Southwestern Germany has long inspired legends, soothed romantic sensibilities, and delighted travelers, and little wonder. Ancient castle ruins in the midst of thick woodlands, lovely and atmospheric towns and cities, valleys carpeted with vineyards, dark forests and shimmering lakes—it’s all here. Aside from an overload of scenery, these landscapes also offer the heavy-on-atmopshere ambiance of an old university town (Heidelberg); soothing thermal baths (in sophisticated Baden-Baden); cozy Black Forest town ambiance (on the cobbled lanes of Freiburg); even shiny vintage cars (in Stuutgart’s Mercedes-Benz and Porsche museums).
89km (55 miles) S of Frankfurt
This ancient university town on the Neckar River enjoys a reputation as an enchanted purveyor of wine and romance, song and student life, fun and frivolity. It drew 19th-century German Romantics, who praised and painted it; Mark Twain, who cavorted in its lively streets and made cynical observations in “A Tramp Abroad”; and fans of the 1924 operetta “Student Prince,” set in Heidelberg (and with a rousing chorus, “Drink, drink, drink” that is still an anthem for many young residents and their visitors). A little less poetically, this attractive city of 135,000 inhabits also housed a U.S. army base for many decades after World War II, helping ensure its popularity with Americans. Heidelberg was ravaged by French invaders during the 30 Years War in the 17th century yet was relatively unscathed in World War II, and the Altstadt (Old Town) looks much as it did a century or two ago, with a lot of architectural landmarks from the later Middle Ages and early Renaissance still standing. Historically, though, Heidelberg is young at heart; the oldest university in Germany is based here, dating to 1386. Some 28,000 students impart a palpable energy to the narrow lanes and lively inns of the Altstadt. While great mouments and museums are thin on the ground in Heidelberg, this youthful aura and romantically historic ambiance will no doubt make your time here memorable.
BY PLANE The nearest major airport is Frankfurt (see chapter 9), with a direct bus link to Heidelberg. The shuttle bus between Frankfurt and Heidelberg costs 20€ per person. Call 
0621/651620 or visit www.ics-logistik.de for shuttle information.
BY TRAIN Heidelberg’s Hauptbahnhof is a major railroad station, lying on the Mannheim line, with frequent service to both regional towns and major cities. From Frankfurt, 26 direct trains arrive per day (trip time: 1 hr.); travel time to and from Munich is about 3½ hours. For information, call 01805/996633 or visit www.bahn.de.
BY BUS Regional bus service is provided by BRN Busverkehr Rhein-Neckar at Heidelberg ( 06221/60620; www.brn.de).
BY CAR Motorists should take the A5 Autobahn from the north or south.
Heidelberg is crisscrossed with a network of trams and buses, many of which intersect at the Bismarckplatz in the town center. Bus nos. 31 and 32 travel frequently between the railway station and the Universitätsplatz, in the Altstadt. The Altstadt’s lanes run off either side of the Hauptstrasse, the long, pedestrian-only thoroughfare that stretches from the Marktplatz all the way to Bismarckplatz in the new town. Bus or tram fares cost 2.20€ for a single ride.
The Heidelberg Tourist Bureau, Willy-Brandt-Platz 1 ( 06221/19433; www.heidelberg-marketing.de), is open April to October Monday to Saturday 9am to 7pm, and Sunday 10am to 6pm; and November to March Monday to Saturday 9am to 6pm.
Der Europäische Hof-Hotel Europa 
Heidelberg’s best, and one of the finest in Germany, seems to do everything right and makes it all seem effortless. Lounges are comfortably plush and attractive; guest rooms, ranging over an old wing and a newer extension, are enormous and beautifully furnished with a nice mix of old-fashioned comfort and contemporary accents, lit by crystal chandeleers and equipped with sumptuous marble baths. Service is unfailingly attentive while unobtrusive and personable. A multilevel, rooftop spa includes a large indoor pool and state of the art gym, and the wood-paneled grill room serves French fare that’s as sophisticated as the surroundings. You’ll pay a bit more to stay here than in other Heidelberg lodgings, but you’ll be staying in style you’re not going to find many other places in the world.
Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage 1. 
06221/5150. www.europischerhof.com. 118 units. 148€–384€ double. Rates include breakfast. Parking 19€. Tram: Bismarckplatz. Amenities: 2 restaurants; bar; babysitting; concierge; health club & spa; indoor heated pool; room service; Wi-Fi (fee).
Hackteufel 
A guesthouse right in the heart of the Altstadt, between the Marketplace and Old Bridge, offers some of the sprucest, most comfortable lodgings in town. Each of the 12 rooms is different, but most are extra large and embellished with wood floors, beams, dormers, and plenty of nice traditional wood furnishings; number 12 is a cross-beamed garret with a castle view and number 8 is a commodious suite with a terrace. Downstairs is a handsome restaurant and wine bar that serves snacks and drinks throughout the day and traditional specialties at mealtimes, accompanied by lots of cozy ambiance.
Steingasse 7. 06221/905380. www.hackteufel.de. 12 units. 120€–170€ double. Rates include buffet breakfast. Amenities: Restaurant, bar; free in-room Wi-Fi.
The short answer is: not usually. Yes, the Heidelberg Card offers discounts on attractions and free use of public transportation. But since most of what you want to see in Heidelberg is within walking distance and there aren’t many attractions you’ll be paying to see, the card will probably be a money saver only if you’re staying a tram or bus ride away from the Altstadt or will be going back and forth to the Hauptbanhof frequently. Transport-wise, you’d have to make three round trips on the bus or tram within a 2-day period to break even.
If you still would like to purchase it, know that cards valid for any consecutive 2-day period cost 13€ per person; cards valid for any consecutive 4-day period go for 16€ per person. A family card valid for two adults and two children 15 and under for any consecutive 2-day period sells for 28€.
NH Heidelberg 
A courtyard that was once filled to the brim with kegs of beer is now the glass-filled atrium of these smart lodgings at the far edge of the Altstadt, where bright, commodious business-style rooms range through a restored former brewery and modern wing, all nicely done in traditional-meets-modern decor. The Bräustüberl, serving Bavarian specialties, is the most popular of the three in-house restaurants, among many perks that also include a spa and health club. This business-oriented hotel often has weekend and summer specials that can make the spiffy rooms some of the best lodging bargains in Heidelberg.
Bergheimer Strasse 91. 06221/13270. www.nh-hotels.com. 174 units. 82€–225€ double. Parking 15€. Tram: 22. Bus: 35. Amenities: 3 restaurants; bar; health club and spa; room service; Wi-Fi (fee).
Romantik Hotel Zum Ritter St. Georg The glorious German Renaissance façade right on the Marktplatz is a Heidelberg landmark, and the old inn behind the welcoming doors is a Heidelberg institution. The large, high-ceilinged rooms and suites in the front of the house do justice to the surroundings, and the others off the rambling back corridors are smaller and perfectly comfortable, done in an unremarkable but pleasing contemporary style. A stay here puts you right in the heart of the Altstadt, and just a flight of stairs away from the Ritter’s wonderful in-house restaurant (see below).
Hauptstrasse 178. 06221/1350. www.ritter-heidelberg.de. 37 units. 118€–176€ double. Bus: 31, 32, or 35. Amenities: 3 restaurants; room service; free in-room Wi-Fi.
Kurpfälzisches Museum Restaurant GERMAN The baroque Palais Morass not only houses museum exhibits but is also the setting for a pleasant meal, served in a baronial dining hall, some smaller rooms, and a garden next to a splashing fountain in good weather. The cuisine is a bit more pedestrian than the surroundings, with pizzas sharing space on the menu with schnitzels and other traditional fare.
Hauptstrasse 97. 06221/24050. www.restaurantkurpflzischesmuseumheidelberg.com. Reservations required. Main courses 16€–19€. June–Sept Sun–Thurs 11am–11pm, Fri–Sat 11am–midnight; off season Sun–Thurs 11am–3pm and 5:30–10pm, Fri–Sat 11am–11pm. Bus: 31 or 32.
Romantik Hotel Zum Ritter St. Georg GERMAN/INTERNATIONAL An atmospheric and very grown-up dining room occupies the ground floor of the city’s most decorative Renaissance-era landmark, where high-ceilings, paneling, frescoes, and Persian carpets provide lovely old world surroundings for a menu to match. Rump-steak with cream sauce, roasted venison, calf’s livers with apples and onions, Kurpfälzer (a so-called farmer’s treat of liver dumplings and sausages served on potatoes and sauerkraut) are among the many local specialties that seasoned waiters serve on starched linens. One of the advantages of staying in one of the comfortable rooms upstairs (see above) is lingering late over a meal in this memorable dining room without worrying about moving on.
Hauptstrasse 178. 06221/1350. www.ritter-heidelberg.de. Reservations recommended. Main courses 10€–23€. Daily noon–2pm and 6–10pm. Bus: 31, 32, or 35.
