Freiburg & Southern Black Forest

Sunny university city Freiburg is the gateway to the southern Black Forest – Titisee, Feldberg, Triberg Waterfalls and cuckoo clocks – where Germany, France and Switzerland meet.

Freiburg sits in Baden-Württemberg in Germany's south-western corner, close to Alsace in France and Basel in Switzerland. One of Germany's sunniest cities, it is also the gateway to the southern Black Forest. The old town centres on the red sandstone Freiburg Minster; the Münsterplatz market, the little streetside water channels (Bächle) and the two medieval gates, Martinstor and Schwabentor, are all within a 15-minute walk, and the Schlossberg offers views over the whole city; the Vauban district in the south-west is a world-famous eco-neighbourhood. To the east lies the Black Forest: the Höllental Railway takes about 40 minutes to Titisee, and further south are the highest peak, Feldberg, along with the Feldsee and Schluchsee; the Schauinsland cable car climbs the mountain straight from the city outskirts. To the north, the Triberg Waterfalls, the world's largest cuckoo clock, the Vogtsbauernhof open-air museum and the German Clock Museum in Furtwangen make a good one-day driving loop; to the south are the Todtnau Waterfall, Belchen and the Wutach Gorge. On the Rhine plain to the west lie the wine town of Staufen, the Kaiserstuhl vineyards and the border town of Breisach, and 35 km to the north is Europa-Park, Germany's largest theme park. The best time to visit is May–Oct: swimming and boating on the lakes in summer, autumn colours and the grape harvest in autumn; Dec–Mar brings skiing on the Feldberg and Christmas markets in the old town. Getting there: the nearest airport is EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg (about 1 hour by bus), and the ICE from Frankfurt takes about 2 hours. Stay two nights or more in the Black Forest region to receive the KONUS card for free regional trains and buses; some hotels also provide the Hochschwarzwald Card, which includes admission to many attractions. Allow 3–4 days: 1 day in the old town, 1 day for Titisee and Feldberg, 1 day for the Triberg area, and 1 day for the wine towns or Europa-Park. Mountain weather is changeable, so bring rain gear for hiking.

