhibit, and creepy masks used to celebrate the Germanic Mardi Gras, called “Fasnacht.”
Cost and Hours: €6; daily 10:00-18:00, Nov-Easter Tue-Sun until 17:00 and closed Mon; Wallfahrtstrasse 4, tel. 07722/4434, www.schwarzwaldmuseum.de.
Triberg’s other claim to fame is Germany’s highest waterfall, where the Gutach River tumbles 500 feet in several bounces. Although paying €5 to see a waterfall feels like a rip-off, this one really is impressive—especially if you have time to walk through its steep, misty gorge. You’ll hike five minutes to the falls and 20 minutes to the top of the falls. For added entertainment, buy a €1 bag of peanuts to feed the squirrels (or yourself). The gorge has three entrances at different altitudes along the twisty main road toward Furtwangen, each open daily. The main—and lowest—entrance (Haupteingang), in the town center across from the Black Forest Museum, is most convenient.
The only reason to stop in Furtwangen is to see the interesting German Clock Museum. More than a chorus of cuckoo clocks, this modern museum is practically evangelical in tracing the development of clocks from the Dark Ages to the Space Age. With the help of a staffer turning things on, this exhibit brings the history of timekeeping to fascinating life. (Consider a few demonstrations included in your ticket and ask for some action.)
Cost and Hours: €6, daily April-Oct 9:00-18:00, Nov-March 10:00-17:00, Robert-Gerwig-Platz 1, tel. 07723/920-2800, www.deutsches-uhrenmuseum.de.
Getting There: It’s hiding out in the town center of Furtwangen; as you approach the town, closely track the low-profile signs to Deutsches Uhrenmuseum or simply Uhrenmuseum.
Visiting the Museum: Borrow the English descriptions as you enter. The collection is displayed chronologically, starting on the first floor, then follow the Rundgang (tour) signs.
Floor 1: Starting with Stonehenge (which is thought to be a celestial calendar) and early sundials, the exhibit takes in the full breadth of timepiece history. In the display case of celestial clocks, find the highly detailed astronomical-geographical clock from 1787, which used just 24 gears to tell not only the time, but also the position of the stars in the night sky, which saint’s day it was, and the phase of the moon.
Black Forest clockmakers achieved a breakthrough when they simplified the timekeeping mechanism so that it could be built almost entirely of wood, allowing clocks to be sold at a lower price (and leading to a worldwide boom in clock sales). You can watch Black Forest clocks evolve from rough-hewn wood to delicately painted white lacquer faces. Locals also figured out how to make musical clocks with wooden flutes and bellows.
The vast collection of cuckoo clocks (Kuckucksuhren in German) traces the evolution of the Black Forest’s most iconic product. The cuckoo clock as we know it was created for a contest in 1850 by Friedrich Eisenlohr, a railway architect who modeled his Bahnhäusleuhr clock after a railroad house. While the clocks strike us as quaint and kitschy now, Eisenlohr’s idea of shaping a clock like a little house was revolutionary at the time. Cuckoo clocks became very popular—especially among tourists during the late-19th-century heyday of the romantic Grand Tour era—and were eventually copied by clockmakers in Switzerland. (If you even hint that cuckoo clocks are Swiss, proud Black Forest natives will quickly set you straight.)
Black Forest clockmakers specialized in affordable, everyday timepieces. Because they could be produced and sold cheaply, Black Forest clocks became popular around the world. Between 1800 and 1850 alone, 15 million Black Forest clocks were sold worldwide. This demand—combined with a need for steady employment among a growing population—persuaded many Black Forest natives to leave home and sell clocks in foreign lands.
From the 1770s through the early 1900s, roving Black Forest clockmakers (called Uhrenhändler) traveled far and wide. They’d load their wares onto a wood-frame rucksack and cry, Ins Uhrenland!—“To clock country!”...that is, wherever people were buying clocks. Once they found a good market abroad, they’d settle in, set up shop, and create a lucrative little business. Many clockmakers were away from home for months, or even years—and quite a few married into their adopted local communities. (Emigrants from this part of Germany likely started out as clock-sellers.)
Most of these Uhrenhändler sold simple “shield clocks” (Schilduhr), with a face that hid the mechanical workings. The face of the clock could be painted to match the local tastes of the buyer. But no matter how far from home the clockmakers wandered, and no matter how different the clocks looked, they were still Black Forest at heart.
