Discover mystical locations and experience traditions

The Black Forest is like a fairy tale with its clear lakes and idyllic river courses, gorges and waterfalls. The fir green forests in Germany’s largest low mountain range would have been the perfect scenery for brave Little Red Riding Hood, written by the Brothers Grimm. To the present day, walkers and cyclists have been following in the footsteps of old sagas and cultures on their holidays in the Black Forest in an unspoiled landscape which, with its extinct volcanoes of Vogelsberg and Kaiserstuhl, reminds you of the hot phase of the earth’s history, and which was largely covered with glaciers around 12,000 years ago. In the summer months, the warm sun makes walking and cycling in the Black Forest a pure joy. Skiers and snowboarders can usually find good conditions for winter sports in the higher areas of the Black Forest. Hinterzarten, Freudenberg, Titisee-Neustadt, Baiersbronn and Schonau are just five of over 70 ski resorts in the Black Forest.

Baden wine is grown on the sunlit hillsides of Breisgau, Ortenau, Markgräflerland, Tuniberg and Kaiserstuhl. A very special part of your holiday in the “Land of Burgundy” is a visit to a Straußenwirtschaft bar, where wine growers offer their own wine on their own premises, and in autumn serve simple dishes to accompany their wine such as tarte flambée, onion tart, Black Forest ham and other regional specialities.

National park, nature park and the Black Forest biosphere reserve

Feldberg, Schauinsland, Hochfirst, Kandel and the panoramic mountain of Belchen are five of the best-known elevations in the Black Forest. They are the destination of countless hiking trails, cycling tours, ski tours and mountain bike trails and they attract nature-loving hikers, cyclists, bikers and skiers to the Black Forest each year. With all this breathtaking natural beauty, the whole Black Forest should probably be given protected status. In actual fact, it’s well on its way, since with the Black Forest National Park located to the north, the Black Forest Central/North Nature Park, the South Black Forest Nature Park and the biosphere reserve also located in the south, the Black Forest has the largest protected area of any holiday region. The concept of nature-based, gentle tourism in which unspoiled nature and cultivated landscapes are protected and preserved in equal measure impresses guests from all over the world.

Gorges in the Black Forest

The gorges in the Black Forest, embedded in a wild and romantic landscape that has been shaped by water over millions of years, make walking in the Black Forest a unique adventure even for children. Probably the best known of these is the Wutachschlucht canyon, a unique and original wild river landscape in the South Black Forest Nature Park that is up to 200 metres deep. Of course, the Wutachschlucht canyon is also one of the main attractions on the Schluchtensteig, a Wanderbares Deutschland premium trail that guides you for 118 kilometres along idyllic river valleys, up steep cliffs and past excellent viewing points through the Black Forest’s green meadows and woods over six stages. Some of the other numerous attractions and sites of natural beauty on the Schluchtensteig trail are the historic Sauschwänzlebahn train, the Lotenbachklamm hiking attraction, the Schluchsee reservoir lake, St. Blasien Cathedral and the Wehra valley.

Health resorts and thermal baths in the Black Forest

Baden-Baden, Bad Peterstal-Griesbach, Hinterzarten, Freudenstadt and Bad Wildbad are just five of over thirty state-approved spas and curative health resorts in the Black Forest. Of course, you can be perfectly healthy and still enjoy the fresh air, curative thermal springs and the wide range of services on offer relating to thermal baths, wellness, spas and health in one of the modern thermal baths. The pretty towns in the Black Forest with their traditional flair and rich cultural life as well as the unspoiled nature and delicious cuisine also help provide maximum restoration and relaxation during your holiday in the Black Forest.

Tourist attractions in the Black Forest

Where does one begin when it comes to counting the tourist attractions in the Black Forest, and where does one end? In the Markgräflerland region, the town of Badenweiler with its castle ruins and well-preserved thermal baths from Roman times is certainly worth a visit. Just a stone’s throw away are the ruins of Rötteln Castle, one of the largest castle complexes in Baden. You must visit Freiburg’s historic old town, of course, with its colourful market stalls in front of the Gothic cathedral. Since Alsace is just around the corner, Strasbourg beckons with its many attractions and Strasbourg Cathedral, one of Europe’s most important cathedrals, is well worth a visit. At the source of the Donau in Donaueschingen, a visit to the Fürstlich Fürstenberg castle with its resplendent state rooms is also an absolute must. In addition to cuckoo clocks and Bollenhut hats, you can experience Black Forest traditions everywhere, such as underground mining, steam trains, scenic water mills or the Alemannic Fastnacht carnival. Last, but not least, the list of tourist attractions has to include one the best-known attractions in the Black Forest: the Europapark Rust, which attracts millions of visitors to the Black Forest each year with some of the most spectacular roller coasters in the world.