Top sights

Freiburg Minster – A Gothic cathedral of red sandstone whose 116-meter openwork spire is hailed as the most beautiful tower in Christendom. It is the very hea…
Freiburg Bächle – Medieval water channels that run alongside the streets of the Old Town. Legend says that anyone who accidentally steps into one will marry…
Titisee – The best-known glacial lake in the Black Forest. The lakeside town is full of cuckoo clock shops and cake cafés, and you can go boating or…
Triberg Waterfalls – One of Germany’s highest-drop waterfalls, cascading in seven stages for about 163 meters in total. You can often feed squirrels in the fore…
Black Forest Open Air Museum Vogtsbauernhof – Preserves a farmhouse from 1612 on its original site and has relocated several traditional large-roofed farmsteads, recreating rural Black…
Münsterplatz Market – An open-air farmers’ market circling the cathedral, where Black Forest ham, cheese and the “long sausage bun” make up Freiburgers’ breakfas…
Martinstor – A 13th-century city-gate tower marking the southern entrance to the old town, where a McDonald’s sits in an unusual spot right beside the g…
Schwabentor – A medieval gate on the east side of the old town; its outer wall bears a mural of Saint George slaying the dragon, and behind it begin Fisc…
Fischerau & Gerberau – Two historic lanes along a commercial canal in the southern old town, with half-timbered houses, small bridges and cafés, known as Freiburg…
Rathausplatz Freiburg – A square with the old and new red town halls standing side by side, ringed by open-air café seating under chestnut trees; it is the most re…
Augustinermuseum – An art museum housed in a converted medieval monastery, with original cathedral sculptures, Upper Rhine medieval art and paintings by Grüne…
Schlossberg Freiburg – A small hill right beside the old town; take the funicular or walk 20 minutes up for views over the cathedral, red-tiled roofs and the dist…
Vauban – A world-renowned eco-district built on a former French army camp, known for car-free streets, solar-powered rooftops and participatory plan…
Schauinslandbahn – One of Germany’s longest circulating cableways, taking about 20 minutes to reach the 1,284-meter Schauinsland, with views over the Black Fo…
Feldberg – The highest peak of the Black Forest at 1,493 m; in winter it is the largest ski area in southwestern Germany, and in summer it offers hiki…
Feldsee – A cirque lake at the foot of Feldberg, its deep green water ringed by steep forest; one of the Black Forest’s classic hiking destinations.
Schluchsee – The largest lake in the Black Forest, with open shores and few visitors; a great place to swim, sail and bike around the lake in summer.
Eble Uhren-Park (World's Largest Cuckoo Clock) – A Guinness-certified world’s largest cuckoo clock: an entire wooden house built as a clock, with a wooden cuckoo popping out on the hour.
German Clock Museum – A clock museum in Furtwangen that traces the evolution of timekeeping, from Black Forest wooden cuckoo clocks to astronomical clocks.
Ravenna Gorge – A gorge trail beside the “Hell Valley,” with waterfalls, wooden walkways and a towering railway viaduct; in winter there is a popular illum…
Wutach Gorge – A wild river gorge known as the “Great Canyon of the Black Forest,” about 30 km long and one of Germany’s most beautiful hiking routes.
Todtnau Waterfall – A natural waterfall with a drop of about 97 m, one of the tallest in the Black Forest, with a summer mountain coaster nearby that suits fam…
Belchen – The third-highest peak in the Black Forest (1,414 m), with a 360-degree view from its rounded summit; it is often called the most beautiful…
St. Peter Abbey – A Baroque monastery on the Black Forest plateau with a gilded rococo library; it is the starting point of the Black Forest Panorama Route.
St. Blasien Cathedral – A giant neoclassical domed church in the deep Black Forest, with a dome about 36 metres across, ranking among the largest in Europe.
Staufen im Breisgau – A wine town on the southern outskirts of Freiburg, legendary as the place where Doctor Faust was carried off by the devil, with colourful o…
Breisach & St. Stephen's Minster – A border town on a hill above the Rhine, where the Romanesque-Gothic cathedral houses an exquisite carved wooden altarpiece and a Last Judg…
Kaiserstuhl – Germany's warmest volcanic hills, with terraced vineyards on loess soil stretching across the landscape, famous for its Grauburgunder, Weis…
Europa-Park – Germany's largest theme park, divided into zones by European country, with numerous roller coasters and repeatedly named one of the best th…
Neuf-Brisach – A perfectly octagonal star-shaped fortress town designed by Vauban, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located just across the Rhine from Breisa…

Where to eat

Zum Roten Bären – Claiming to be Germany's oldest guesthouse, with records dating back to 1387, serving seasonal Baden cuisine and local…
Meiers Wurststand – A third-generation family-run sausage stand on the north side of Münsterplatz; a must-visit at the Freiburg Cathedral M…
Martin's Bräu – Freiburg's first brewpub located next to the Martinstor, serving unfiltered house beers, Baden comfort food, and open-k…
Zur Wolfshöhle – A Michelin-starred restaurant in the Old Town pedestrian zone, where Chef Martin Fauster excels in wild game, rich sauc…
Oberkirchs Weinstuben – An established wine tavern on Münsterplatz featuring wood-paneled walls and tiled stoves, serving trout, beef, and hand…
Restaurant Schwarzwaldhof – A hotel restaurant in the center of Hinterzarten village, highly praised for the Black Forest gateau from its in-house…

Itineraries

Black Forest North-to-South Self-Drive – Drive south from the spa town of Baden-Baden along the High Road, passing waterfalls and lakes to Freiburg.
Heidelberg, Alsace & Black Forest Railway – A Germany-France border rail loop connecting Heidelberg, Baden-Baden, Strasbourg, Colmar, and Freiburg.
Southern Germany Grand Loop: Frankfurt to Munich – A grand self-drive route connecting Heidelberg, the Black Forest, Lake Constance, Neuschwanstein Castle, and Zugspitze.