Schnitzelbank GERMAN The well-worn tables here are workbenches from the days when the premises were a barrel factory. These days the business is wine, with an emphasis on local varieties and sold by the glass, but you can also dine well on the namesake schnitzels, of course, along with lots of other tavern mainstays.
Bauamtsgasse 7. 06221/21189. www.schnitzelbank-heidelberg.de. Main courses 8€–12€. Daily noon–11pm.
Zur Herrenmühle GERMAN/INTERNATIONAL A 17th-century grain mill with thick walls, antique paneling, and heavy beams doesn’t skimp on atmosphere, and the cuisine does justice to the surroundings. Fresh fish, grass-fed lamb, and homemade pastas appear in classic preparations served with more flair than is the norm in Heidelberg restaurants, and the vine-covered courtyard is the city’s most atmospheric setting for summertime meals.
Hauptstrasse 237. 06221/602909. www.herrenmuehle-heidelberg.de. Reservations recommended. Main courses 16€–26€; fixed-price menu 29€. Mon–Sat 6–11pm. Closed last 2 weeks of Mar. Bus: 33.
You’ll spend most of your time in Heidelberg on or near the south bank of the Neckar River, probably not venturing too far beyond the Marktplatz (Marketplace) at the center of the Altstadt. On market days (Wed and Sat mornings), stalls overspilling with fresh flowers, fish, and vegetables surround the Rathaus and the Heiliggeistkirche (Church of the Holy Spirit), a stark, late-Gothic structure from around 1400. Gone from the nave is the dividing wall that was a sign of Heidelberg’s conciliatory approach the Reformation: For more than a century both Protestants and Catholics used separate ends of the church. No such compromise tactics spared the Heiliggeistkirche and most of the rest of Heidelburg from the rampaging French troops of King Louis XV, who in 1690 pillaged the interior, along with the graves of the city’s prince-electors. You’ll want to cross the gracefully flowing Neckar River at least once during stay, walking over the Alte Brücke (Old Bridge), a handsome, twin-towered stone span from 1788 (destroyed in 1944 by German troops trying to halt the advance of the Allied army and rebuilt 2 years later). After a stop in front of the raffish Brückenaffe (Bridge Ape)— touch the mirror he’s holding for wealth, his outstretched fingers to ensure a return to Heidelberg, and the mice that surround him to ensure progeny—continue up the Schlangenweg (Snake Path) to the Philosophenweg (Philosophers’ Way). This 2km (1.25-mile) walking trail above the north bank of the Neckar provides memorable views of the castle, the river, and the Altstadt. The amble ends at the the Philosophengärtchen (Philosophers’ Garden), where the river valley’s mild climate nurtures Japanese cherries, cypresses, lemons, bamboos, rhododendrons, gingkos, yucca trees, and other warm-weather plants.
Heidelberg’s most famous and revered student tavern, Zum Roten Ochsen (Red Ox Inn), Hauptstrasse 217 (
06221/20977; www.roterochsen.de; bus: 33), opened in 1703. For six generations, the Spengel family has welcomed everybody from Bismarck to Mark Twain. It seems that every student who has attended the university has left his or her mark (or initials) on the walls, and every tourist in town eventually finds his or her way here, too. Meals go from 9€ to 17€. The tavern is open from April to October Monday to Saturday 11:30am to 2pm and 5pm to midnight, November to March Monday to Saturday 5pm to midnight.
Next door is Zum Sepp’l, Hauptstrasse 213 ( 06221/23085; www.zum-seppl.de; bus: 11 or 33), open since 1634, the second most famous drinking club in Heidelberg and another perennial crowd pleaser. It’s filled with photographs and carved initials of former students, along with memorabilia that ranges from old Berlin street signs to Alabama license plates. Meals cost 8€ to 18€. It’s open Monday to Friday noon to 11pm, and Saturday and Sunday 11:30am to 3:30pm and 5pm to midnight.
Dorfschänke, Lutherstrasse 14 ( 06221/419041; www.dorfschnke-hd.com; tram: 5 or 23, bus: 31), doesn’t have the same pedigree as these two old taverns, having just opened in 1908, but it’s been packed ever since and accompanies its beer selections witih some serious food, including Flammkuchen, a square pizza with onions and cheese—a bit like tarte flambée, minus the lardons. It’s open daily, 5pm to midnight. Meals cost 8€ to 18€.
Heidelberg Castle HISTORIC SITE Perched enticingly above the Altstadt, set amid woodlands and terraced gardens, Heidelberg’s half-ruined castle has impressed everyone from kings and princes to the poet Goethe, novelists Victor Hugo and Mark Twain, and millions of visitors for whom the red sandstone walls clinging to the green hillside are the epitome of German romanticism. Even in ruin one of the great Renaissance landmarks of northern Europe suggests beauty, grandeur, and long vanquished empires—in this case a division of the Holy Roman Empire known as the County Palantine of the Rhine, whose prince electors lived here from the 13th century.
Elizabeth, the teenaged daughter of English King James I who married prince elector Frederick V and came to Heidelberg in 1605, entered the castle through the portal named for her, Elizabeth’s Gate, as visitors still do. The soulless salons of the heavily restored Friedrichsbau, the early-17th-century palace where the young couple took up residence, are less evocative than the shells of most of the rest of the compound’s royal enclaves, laid waste to in 1690 by the French troops of Louis XV and finished off by a disastrous lightning strike. Enough gables and arches remain to suggest the grandeur of the place, and a multilanguage audioguide does a good job of filling in the missing pieces.
An especially noteworthy relic is the Great Cask, aka the Heidelberg Turn, a symbol of the exuberant life of the prince electors enjoyed. The vulgar vessel was built in 1751 to store more than 208,000 liters (55,000 gal.) of wine but failed to impress Mark Twain, who wrote, “An empty cask the size of a cathedral could excite but little emotion in me.” The Chemist’s Tower houses the Apothekenmuseum (Pharmaceutical Museum) and the old chambers quite engagingly spotlight the importance of German pharmaceutical research (much of it conducted at Heidelburg University) with utensils, laboratory equipment, and a re-created chemist’s shop from the 18th and 19th centuries. The castle’s perennial crowd pleaser are the views that stretch across the old town and down the Neckar Valley. You can enjoy them 24 hours day, since the castle courtyard is always open, as is the shady Schlossgarten.
In the Middle Ages, monks were the world’s great brew meisters, making the “liquid [that] does not break the fast”—that is, you could drink all the beer you wanted to. It’s pretty well established that beer-drinking is a religion in Hedielberg, so it’s only natural that the tradition continues at the brewery Brauerei zum Klosterhof, part of Heidelberg’s 12th-century Neuburg Abbey, on the banks of the Neckar River about 2km (1 mile) east of the Altstadt. To this day, 15 monks live in the monastery and oversee the production of organic beer, including the popular HeidALEberg Red Summer Ale. You can see the brewery, taste the beer, enjoy some grilled sausages and dumplings, and tour the abbey on tours arranged by Heidelberg Tourism ( 06221/5840200; www.heidelberg-marketing.de); they cost from 20€ to 24€, depending on how much you eat.
You can reach the castle by several routes. The Bergbahn (mountain train) whisks you up from the Kornmarkt in a flash (tickets to the castle include the train ride). A paved road gradually winds up the Neue Schlossstrasse past told houses perched on the hillside, while the steeper Burgweg walk climbs uphill from Kornmarkt.
Schlossberg. 06221/872-7000. 5€ (includes tram ride to and from castle). 1-hr. guided tours in English 4€; audio tours 4€. Admission ticket is good for 24 hr. and is required daily 8am–5:30pm; castle precincts open 24 hr.
Kurpfälzisches Museum (Museum of the Palatinate) MUSEUM In the salons of the baroque Palais Morass, Heidelberg’s very long history comes to the fore with artifacts that include a cast of the jawbone of Heidelberg Man, an early human who lived in Europe and Africa until 250,000 years ago and is thought to be the direct ancestor of homo sapiens; the original (stored at the university) was unearthed near Heidelberg in 1907. Nearby are some remarkably well preserved wooden beams from a Roman bridge across the Neckar. Other displays may or may not help you understand the complex, strife-torn history of the Palatinate, as a large swath of southwestern Germany was once known, while the collection’s standout, the Altar of the Apostles by Tilman Riemenschneider from 1509, alone justifies the price of a ticket. If you’re traveling on to Wurzburg, you’ll encounter this master carver again and see more of his uncanny talent for embellishing religious scenes with emotion and compassion.
Hauptstrasse 97. 06221/5834020. www.museum-heidelberg.de. Admission 3€ adults, 1.80€ students and children 17 and under. Tues–Sun 10am–6pm. Bus: 31, 32, or 35.
Studentenkarzer (Student Jail) HISTORIC SITE It’s ironic that one of the few parts of the august university that Count Palatinate Ruprecht I established in 1386 open to the public are these rough cells where unruly and drunken students were once incarcerated. (If laughter and screaming disrupt your sleep in an Altstadt hotel, you may wish the practice were still in force.) Prisoners bedecked the walls and even the ceilings with graffiti and drawings, including portraits and silhouettes, until the last ones left in 1914. Despite the need to control rowdiness, even the curmugeonly Mark Twain commented that “idle students are not the rule” in Heidelberg. Germany’s oldest university, officially known as the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg and centered around the Universitätsplatz, has produced 55 Nobel Prize winners.