On the way downstairs, ogle the gigantic “Astronomical World Clock.” The smaller dials show different time zones—a new concept in the slow-travel era when this was created. When the clock springs into action, Jesus blesses the 12 apostles as they shuffle past. (Ask the front desk to turn it on for you.) Next, head downstairs to...
Floor -1: Now in the 20th century, the exhibit shows off pocket watches with precious details. Wristwatches became popular first among women, who didn’t have pockets, but were later adopted by men in World War I for easy access while using a rifle. But even as technology advanced, Black Forest clockmakers still specialized in straightforward, affordable, everyday timepieces. Quartz technology allowed for far greater accuracy at a much lower price, which effectively crippled the cuckoo clock industry. Furtwangen no longer makes clocks, but it’s still a respected industrial town.
Ponder this: If Germany is known for its engineering prowess, you can thank clocks. As technology evolved, German know-how came to be applied to more and more complicated machines. And so, in a way, precision BMWs are the direct descendant of the rough wooden cuckoo clocks that have been made in the Black Forest for centuries.
Floor -2: The bottom level brings the story up to the modern day, from punch-clocks to atomic clocks. One fascinating exhibit explains how increasingly faster transportation in the late 19th century made it necessary to standardize time across locales. Along with the advent of trains, the innovation of the telegraph sealed it: The world’s clocks needed to be in sync. Only in the 1870s did scientists begin to pursue standardization, leading in 1884 to the creation of the prime meridian (to use as a starting point for calculating world time zones). Germany adopted a standardized time zone in 1893.
The grand finale is an upbeat combo of mechanical musical instruments, from player pianos to giant wind-up carnival organs. To hear some of the thunderous music, ask at the desk. Hearing the amazing variety of sounds, it’s fun to imagine how the simple “cuck-oo” of a clock with a little wooden bird evolved into a self-playing musical band in a box.
The “Black Forest” conjures up images of a dark, thick forest. But the southern end of the region—called the Black Forest Highlands—is more gentle, with onion-domed churches, idyllic lakes, and hikes through peaceful meadows. This is the kind of country you’d expect a doctor to send you to when you need some tranquility. In this region (most easily accessible from Freiburg), you’ll find both the biggest tourist trap (Titisee) and my favorite commune-with-nature walk (from St. Märgen to St. Peter).
Joy-riding through the area, you’ll pass fields of corn (mostly for biofuel and pigs rather than people), lots of trucks (mostly from Eastern Europe, which are taking the small roads to avoid autobahn tolls), and lots of Swiss vacationers. Locals are down on the Swiss for crossing the border in droves to flaunt their relative wealth. For the Swiss, Germany is a bargain basement. To many locals, the Swiss are just driving up real estate prices while acting like big shots.
The Black Forest Highlands is a land of classic rural beauty, where huge traditional farms house the family downstairs and the animals upstairs. With solar panels on ancient roofs and little chapels out back, they are a delightful mix of modern and traditional. Most of these farms make ends meet by renting rooms (Ferienwohnungen).
This five-mile, two-hour hike offers a delightful path through the bucolic Black Forest countryside, punctuated by scenic picnic benches for a memorable lunch. Connecting the charming towns of St. Märgen and St. Peter, this fresh-air walk is the quintessential Black Forest experience.
Planning Your Time: If you have a car, you can drive to St. Peter, park there, catch the bus to St. Märgen (1-2/hour, 10 minutes), then hike back to your car. Without a car, the hike is accessible by public transportation from Freiburg. Before you start, buy two €4 two-zone local transport tickets or a 24-hour regional pass (€11 for 1 adult, €22 for 2-5 adults, available from ticket machines). From Freiburg, ride the train to Kirchzarten (2/hour, 45 minutes), then catch bus #7216 to St. Märgen (1-2/hour, 35 minutes). Once you’ve walked to St. Peter, dip into the abbey church, then catch the bus back to Kirchzarten (2-3/hour, 25 minutes) and the train back to Freiburg. Confirm transit times at www.bahn.com or at the Freiburg train station.
St. Märgen: This sleepy town (pop. 1,900) is dominated by its Augustinian abbey (not really open to the public). St. Märgen is cute, but offers little reason to stop (other than to pick up a picnic for your hike). The bus drops you in the village center, near the Town Hall (Rathaus), abbey, supermarket, and bakery. The St. Märgen TI, in the back of the Rathaus, offers advice and maps for the hike to St. Peter (open Mon-Fri mornings only, tel. 07652/1206-8390, www.hochschwarzwald.de).