Augustinergasse 2. 06221/543593. Admission 3€ adults, 2.50€ students and children 14 and under. Ticket includes entry for the University Museum and Old Auditorium. Apr–Sept Tues–Sun 10am–6pm; Oct Tues–Sun 10am–4pm; Nov–Mar Tues–Sat 10am–4pm. Bus: 31, 32, or 35.
From Heidelberg, you can float up the Neckar River past wooded hillsides and the occasional castle to Neckarsteinach or Hirschorn, two picturesque riverside villages. There are usually four or five round-trips daily, and you need not return on the same boat. Trips between Heidelberg and Neckarsteinach cost 13€ round-trip, and those between Heidelberg and Hirschhorn cost 20€ round-trip. Boats are operated by the Rhein-Neckar-Fahrgastschiffahrt GmbH, Stadthalle, Heidelberg ( 06221/20181; www.rnf-schifffahrt.de).
You can also follow the river on the Neckar Valley Cycle Path. The route begins at the source in the south near Villingen-Schwenningen and continues 375km (233 miles) to the confluence of the Rhine at Mannheim. Along the way, you’ll pass castles, manor houses, vineyards, country inns, and old towns; a popular outing from Heidelberg follows the river through vineyards and the Odenwald Forest toward Eberbach, about 35km (21 miles) east. You can rent a bike from Radhof, at the Hauptbanhof, for about 18€ a day (www.fahrrad-heidelberg.de).
126km (78 miles) SE of Heidelberg
Stuttgart, a city of about 600,000, is ground zero for German engineering. The neon-lit logos of Mercedes, Porsche, and Zeiss optical equipment light up the sky. Yet, in that German way of never getting too far away from grass roots and nature, a lot of greenery takes the hard edges off all this industry and technology. Vineyards sweep down hillsides into the outskirts, and the forested banks of the Neckar River cut a swath right through town. Softening the Stuttgart image, too, are several much respected art collections and a lot of high-brow culture (the Stuttgart Ballet is world renowned). Stuttgart is not a vacation spot, but you can easily fill up a satisfying day here on an easy outing from Heidelberg, just 45 minutes away by train.
GETTING THERE Stuttgart has rail links to all major German cities, with frequent connections. The train station is directly north of the historic area. About 25 direct trains run between Heidelberg and Stuttgart daily (trip time: 45 min.). Twenty-seven daily trains run from Munich (trip time: 2½ hr.), and 19 trains run from Frankfurt (trip time: 1½ hr.). For information, call 01805/996633 or visit www.bahn.de. Access by car is via the A8 Autobahn east and west or the A81 north and south.
Historically, the center of Stuttgart clusteres around Schillerplatz, where a bronze statue of the poet and playwright, who was born near Stuttgart, presides over a sea of cobblestones. The modern Rathaus faces the old Marktplatz, where vendors in open stalls sell flowers, fruit, and vegetables. You’ll be able to walk to most sights within the center city, though you’ll have to rely on the efficient bus and U-bahn system to get to the automobile museums and other outlying sights. A single ride between points that fall within Stuttgart’s historic core on the city’s bus or U-bahn costs 2.20€. Rides to the outlying districts vary but began at 2.60€ and go up the farther out you travel. If you plan moving around a bit, consider buying a Tageskarte (day ticket), which costs 6.30€ and is valid for a day of unlimited transport within the city core and also within zones 1 (central Stuttgart) and 2 (immediate suburbs). For more information about the city’s transport system, its routes, and its prices, call 0711/19449 or visit www.vvs.de.
If you’re drawn to crowds and drinking, you might want to plan a visit to coincide with the Stuttgart Wine Festival in late August, when wine lovers converge to taste a selection of more than 350 Württemberg wines, or the 16-day Stuttgart Beer Festival, beginning in late September. This 200-year-old tradition, the second largest beer fest in Germany after Munich’s Oktoberfest, includes a grand procession of horse-drawn beer wagons and as many as 20,000 eager participants, many donning traditional costumes for the occasion. Stuttgart also plays host to a lively late-November and December Christmas Market (Weihnachtsmarkt), one of the oldest and largest in Europe, with about 230 decorated stalls selling gifts, mulled wine, and cinnamon waffles.
Information about transportation, sightseeing, and hotels is available at the i-Punkt, Königstrasse 1A ( 0711/22280; www.stuttgart-tourist.de), which is open year-round Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm, Saturday 9am to 6pm, and Sunday 11am to 6pm.
Altes Schloss and Württembergisches Landesmuseum (Old Castle and Württemberg Regional Museum) HISTORIC SITE/MUSEUM For many visitors, the highlight of one of Stuttgart’s oldest standing structures, a moated castle built in the 13th century and redone in the 16th century in Renaissance style, is the spectacle of two rams locking horns every hour on the hour on the clock face high above the courtyard. Step through the massive castle doors to find a treasure trove of all things Swabian, Swabia being the ancient lands of which Stuttgart was long the capital. Cases show off the crowns of the kings, 14th-century swords, and some other extraordinary but not altogether unexpected treasures, along with some stunners of local design, like a cooly contemporary-looking silver tea service from the late 19th century and an 18th-century automaton, a wind-up, gold-leafed bird that struts and prances. The archological collections display a wealth of artifacts left behind by past residents over the millennia, including a stone mammoth carved by local cave dwellers as long as 35,000 years ago and a treasure trove of jewelry unearthed in Celtic graves. Shedding light on more recent cultures is a riveting exhibition of local living rooms and household artifacts from the 19th through 20th centuries.
Schillerplatz 6. 0711/2793498. www.landesmuseum-stuttgart.de. Admission 4.50€ adults, 3€ students, free for children 13 and under. Tues–Sun 10am–5pm. U-Bahn: Schlossplatz.
Gottlieb Daimler Memorial HISTORIC SITE/MUSEUM Gottlieb Daimler converted the garden house behind his villa just outside Stuttgart into a workshop and it was here that the world’s first internal-combustion engine began spinning in 1883. Daimler and his partner, Wilhelm Maybach, worked in such secrecy that a suspicious gardener, convinced his boss was a counterfeiter, summomed the police to the premises. Daimler was soon fitting his engine onto bikes and into coaches and moved his workshop to a nearby factory, where his mechanics perfected the automobiles that were eventually manufactured by Mercedes-Benz, one of the world’s most enduring luxury brands. Daimler’s covert workshop now houses drawings, photographs, and models of an airship and motorboat that he invented.
Taubenheimstrasse 13. 0711/569399. Free admission. Tues–Fri 2–5pm; Sat–Sun 11am–5pm. U-Bahn: Kursaal.
Kunstmuseum Stuttgart (Stuttgart Art Museum) MUSEUM Yet another standout art collection, designed by Berlin architects Hascher and Jehle, is housed in a filigree glass cube surrounding a rough-hewn limestone inner core. Taking center stage are 19th- and 20th-century works by artists from southern Germany; the paintings, many depicting the brutality of war, by Otto Dix (1891–1969) are particularly compelling. Many of his works were burned by the Nazis, though some of them were hidden by an art dealer and not uncovered until 2012. The museum was highly supportive of Dix in the post-war years and has the most important collection of his works in the world. If you’re wondering what the fuss is all about, check out his “Gross Stadt” (“Big City”) triptych, depicting decadent urbane life in the 1920s. The top floor, a cafe open to the public, provides a panoramic view of Stuttgart and its surrounding hills.
Kleiner Schlossplatz 1. 0711/2162188. www.kunstmuseum-stuttgart.de. Admission 6€ adults, 4€ students, free for children 12 and under. Tues–Sun 10am–6pm (Fri until 9pm). U-Bahn: Schlossplatz.
Mercedes-Benz Museum MUSEUM All curves and glass, this automotive showcase designed by Dutch superstar architects Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos is as dynamic as the automobile to which it pays homage. Among the 160 vehicles parked on nine floors are the Daimler Reitwagen from 1885, the world’s first motorized bicycle, and a fleet of Mercedes-built race cars, from 1899 Blitzen-Benz to the 1980s Sauber Mercedes. The cars that steal the show, though, are the sleek icons of luxurious automobile passenger travel—the long, lean 500 K convertible from 1936, the 1950s Gullwings, and even the classic family sedans will have you riding down the road in style, if only in your dreams, long after you leave.
Mercedesstrasse 100. 0711/1730000. www.museum-mercedes-benz.com. Admission 8€ (4€ after 4:30pm), 4€ ages 15–17 (2€ after 4:30pm), free for children 14 and under. Tues–Sun 9am–6pm. S-Bahn: 1 to Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion; then walk to the entrance of the plant, where you’ll be taken on a special bus to the museum.
Porsche Museum MUSEUM Bold, dynamic, eye-catching—and that’s just the architectural statement that houses 80 legendary cars that are the legacy of Ferdinand Porsche. One of Germany’s great automotive pioneers set up a factory in Zuffenhausen, an industrial suburb, in 1931, launching a business that would become world famous for its sporty serial autos and racing cars. (The Volkswagen was also launched here in 1936 and was often called the “Rounded Porsche.”)
Exhibits change frequently and are designed to be viewed in 90 minutes, with the cars set off in stark displays to ensure they take center stage. Most of Porsche’s milestone-vehicles are always on dispay, including Formula 1 champions and the legendary Porsch 911, the company’s two-door flagship. Tours of the factory show how a car is built, with gigantic robotic claws lowering finished bodies onto drivetrains and chassis. You’ll also see how fenders, engines, and dashboards come together to make what many consider to be the world’s most beautiful automobiles.
Porscheplatz 1. 0711/91125685. www.porsche.com/museum. Admission 8€ (4€ after 5pm), 4€ ages 15–17 (2€ after 5pm), free for children 14 and under. Factory tours in English, times vary (check with information desk). Museum Tues–Sun 9am–6pm. S-Bahn: Neuwirtshaus/Porscheplatz.
Staatsgalerie (State Gallery of Stuttgart) MUSEUM A fine museum that opened as part of the royal art school in 1843 houses works spanning some 550 years. Among many early masterpieces is Hans Memlings’s “Bathsheba at Her Bath” (from around 1440), a brilliant piece of portraiture in which the artist captures beads of moisture on his subject’s brow and her long hair twisted into a knot; bathing Bathsheba, believed to represent the cleansing act of baptism, provided artists with a church-sanctioned means to paint the naked female body. Your reflections on this work and those by other old masters, who were revolutionary in their time, might enhance your appreciation of the adjoining New State Gallery, a controversial addition with an undulating façade designed by the British architect James Stirling and completed in 1984. Galleries surrounding a glass rotunda house a collection of 19th- and 20th-century works that has made the museum into a noted repository of modern art. Picasso’s “Inclined Head of a Woman” and Matisse’s “La Coiffeur” are among many works from the early 20th century, with Mondrian, Gris, Braque, and many other European artists of the time well represented. Curators worked throughout the latter part of the century to reconstitute collections lost to World War II and Nazi purges, with admirable results: Max Beckmann’s “Self Portrait with Red Scarf” is one of relatively few early works of the artist to survive, and the museum has also brought together a sizable number of other works by the Bauhaus school and Blue Rider group, much vilified by the National Socialists.
Konrad-Adenauer-Strasse 30–32. 0711/470400. www.staatsgalerie.de. Admission 7€ adults, 5€ students, free admission on Wed. Wed and Fri–Sun 10am–6pm; Tues and Thurs 10am–8pm. U-Bahn: Staatsgalerie.
The 217m (712-ft.) Fernsehturm (Television Tower), capped with a red-and-white transmitter, soars above a forested hillock south of Stuttgart. It was designed and built in 1956 using radically innovative applications of aluminum and prestressed reinforced concrete, and served as a prototype for larger towers in Toronto and Moscow. A 150m (490-ft.) elevator ride delivers you to a cafe, bar, restaurant, observation platform, and displays detailing the tower’s construction. Food is served daily 10am to 8pm. The entrance is at Jahnstrasse 120, Stuttgart-Degerloch ( 0711/232597; www.fernsehturm-stuttgart.com). Admission is 5€ adults, 3€ children, and the tower is open daily, 9am to 10:30pm. Take tram 15 from the center.
For a more bucolic view of Stuttgart, climb to the top of the 510m (1,670-ft.) Birkenkopf, west of the city, topped off with debris dumped here after World War II to make it the tallest hill in Stuttgart—a green reminder that bombing attacks leveled 60 percent of the city, sparing not a single landmark or historic structure. After the 20-minute walk to the top, you’ll be rewarded by a view of the rebuilt city and the surrounding Swabian Hills, covered with vineyards and woods. Bus 92 will drop you at the trailhead.
Weissenhofsiedlung (Weissenhof Estate) ARCHITECTURAL SITE Architecture buffs will want to pay a visit to this housing estate built for a building exhibition in 1927. Walking through the estate you see houses created by architects such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (Am Weissenhof 14–29), Le Corbusier (Rathenaustrasse 1–3), and Hans Scharoun (Hölzweg 1). Many of the houses represent the functional style that was being promoted by the Bauhaus school of art and design. Displays in the small Architektur-Galerie, Am Weissenhof 30 ( 0711/257-1434; www.weissenhofgalerie.de), provide information about the project and the architects involved; the gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday 2 to 6 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.; walking tours are available on Saturdays at 11am (call first to confirm). To reach the Weissenhof Estate, take a taxi or the U-Bahn line 7 to the Killesberg-Messe stop and walk northeast around the Messe into the residential neighborhood. For a private architectural tour by an English-speaking city guide/taxi driver, call Anselm Vogt-Moykopf at 0172/740-1138 (www.stadtrundfahrt-stuttgart.de).
You encounter the word “Swabia” a lot in Stuttgart. Swabia (Schwaben in German) is the name for a medieval duchy now contained within the federal state of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany, of which Stuttgart is capital. The name comes from Suevi, the original inhabitants, who were conquered by the Franks in the A.D. 5th century. The name “Stuttgart” comes from a stud farm owned by Luidolf, Duke of Swabia, and son of Emperor Otto the Great. With Stuttgart as its capital, Swabia has been a leader of German industry for decades, but the region also is renowned for its scenic countryside. To the north, the Schwäbische Wald (Swabian Forest) stretches to the Schwäbische Alb, a wedge of limestone upland south of Stuttgart. Forests sweep south to the Bodensee, also part of Swabia, and west to the Danube River. The smaller Neckar River flows past Heidelberg and Stuttgart through a vineyard-covered valley.
Alte Kanzlei SWABIAN Occupying a section of the Altes Schloss (Old Castle) on a corner of Stuttgart’s most atmospheric square, the cobbled Schillerplatz, these atmospheric, high-ceilinged rooms dispense traditional Swabian dishes. Some perennial favorites are Maultaschen (pasta stuffed with ham, egg, spinach, or other fillings), Zwiebelrostbraten (roast beef topped with onions), and Fladelsuppe, literally, pancake soup, beef broth flavored with strips of salted, crepelike pastry. A cafe section serves breakfast and lighter meals and spills onto the terrace, making this perbennial favorite even more popular in warmer months.
Schillerplatz 5A. 0711/294457. www.alte-kanzlei-stuttgart.de. Main courses 10€–20€. Daily 10am–midnight (Fri and Sat until 1am). U-Bahn: Schlossplatz.
Zeppelin-Stüble SWABIAN Another stop for Swabian fare—which is what you should eat while in Stuttgart—is an elegant and antiques-filled dining room across from the train station in the Steigenberger Graf Zeppelin hotel, an outlet of a German chain. The food stays close to old Swabian recipes and dispels any notions of generic hotel dining rooms; Schwäbischer Sauerbraten (a Swabian version of marinated beef) and other classics are often accompanied by Spätzle with roasted onions and buttered bread crumbs.
In the Steigenberger Hotel Graf Zeppelin, Arnulf-Klett-Platz 7. 0711/2048184. Reservations recommended. Main courses 11€–21€. Mon–Sat 11:30am–2:30pm and 6–10:30pm. U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof.
Stuttgart is so close to Heidelberg (only 40 min. by train) that you may want to consider spending an evening at one the city’s highly regarded cultural events; listings and tickets are available from the tourist office, and the magazine “Lift,” available at newsstands, lists all the happenings around Stuttgart. Staatstheater (State Theater), Oberer Schlossgarten ( 0711/202090; S-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof), is home to the highly regarded Stuttgart Ballet and the Staatsoper (State Opera). Classical and other concerts are given in the Liederhalle, Schloss-Strasse ( 0711/2167110; U-Bahn: Liederhalle/Berlinerplatz), home to the Stuttgarter Philharmoniker and the Radio Symphony Orchestra.
88km (55 miles) SW of Heidelberg
The notion of the old-fashioned European spa town lives on in Baden-Baden, where the bath-conscious Roman emperor Caracalla came to ease his arthritic aches 2,000 years ago. Queen Victoria, Kaiser Wilhelm I, Napoleon III, Berlioz, Brahms, and Dostoevsky are among the elite who put Baden-Baden on the map as the most elegant and sophisticated playground in Germany. Tolstoy even set a scene in “Anna Karenina” here. Baden-Baden still evokes an aura of privilege, though there’s nothing stuffy about this lively little city that tumbles across green hillsides above darting streams. You can join a well-heeled European crowd and soak in the waters, see the sights and some world-class art, stroll and hike, attend a performance in one of Germany’s most acclaimed concert halls, even try your luck in the casino. You can easily visit Baden-Baden on a day trip from Heidelberg, but after so much exposure to the thermal waters and evergreen-scented fresh air, you may not want to venture any farther than a bed in one of the resort’s pleasant hotels.