The Hike: The first 40 minutes of this hike are gently uphill (a 500-foot gain)—from the St. Märgen bus stop, follow the signposts marked St. Peter (Höhenweg, 8km) through the village. At Hotel Hirsch, make a left turn up a small paved road that leads directly to a tiny paved farm service road. Take a quick 100-yard detour right to see the mill (Rankmuhle), then at the first fork head left. Be careful to follow signs to St. Peter Höhenweg, not St. Peter. Eventually you’ll reach a small chapel, the Kapfenkapelle.
The trail is level for the next half-hour, with views down into the valley. At a clearing in the woods, you’ll find the Vogesenkapelle, built in 1938 by a local man who had fought during World War I in France’s Vosges mountains. On a clear winter evening at sunset in the Vosges, the man was able to see all the way to the Black Forest—and could even make out his own farm. He vowed to build a chapel near his home if the Black Forest was spared the horrors of the war. And he did.
From the Vogesenkapelle, the path leads down about 45 minutes through farms into St. Peter, depositing you just below the abbey at the St. Peter bus stop.
St. Peter: This inviting town (pop. 2,500) is one of those healthy, go-take-a-walk-in-the-clean-air places that doctors actually prescribe for people from all over Germany. The well-organized little TI, under the archway across from the Benedictine abbey, has details on the region and walks (closed midday and Sat-Sun, Klosterhof 11, tel. 07652/1206-8370). To find a public WC and reasonably priced eating options, go through the archway to the square.
The town of St. Peter is dominated by its giant, namesake Benedictine abbey. Step into the courtyard (Klosterhof) and imagine a monastery founded within these walls 700 years ago (then secularized under Napoleon in 1806). The red sandstone church dominates. Its Baroque interior, finished in 1727, is a dazzling white. While you’ll see bigger and better in Bavaria, this is the best abbey in the Black Forest (free and open daily, enter at Geistliches Zentrum next door to church, tel. 07660/91010).
Returning to Freiburg: Just below St. Peter’s abbey is the town bus stop, called Zähringer Eck, where you can catch bus #7216 back to Kirchzarten; from there, catch the train to Freiburg.
This pleasant loop starts in Freiburg and takes you through the most representative chunk of the area, including the towns of St. Märgen and St. Peter. This basically passes through much the same scenery as the hike described above, but by car.
Freiburg-St. Märgen-St. Peter Loop: Leave Freiburg on Schwarzwaldstrasse (signs to Donaueschingen), which becomes scenic road B-31 up the dark Höllental (“Hell’s Valley”). Here the cliffs on either side begin to close in.
As you enter the narrowest part of the valley, watch for the Hirschensprung sign (where you can pull off). On the top of the cliff on the right, spot the bronze statue of a deer (Hirsch) preparing to leap (sprung) over the chasm to escape a hunter, a feat memorialized in a local legend.
After the moody, narrow stretch of the valley, you’ll hit a straightaway, and then the road begins a series of switchbacks up and out of the canyon. En route, you’re sure to see signs for overrated, overcrowded Titisee.
Titisee, a famous lake with a giggle-inducing name, is improbably popular among Germans. This town of 2,000 is built for tourism. One glance and you’ll be wondering why they even bothered to develop this dull spot into a tourist attraction—and yet it’s a huge hit. Don’t let morbid curiosity take you to Titisee...or you’ll squander valuable Black Forest time.
Instead, at Hinterzarten (just before Titisee), turn onto B-500 toward Furtwangen and St. Märgen. Soon you’ll come to a fork in the road, where you can choose between heading straight to Furtwangen (and its German Clock Museum) or turning off for St. Märgen, then St. Peter (both described earlier; St. Peter is better if you have to choose).
From St. Peter, continue about 15 minutes through idyllic Black Forest scenery to the pass over Mount Kandel (head for Glottertal; just outside St. Peter, turn right at Elmehof to follow brown signs to Kandel). At the summit is the Berghotel Kandel, with parking and fine views on either side of the ridge. A short hike takes you to the 4,000-foot peak (Kandelgipfel), where on a nice day you can watch paragliders psych themselves up and take off.
On the other side of the pass, the road winds steeply down through a dense forest to Waldkirch, where a fast road takes you down to the Freiburg Nord autobahn (A-5) entrance. From here you can return south to Freiburg or drive north to Baden-Baden.