GETTING THERE By Train Baden-Baden is on major rail lines connecting Frankfurt and Basel, and Stuttgart and Munich. Trains to and from Heidelberg run about every half hour and the trip takes about an hour. For information, call 01805/996633 or visit www.bahn.de. The railway station is at Baden-Oos, northwest of town, well outside the city center but well connected by buses just outside the entrance.
By Car Access to Baden-Baden is via the A5 Autobahn north and south or the A8 Autobahn east and west. The drive south from Frankfurt takes an hour at most; from Munich, it’s about 4 hours.
GETTING AROUND Bus no. 201, which runs at 10-minute intervals, interconnects most of the important sites with the railway station, about 5km (3 miles) from the center. One-way fare is 2.40€, and tickets are sold from machines and from drivers. The City-Bahn ( 07221/991-998; www.citybahn.de) is a sightseeing train that makes stops at all of Baden-Baden’s major attractions. The train runs daily from 9:30 a.m. to about 5 p.m., making stops at the Kurhaus, Lichtentaler Allee, the Caracalla Baths, and other spots. Tickets cost 6.50€ for adults and 3.50€ for children 5 to 15, and 15€ for families of two adults and two childrn. English commentary is available on a headset.
VISITOR INFORMATION For information, contact Tourist-Information, Schwarzwaldstrasse 52 ( 07221/275200; www.baden-baden.com), Monday to Saturday 9am to 6pm and Sunday 9am to 1pm.
Hotel am Markt Rates at this tidy house on the old marketplace seem out of line with what’s offered—as in, they’re amazingly low given the comfort of the pleasantly modern, colorful guest rooms, some with nice outlooks over the old town. Rooms are the lower floors are a little grander than those at the top of the house, where ceilings are bit low; singles share bathrooms, while some of the doubles have toilets only and shared showers down the hall. Breakfast is served on a tiny terrace cafe in front with petunia-filled window boxes, and a snug, wood-ceilinged breakfast room is a pleasant place to start the day at other times.
Marktplatz 18. 07221/27040. Fax 07221/270444. www.hotel-am-markt-baden.de. 27 units, 12 with bathroom or shower. 65€–68€ double without bathroom or shower; 82€–88€ double with bathroom or shower. Rates include buffet breakfast. Parking 4€. Bus: 201. Amenities: Cafe, free in-room Wi-Fi.
Hotel Schweizer Hof A lot of old fashioned charm is on tap in these high-ceilinged, nicely furnished rooms right in the center of things. It’s not posh, but spotless and friendly, and has atmosphere to spare. The place has been hosting guests who come to take the waters for decades, and offers some attractive multi-day package rates to accommodate them. A large garden is the perfect place to relax after a session at the baths.
Lange Strasse 73. 07221/30460. www.schweizerhof.de. 34 units. 102€–115€ double. Rates include buffet breakfast. Bus: 201. Opposite the Festspielhaus. Amenities: Bar; free Wi-Fi in some rooms.
Rathausglöckel A 16th-century house near the Rathaus and Friedrichsbad and Caracalla baths goes the traditional route with cozy, wood-floored guest rooms that are as distinctive as the centuries-old surroundings. All are good-size, and some of the family-oriented suites are truly substantial; rooms on the upper floors have nice views of the rooftops of the old town, and so does a nice terrace at the top of the house.
Steinstrasse 7. 07221/90610. www.rathausgloeckel.de. 20 units. 110€–137€ double. Rates include buffet breakfast. Bus: 201. Amenities: Restaurant, bar; free in-room Wi-Fi.
Löwenbräu GERMAN/BAVARIAN Baden-Baden, of course, is not in Bavaria, but that doesn’t mean Bavarian specialties served amist kitschy mountain decor don’t have a big following here—not in the least becase the hearty servings of sausages and offerings from the “pork-knuckle grill” are affordable, accompanied by a good selection of beer, and served on a nice linden-shaded terrace and in a beer garden in good weather.
Gernsbacher Strasse 9 (in the Altstadt). 07221/22311. www.loewenbru-baden-baden.de. Main courses 11€–27€. Daily 10am–11pm. Bus: 201.
Rathausglöckel GERMAN This cozy 16th-century house on one of the stepped streets around the Rathaus might be Baden’s most welcoming restaurant. A couple of low-ceilinged, beamed, candlelit rooms on the ground floor of a similarly charming hotel (see above) specialize in local comfort food, of the beef broth with dumplings and bratwurst on braised onion sauerkraut variety. Racks of lamb, duck breasts, and other haute entrees are accompanied by generous portions of gratins and noodles. Service is as polished as the well-burnished wood tables.
Steinstrasse 7. 07221/90610. www.rathausgloeckel.de. Reservations recommended. Main courses 12€–23€. Mon–Sat 5–11pm; Sun noon–10pm. Bus 201.
Stahlbad CONTINENTAL These elegantly low-key, painting-hung rooms in the center of town suggest the parlors of a refined German home, but the menu at one of Baden-Baden’s best and most popular old mainstays sticks to some homey classics like fried goose slices with red cabbage and dumplings and veal kidneys in a mustard sauce with potato puree. The surroundings are especially tranquil in the summer, when the dining room expands to a flowery terrace.
Augustaplatz 2. 07221/24569. www.stahlbad.com. Reservations recommended. Main courses 15€–30€. Tues–Sun noon–2pm and 6–10pm. Bus: 201.
Baden-Baden isn’t a demanding place in terms of monuments and landmarks. The pace is relaxed, and the streets are geared toward pleasurable strolls. The time-honored center of activity is Lichtentaler Allee, an elegant park promenade lined with rhododendrons, azaleas, roses, and ornamental trees set along the bank of the narrow Oosbach River (called the Oos; pronounced ohs). At the north end of the promenade are the formally landscaped grounds of the Kurgarten and the neoclassical Kurhaus, built in the 18th century as a “Promenade House,” where the rich and prominent came to see and be seen. It’s been the hub of Baden-Baden’s social scene ever since, used for receptions and galas, and one wing houses Baden-Baden’s casino (see below). You’ll also want to step into the Trinkhalle (Pump Room) for a sip of the medicinal waters that have been bubbling up for more than 17,000 years and have a look at the frescoes depicting Black Forest legends.
Caracalla-Therme SPA These slightly radioactive waters, rich in sodium chloride, bubble up from artesian wells at a temperature of about 160°F (70°C). Bathers usually begin in cooler pools, working up to the warm water. The baths also have a sauna area, with foot baths and sun baths. You must wear bathing suits in the pools, but everyone goes nude in the saunas.
Römerplatz 1. 07221/275940. www.carasana.de. Admission 15€ for 2 hr., 18€ for 3 hr., 21€ for 4 hr. Daily 8am–10pm. Bus: 201.
Friedrichsbad SPA Leave your clothing and any notions of modestly at the door of the so-called Old Baths, built from 1869 to 1877 at the behest of Grand Duke Friedrich von Baden. The German notion of Freikörperkultur, or Free Body Culture, is the house rule here, and bathing attire is not allowed in the domed, mosaic-covered chambers. On some days the facilities are coed, and on others men and women bathe separately. Following the Roman-Irish method that combines thermal waters and warm air, it takes about 3 hours to follow the complete routine, which involves a shower, two saunas, an optional brush-massage soaping, thermal steam baths, and three freshwater baths ranging in temperature. At the end of the routine you’re encouraged to drift off to sleep beneath a warm blanket in a dimly lit rotunda. After experiencing the Friedrichsbad, you’ll better understand what Mark Twain meant when he said, “Here at Baden-Baden’s Friedrichsbad you lose track of time in 10 minutes and track of the world in 20.”
Römerplatz 1. 07221/275920. www.carasana.de. Admission 23€ without soap-brush massage, 35€ with soap-brush massage. Daily 9am–10pm.
Sammlung Frieder Burda MUSEUM The scion of a famous publishing family, Frieder Burda spent nearly 4 decades amassing this amazing collection of some 580 works of modernist and contemporary art, housed in airy glass premises designed by New York architect Richard Meier. German expressionists, from Ernst Ludwig Kirchner to Max Beckmann, are well represented, and American abstract expressionists Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, and Jackson Pollock also make a showing. Picassos, sculptures by Joan Miro and Niki de Saint-Phalle, and canvases by such contemporary artists as Anselm Kiefer round out this collection that is all the more extraordinary because you don’t expect to come upon so many modern masterpieces in a place as old world and out-of-the-way as Baden-Baden. The building itself is an attraction, a stunning white cube surrounded by reflecting pools and parkland.
Lichtentaler Allee 8B. 07221/398980. www.museum-frieder-burda.de. Admission 9€ adults; 7€ students, children, and seniors. Tues–Sun 10am–6pm.
If you think Baden-Baden is just another stodgy European spa, ponder this. Way back in 1927, the city’s Kurhaus hosted the German Chamber Music Festival. Some avant-garde upstarts stole the show: Composer Kurt Weill and playwright/director Bertolt Brecht premiered their collaboration “Mahagonny Songspiel,” an intoxicating blend of contemporary classical styles, jazz, and cabaret starring Weill’s wife, the singer/actress Lotte Lenya. The three became major forces in 20th-century theater and film. Lenya is most fondly remembered by American audiences for her role in the James Bond thriller “From Russia with Love,” in which she plays Rosa Klebb, a villainous Russian agent with a venom-laced blade stashed in the toe of her shoe. The music they introduced to the Baden-Baden audiences that night in 1927 ushered in the antiopera, opera-like works that defy convention and include such modern classics as “Three Penny Opera,” “Company,” “West Side Story,” and “Rent.” The tune that brought the house down, “Alabama Song,” is a perennial favorite, and one of the Doors’ biggest hits.
The Performing Arts & Nightlife
Baden-Baden has a busy annual schedule of concert, dance, and dramatic performances. A lot of events are held in the 1870s Kurhaus, Kaiserallee 1 ( 07221/9070; www.kurhaus-baden-baden.de); one wing hosts Baden-Baden’s casino, the Spielbank (see “The Casino,” below).
The baroque Theater am Goetheplatz, Goetheplatz ( 07221/932700; www.theater.baden-baden.de), presents opera, ballet, and drama productions. It opened auspiciously with the world première of the Berlioz opera “Beatrice et Benedict” in 1862. The Philharmonie Baden-Baden (Philharmonic Orchestra of Baden-Baden) usually performs in one of the largest concert halls in Germany, the Festspielhaus, in the Alter Bahnhof. In the summer Baden-Baden hosts Musikalischer Sommer Festival, usually conducted during an 8-day period in mid-July, as well as many outdoor concerts in greenspaces around town. For tickets to any cultural or musical event within Baden-Baden, contact either the tourist office ( 07221/275200), which sells tickets on its premises, or the Ticket Service Trinkhalle, in the Trinkhalle on Kaiserallee ( 07221/932700).
Spielbank GAMBLING Marlene Dietrich, the glamorous German film star, once remarked, “The most beautiful casino in the whole world is in Baden-Baden—and I have seen them all.” The casino has been hosting those who like to flirt with lady luck for more than 200 years. Dostoevsky is said to have written “The Gambler” after he lost his shirt, and almost his mind, at the tables here. The casino rooms were designed in the style of an elegant French château. Jackets and ties for men are mandatory, as is evening wear for women. To enter during gambling hours, you must possess a valid passport or identification card and be at least 21 years old.
The historic gaming rooms may be viewed daily 9:30am to noon on a tour costing 5€ for adults, 3€ for children 15 and under. For those who want to gamble later, a full day’s ticket is available for 3€. The minimum stake is 5€, but visitors are not obligated to play. Hours are daily noon to 2am (Fri–Sat until 3am). Kaiserallee 1. 07221/30240. www.casino-baden-baden.de. Bus: 1.
111km (69 miles) SW of Baden-Baden
The largest city unofficial capital of the Black Forest lives up to its role with an outrageously picturesque Altstadt (Old Town) full of gabled, half-timbered houses nestling in a plain below high mountain peaks. Although surrounded by alpine scenery, Freiburg enjoys the benefits of warm air currents that come up from the Mediterranean. Summer days can get very hot, but a mountain breeze called the Höllentaler flows down into the town like clockwork twice every night between 7 and 7:30 and 9 and 9:30pm to cool things down. The Altstadt’s splashing fountains and shallow, fast-flowing streams called Bächle (little brooks) that run alongside the streets in stone-lined channels are also time-honored cooling systems. In spring Freiburg bursts with springtime blooms while snow still covers the surrounding peaks, and in autumn, the smell of new wine fills the narrow streets even as snow is already falling on those nearby summits. On the subject of wine: 1,600 acres of vineyards surround the city, and winegrowing always requires celebrations. On the last weekend in June, a 4-day public wine-tasting festival takes place in the Münsterplatz, the square in front of Freiburg’s magnificent Gothic cathedral.
GETTING THERE By Train Trains arrive from Frankfurt almost every half hour (trip time: 2 hr.) and also half hourly from Baden-Baden, about an our away. For information, call 01805/996633 or visit www.bahn.de.
By Bus Long-distance bus service is provided by Südbaden Bus GmbH, Central Bus Station, Freiburg ( 0761/3680388; www.suedbadenbus.de), with service from Freiburg to EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse; and by EuroRegioBus ( 0761/3680388), which has a bus between Freiburg and the French cities of Mulhouse and Colmar.
By Car Access by car is via the A5 Autobahn north and south.
GETTING AROUND Freiburg is well served by buses and trams, the latter running in the inner city. A one-way fare costs 2.20€; a 24-hour day pass is 5.40€. For schedules and information, or to buy passes, go to VAG Plus-Punkt, Salzstrasse 3 ( 0761/4511500; www.vag-freiburg.de), in the Altstadt. Hours are Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm and Saturday 8:30am to 4pm. Most of the city’s public transportation network shuts down from 12:30 to 5:30am.
VISITOR INFORMATION For tourist information, contact Freiburg Tourist Board, Rathausplatz 2–4 ( 0761/3881880; www.freiburg.de). The office is open June to September Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday 9:30am to 5pm, and Sunday 10am to noon (Oct–May Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 9:30am–2:30pm, and Sun 10am–noon).
Many restaurants in Freiburg, including those listed below, also rent rooms.
Oberkirch A 200-year-old tavern on busy Münsterplatz also rents comfortable, old-fashioned rooms, some with views of the cathedral and market and all enjoying a nice terrace above the square. It’s said you’d have to be a priest to stay in a better location in Freiburg. Some rooms are above the restaurant and others in an adjacent building, and all are different with plenty of warmth and character, enhanced with canopied beds, elaborate headboards, foral wallpapers, crystal chandileers, and other decorative touches best suited to those not looking for generic or minimalist surroundings.
Münsterplatz 22. 0761/2026868. http://eng.hotel-oberkirch.de. 26 units. 139€–159€ double. Rates include buffet breakfast. Tram: 1, 4, or 5. Amenities: Restaurant; free in-room Wi-Fi.
Rappen From the inside this charming inn in the pedestrians-only Altstadt has a lot more cozy Black Forest ambience than many Freiburg hotels. Wrought-iron hanging sign, little dormer windows in its steep roof, window boxes, and shutters are a lot more atmospheric than the rooms, pleasantly and comfortably furnished in a fairly generic style. Ask for a room with a view of the cathedral and your eyes won’t really be on the room decor anyway.
Münsterplatz 13. 0761/31353. Fax 0761/382252. www.hotelrappen.de. 18 units, 13 with bathroom. 124€–150€ double. Rates include buffet breakfast. Parking 9€. All trams stop 20m (70 ft.) behind the hotel. Tram: 1, 2, 3, or 5. Amenities: Restaurant; room service; TV, Wi-Fi (free).
Zum Roten Bären With parts dating from 1120, one of the oldest buildings in Freiburg claims to be the oldest inn in Germany. The vaulted cellar, some evocative stone work, and a smattering of antiques are faithful to the provenance, though the innkeepers have spared any attempt to be quaint in favor of plain contemporary decor in most rooms, and it’s a bit dated at that. High-ceilinged rooms in the orginal building have the most ambiance, and the best overlook a tranquil courtyard. Rooms in a new addition are stylish and nicely furnished in sleek contemporary style, but if it’s medieval atmosphere you’re after, ask for one of the more traditional rooms.
Oberlinden 12, near Schwabentor. 0761/387870. www.roter-baeren.de. 25 units. 158€–197€ double. Rates include buffet breakfast. Parking 9€. Tram: 1. Amenities: Restaurant; room service; sauna; Wi-Fi (in some areas, fee).
For a beer and snack, stop by Hausbräuerei Feierling, Gerberau 46 ( 0761/243480; www.feierling.de), a brewpub with a beer garden across the street. You can get a plate of sausages for about 7€, along with salads or some more substantial fare.
Oberkirch’s Weinstube GERMAN It’s hard to to find more atmospheric surroundings than this old city-center Weinstube (wine tavern) with a monumental, ceiling-high ceramic stove made with ornate decorative tiles and rich wood paneling. Local legend has it the place wouldn’t be here if in centuries past the owner hadn’t put out a blaze by emptying the contents of his wine cask. The food here is old-fashioned, too—tasty soups, meat dishes (veal schnitzel, pork filets in morel cream sauce), poultry, and game in season, all served in large helpings. Summertime dining is on a terrace overlooking the minster.
Münsterplatz 22. 0761/2026868. Fax 0761/2026869. www.hotel-oberkirch.de. Reservations recommended. Main courses 13€–25€. Mon–Sat noon–2pm and 6:30–9:30pm. Closed for 2 weeks in Jan. Tram: 1, 2, 3, or 5.
Weinstub/Hotel Sichelschmiede GERMAN Another top Freiburg spot for picturesque dining has a biergarten-terrace on a small square flanked by a rushing Bächle (little brook) and shaded by horse-chestnut trees. In cooler months the action moves into wood paneled, beamed, and fire-warmed rooms inside. These are excellent settings in which to try some local Zwiebel (onion) dishes, a specialty of the region. Zwiebelschmelze is especially memorable—a spinach-and-vegetable-filled ravioli covered with sautéed onions. A simpler Vesperkarte (late-evening menu) is available from 10pm to midnight.
Maplnsel 1. 0761/35037. www.sichelschmiede.de. Main courses 8€–15€. Daily noon–midnight.
The minster is almost as rich a repository of secular concerns as it is a sacred precinct, a phenomenon you’ll notice even before you step through the massive portals—one of the gargoyles peering down from the tower’s roof has its backside turned toward the archbishop’s house across the square, supposedly a sign of the architect’s contempt for the city fathers. Markings on the façade were used as gauges to keep medieval vendors honest and make sure they were selling bread that met the criterior for length and height. Commerce also makes an appearance in the 13th- and 14th-century stained glass, where the guilds who funded them ensured pretzels, tools, and other signs of their crafts were incorporated into the designs. Likewise, scenes in the panels of Hans Holbein’s magnificent altarpiece include the donor’s sons, daughters, deceased wife, grandchildren, and decreased wife, giving all a little push toward eternal salvation.
Zum Roten Baren GERMAN One of the best kitchens in Freiburg serves wonderfully prepared dishes using local ingredients in one of the city’s most authentically atmospheric dining rooms. Pay special attention to the seasonal dishes, such as Spargel (white asparagus), available in May and June, or roasted goose, served in November and December. The Spargelpfannkuchen is asparagus served with a special pancake, cooked ham, and Hollandaise sauce. A young Rivaner wine, grown on the nearby Kaiserstühl vineyards, is a light, fruity accompaniment.
In the hotel Zum Roten Bären, Oberlinden 12 (just inside the Schwabentor). 0761/387870. www.roter-bren.de. Main courses 10€–22€. Daily noon–2pm and 7–10pm.
Augustiner Museum MUSEUM Some outstanding pieces of art from the Middle Ages are arranged throughout a 13th-century Augustine church and monastery that’s been beautifully restored to show off the pieces to their best effect. Weathered red sandstone sculptures of 10 Old Testament prophets that once adorned the tower of the Minster are dramatically arrayed in two rows of the former nave, beneath gargoyles depicting the Seven Deadly Sins. The minster’s medieval gold and silver has been brought here for safekeeping, and the collection’s greatest treasure is “Miracle of the Snows” by Matthias Grünewald (1470–1528), depicting a miraculous August snowfall in 4th-century Rome. Little is known about Grünewald and all but 10 of his paintings were lost at sea when they were being carted off to Sweden as booty during the Thirty Years War; his great masterpiece, the Isenheim Altarpiece, is in Colmar, just across the border in France.
Augustinerplatz. 0761/2012531. www.augustinermuseum.de. Admission 6€ adults, free for children 17 and under. Tues–Sun 10am–5pm. Tram: 1.
Freiburg Münster (Minster) CHURCH You get a sense of the magnificence of this cathedral long before you reach the doors and catch glimpses of the spire, a masterpiece of filigree stonework that has risen above the roofs of Freiburg for almost 8 centuries. Jacob Burckhardt, the 19th-century Swiss historian of art and culture, said it “will forever remain the most beautiful spire on earth,” and so far, his words appear to be holding true. The tower’s longevity and miraculous survival during World War II bombing raids are attributed not to divine intervention but to some sound 13th-century engineering and the use of lead anchors. Those early masterminds never saw the enormous church completed, as it took 4 centuries before the last stones were put in place and the cathedral’s style had transformed from Romanesque to Gothic. The carvings around the main doors are lessons in stone, intended to teach the illerate parables from the Old and New Testaments. Inside are two of the great masterpieces of Germany’s so-called Northern Renaissance, both altarpieces, one by Hans Baldung (1484–1545) and the other by Hans Holbein (1497–1543), probably the most renowned German artist of his time. Baldung’s is a monumental 12-paneled portrayal of the Coronation of the Virgin with scenes from her life, all rendered in the bright colors and showing the tranquil expressions that are hallmarks of this artist who learned his craft from the great Albrecht Dürer. Only two panels of Holbein’s work remain, depicting the Adoration of the Shepherds and the Three Magi; the other pieces were allegedly destroyed when Holbein’s Catholic imagery fell out of favor during the Protestant Reformation.
Freiburg’s Altstadt has many lovely old fountains and a unique system of streams called Bächle (little brooks) that date back to the 12th century. First devised to keep the city clean and to help fight fires, the brooks channel water from the Dreisam River through the old university town and help to keep it cool in the hot summer months. You can see the Bächle running alongside many Altstadt streets. According to local folklore, if you step in a Bächle, you will marry a person from Freiburg.
In Münsterplatz, across from the cathedral, is the brick-red Kaufhaus (Customs House), a medieval emporium with an arcaded balcony and hands down the most colorful and charming structure in Frieburg. The four statues above the balcony are of Hapsburg emperors, who ruled Freiburg for 4 centuries, until the early 19th century.
Münsterplatz. 0761/202790. www.freiburgermuenster.info. Admission: Cathedral free; tower 2€ adults, 1€ students, free for children 14 and under. Cathedral year-round Mon–Sat 10am–5pm; Sun 1–7:30pm. Tower May–Oct Mon–Sat 9:30am–5pm, Sun 1–5pm; Nov–Apr Wed–Sat 9:30am–5pm. Tram: 1, 2, 3, or 5.
Museum für Neue Kunst MUSEUM It’s well worth spending half an hour or so in this small modern art collection that delivers some surprises with a few 20th-century masterpieces. Among the best are works by Otto Dix, who once lived on nearby on Constance and is best known for his depictions of the brutality of war, and Oskar Kokoshka, the Austrian born expressionist who’s canvases are explosions of color and movement.
Marienstrasse 10A. 0761/2012581. www.museen.freiburg.de. Admission 3€ adults, 2€ students, free for children 6 and under. Tues–Sun 10am–5pm. Tram: 1, 2, 3, or 5.
Schlossberg ACTIVITY From the Schwabentor (see below), a pathway climbs up this hill that provides good views of the cathedral. You can also ascend the Schlossberg from the Stadtgarten (City Gardens) by cable car ( 0761/39855; round-trip fare 3€, operates June–Sept 10am–7pm, Oct–Jan 11:30am–6pm).
Schwabentor (Swabian Gate) LANDMARK One of two surviving gates from the Middle Ages, when Freiburg was a walled city, the Schwabentor dates from around 1200. Paintings on the tower include one of St. George, the city’s patron saint. The neighborhood around the Schwabentor is called the Insel (Island) because rushing streams, called Bächle, surround it and is the most picturesque quarter in Freiburg, with narrow cobblestone streets and old houses once inhabited by fishermen and tanneries.
THE SCHWARZWALD (BLACK FOREST) 
The Black Forest, about 145km (90 miles) long and 40km (25 miles) wide, runs parallel to the Rhine, which serves as a boundary with Switzerland to the south and France to the west. The Bodensee (Lake Constance) adjoins the forest to the east. For the Germans the mountainous, legend-filled, pine- and spruce-filled forest is a favorite place to escape into nature. The name “Black Forest” comes from the Romans, who thought the dark swaths of trees sweeping across the mountainus landscapes looked black.
Here are two ways to explore the Black Forest from Freiburg, a drive and an excursion by train or bus to the nice little woodsy town of Triberg.
Driving Through the Upper Black Forest
From Freiburg, you can make an easy 145km (90-mile) circuit through a scenic part of the Black Forest and be back in time for dinner. Along the way, you pass some of the forest’s highest peaks and two of its most beautiful lakes.
From Freiburg, head south on Kaiser-Joseph-Strasse to Günterstal and follow the narrow, twisting road to Schauinsland. From the parking lot, you can climb 91 steps to an observation tower for a panoramic view toward the Feldberg, a nearby peak. The area also has easy hiking trails. Continue south to the hamlet of Todtnau, where you find a 1.6km-long (1-mile) footpath to an impressive series of waterfalls. (You need about an hour to get to the falls and back.) From Todtnau, pick up B317 west to Utzenfeld and follow the narrow road northwest to the Belchen, a famous mile-high peak. An enclosed gondola, the Belchen Seilbahn, Belchenstrasse 13 ( 07673/888-280), takes you to the peak for one of the most spectacular views in the Schwarzwald. From the grassy summit you can see the Feldberg and other nearby mountains, green hillside pastures, tile roofs in small villages, and the vast Rhine plain to the west. Give yourself about 90 minutes for the gondola ride and a stroll on the summit; the cable car operates daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The round-trip costs 6.50€ for adults, 4.50€ for children.
From the Belchen, backtrack to Utzenfeld and follow B317 east to Feldberg, where another enclosed gondola, the Feldbergbahn ( 07655/8019), takes visitors to the 1,450m (4,750-ft.) summit of a peak called Seebuck. The round-trip takes about an hour, and on a clear day, you can see the highest peaks of the Alps to the south. The cable car operates daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; the round-trip ride costs 6.80€ for adults, 4.80€ for children.
Continue on B317 east and turn south on B500 to Schluchsee, one of the loveliest of the Black Forest lakes. From Schluchsee, head back north along B500 to Titisee, another popular Black Forest lake. From Titisee, you can return to Freiburg by heading west along B31.
48km (30 miles) NE of Freiburg
Triberg, deep in the heart of the Black Forest, claims to be the birthplace of the cuckoo clock, so if you’re in the market for a traditional timepiece, this is the place to find it. You’ll also find many little shops selling woodcarvings, music boxes, and other local crafts. The big natural attraction is Wasserfälle Gutach (Gutach Falls), the highest cataracts in Germany. You can reach Triberg by train along a scenic stretch of railway, making the town a good target for nondrivers. Be warned, though, that Triberg is virtually overrun with tour buses in summer.
Clock watchers with a car and time on their hands may want to drive the scenic Deutsche Uhrenstrasse (German Clock Rd.) through the Black Forest from Villingen-Schwenningen to Bad Duerrheim, find more about the route at www.deutsche-uhrenstrasse.de. Triberg is one of the stops on the 320km (200-mile) circuit, along which you find all kinds of museums and sights related to clocks. One of the most interesting stops is the Deutsches Uhrenmuseum (German Clock Museum), Robert-Gerwig-Platz 1, Furtwangen ( 07723/920-117; www.deutsches-uhrenmuseum.de). In addition to the world’s largest collection of Black Forest clocks, the museum has time-pieces from all around the world and from all eras. The museum is open daily April through October from 9am to 6pm, and November through March from 10am to 5pm. Admission is 4€ for adults, 2.50€ for students.
GETTING THERE The Triberg Bahnhof is on the picturesque Schwarzwaldbahn rail line connecting Konstanz, Singen, Villingen, and Offenburg, with frequent connections in all directions; you’ll change in Offenberg when coming from Freiburg. Call 01805/996633 or visit www.bahn.de for schedules and information. Regional bus service in the Black Forest area is provided by SBG Südbaden Bus GmbH, located in the nearby town of Furtwangen ( 07723/19449; www.suedbadenbus.de). Access by car is via the A5 Autobahn north and south; exit at Offenburg and then follow the signs along Rte. 33 south.
When you get to town you may want to make a stop at the tourist office, Wallfahrtstrasse 4 ( 07722/866490; www.triberg.de); it’s open year-round daily 10am to 5pm (summer until 6pm).
It’s easy to find Wasserfälle Gutach (Gutach Falls), also known as Triberg Falls, in which the Gutach River spills some some 160m (525 ft.) downhill in seven misty and poetically evocative stages: Signs all over town point to DEUTSCHLAND’S HOCHSTE WASSERFÄLLE (Germany’s Highest Waterfalls). The falls are accessible only on foot, and only between April and late October. (The rest of the year, snow makes trails dangerously slippery, and access to the falls is closed.) It takes no more than half an hour of moderate climbing to reach the falls, and you can replenish your reserves in a cafe and restaurant at the bottom that serves bracing, rib-sticking German food and big portions of Black Forest cake. You might be disappointed to discover the falls are more of a tourist attraction than a pristine natural wonder: They’re illuminated at night, and at any time a kiosk collects an entrance charge of 3.50€ for adults, 2€ for students and children ages 8 to 17, free for children under 8.
Schwarzwald-Museum Triberg, Wallfahrtstrasse 4 ( 07722/4434; www.schwarzwaldmuseum.com), pays homage to Black Forest traditions with displays of handicrafts, furnishings, and, of course, clocks and clock making. A working model of the famed Schwarzwaldbahn railway chugs across the Black Forest, through spectacular scenery; parts of the electrified route, completed in 1873, still cover 150km (90 miles), passing through 39 tunnels and over 2 viaducts. The museum is open daily May to September 10am to 6pm, and October to April 10am to 5pm. Admission is 5€ adults and 3€ students and children ages 5 to 17; it’s free for children 4 and under enter free.
The famous Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cherry Cake), the thick, chocolaty cake flavored with cherry preserves, is one of the specialties of this region that’s so close to France and Switzerland and something of a culinary crossroads. If you want to sample other regional specialties, look for Zwetchgentorte (plum pastry), Zwiebelkuchen (onion tart), Schwarzwald Schinken (Black Forest smoked ham), meat and fowl dishes with creamy sauces, and wild game such as venison and boar. Most restaurants make their own Hauswurst (sausage) and guard the recipe.
Konstanz is 125km (78 miles) SE of Freiburg
German speakers call this enormous body of water the Bodensee, but elsewhere in Europe it’s known as Lake Constance. Whatever you call it, it is the largest lake in Germany–15km (9 miles) across at its widest point and 74km (46 miles) long. Because of its mild, generally sunny climate and natural beauty, the Bodensee is considered by the Germans to be a kind of inland Riviera. The northern shore is German; Switzerland and Austria share the western and southern portions of the lake’s 258km (160 miles) of shoreline. The Rhine flows into the lake from the Swiss Alps, which rise up in majestic splendor along the southern shore, and leaves at Konstanz, continuing on from there to the North Sea. In the summer, holidaymakers descend on the shores, where vineyards slope down to crowded marinas, and charming old towns bask in the golden sun. You even find subtropical vegetation growing in sheltered gardens.
On this day trip we’re suggesting that you travel east from from Freiburg to get a glimpse of the lake from the pretty old town on its northwestern shores, Konstanz.
GETTING THERE Konstanz is 125km (78 miles) east of Freiburg on B31, and the scenic drive through the Black Forest takes about 1½ hours. The train trip between Freiburg takes about 2½ hours and requires at least one change. Konstanz tourist information is at Bahnhofplatz 13 ( 07531/13-30-30; www.konstanz.de).
Crowding the tip of a peninsula right on the border with Switzerland, Konstanz straddles both banks of the Rhine. Adding to this scenic advantage is a great deal of medieval charm, supplied by twisting streets, pretty churches, and two Rhineside towers that are remnants of the town’s walls. The Altstadt escaped bombing by Allied Forces during World War II with a simply ploy: Residents left their lights on at night, making bombardiers think they were flying over neutral Switzerland.
You can see the town in about half an hour, beginning on the Münsterplatz for a look at the Münster (Cathedral), begun in the 11th century and not completed until the 17th, and just to the south, the Rathaus, with a painted facade. Then head towards the harbor and stroll along the Seeufer (Lake Shore), an attractive promenade that passes the port, public gardens, a casino, dozens of cafes and restaurants. The historic lakeside Konzilgebäude (Council Building) hosted the Council of Constance between 1414 and 1418, the only papal conclave ever held north of the Alps (Hafenstrasse 2). You may want to board one of the ferries in the harbor for a trip to one of two nearby islands; Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe, Schützingerweg 2, Lindau ( 08382/2754-810; www.bsb-online.com), provides ferry service on the lake.
Insel Reichenau (Reichenau Island) RELIGIOUS SITE In 724 St. Pirmin founded the first Benedictine monastery east of the Rhine on this little island, only 5 sq. km (2 sq. miles), which later became a center for the production of illuminated manuscripts. Three churches are the main attraction: The late-9th-century St. Georgskirche (Church of St. George) in Oberzell is remarkable for its harmonious design and wall paintings from about A.D. 1000; the oak roof frame of the Munster St. Maria and Markus (Church of St. Mary and Mark) in Mittelzell, the chief town on the island, is believed to be the oldest in Germany, created from oaks that were felled around 1236; and the Stiftskirche (College Church) St. Peter in Niederzell on the western tip of the island has wall paintings from the 12th century.
Mainau PARK/GARDEN On this almost tropical island 6km (4 miles) north of Konstanz, palms and orange trees grow and fragrant flowers bloom year-round, practically in the shadow of the snow-covered Alps. The late Swedish Count Lennart Bernadotte is credited with this luxuriant botanical oasis, with greenhouses, seasonal gardens, and an arboretum. Palms, citrus and fruit trees, orchids, azaleas, rhododendrons, tens of thousands of tulips in the spring, and roses in the summer fill the gardens and hothouses, and butterflies from throughout the world flit and flutter through the Butterfly House. The count’s family resides in the ancient castle, once a stronghold of the Knights of the Teutonic Order, and oversee the island paradise he established. A number of restaurants—including a formal restaurant, a cafe, and a sausage grill—are tucked into scenic locations around the island. The gardens are open year round from sunrise to sunset. You can reach Mainau either by tour boat from Konstanz or by walking across the small footbridge connecting the island to the mainland, north of the city. Admission is 18€ for adults, 11€ for students and children, 37€ for families, free for children 12 and under. For more information, call 07531/3030 or visit www.mainau.de.
