| Black Forest (Schwarzwald) | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Country |  Germany |
|---|---|
| Area | 6 009,2 km² |
| Spindle | UTC 01:00, UTC 02:00 |
| Location | |
 48 ° 18 ′ 0 ″ N 8 ° 18 ′ 0 ″ E | |
| Touristic site | |
The Black Forest (German:Schwarzwald) is a region located in the southwest corner of theGermany, in the land of Baden-Württemberg.
Understand
This ancient forest is famous for its legends and for its black fir trees that dot the landscape. Although not particularly high, the mountains are a wonderful place for hiking or mountain biking. There are a few ski resorts which offer average conditions as well, but which are very busy. You better go south to the Alps if you are a serious skier or snowboarder.The Black Forest is a mountainous region rising to around 200-1500 meters above sea level with the highest point being the Feldberg (the mountain of the field) at an altitude of 1 493 m.
The area is famous for its cuckoo clock, watchmaking, skiing and tourism. There is a large high-tech industry in the region, arising from the days of gold mining and watchmaking. Almost all tourists come from Germany and Switzerland; The region's tourist industry is therefore not well equipped to deal with customers who do not speak German.
The most important destination in the Schwarzwald is called Titisee, which is a medium-sized lake, with an associated tourist village (Titisee-Neustadt) and hotels, with great views and generally very relaxing and healthy activities. From here it is a short distance to Lake Constance and the city of Constance, or to see the rhine falls in Neuhausen in Swiss.
Regions
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Cities
- 1 Baden-Baden – Famous spa town.
- 2 Bonndorf im Schwarzwald – Famous for its carnival museum.
- 3 Freiburg im Breisgau (Freiburg im Breisgau) – The "Jewel of the Black Forest".
- 4 Gengenbach
- 5 Gernsbach
- 6 Offenburg – The capital of the Ortenau wine region.
- 7 Pforzheim – The “Gateway to the Black Forest”.
- 8 Schiltach
- 9 Villingen-Schwenningen – The traditional Mecca of the Swabian-Alemannic carnival.
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Other destinations
- Schönwald im Schwarzwald – Where the cuckoo clock was invented in 1737.
- 3 Taubergießen – A wetland floodplain near the Rhine.
- Schwarzwaldhochstraße – A panoramic road that crosses the black forest.
- Mummelsee – A small lake along the Hochstraße.
- Deutsches Uhrenmuseum (in Furtwangen along the Schwarzwaldhochstraße) – The largest collection of Black Forest clocks and cuckoo clocks.
- Maulbronn Abbey (near Pforzheim) – An extraordinarily well-preserved medieval Cistercian monastery, site of the UNESCO World Heritage.
To go
By plane
The nearest airports are:
- 1 Airport Friedrichshafen (IATA : FDH, Flughafen Friedrichshafen)
- 2 Karlsruhe-Baden-Baden Airport (Baden-Airpark) (near Karlsruhe)
- 3 Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg International Airport (IATA : EAP, IATA : BSL, IATA : MLH, EuroAirport) (near the town of Basel in Switzerland, 20 km of Mulhouse in France, and 50 km of Freiburg im Breisgau in Germany.)
- 4 Airport Stuttgart (IATA : STR) (in Germany) – With many domestic and European flights.
- 5 Airport Zurich (IATA : ZRH) (in Swiss) – With good air and rail connections.
- 6 Frankfurt airport (IATA : ENG) – An important international and intercontinental hub, with fast rail links. From there take the train (excellent) or rent a car.
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By train
From France, the best is to go to Freiburg im Breisgau which, in addition to being a pleasant little town to visit, will make a good starting point for the region. Since Strasbourg, take the train to Offenburg then change to Friborg (1 h 10/28 € with an ICE, 1 h 30/20 € by express train). Since Colmar, bus to Breisach am Rhein Bahnhof and then train to Friborg (1 h 15). Since Mulhouse, train to Müllheim, then change to Friborg (1 h, 13 €).
Circulate
The region is served by a network of regional buses and trains. As they are not necessarily very frequent, it is better to check the departure time in advance.
If you are staying in a guesthouse or hotel, you will often be given a free 'Gästekarte' (guest card) called KONUS. This allows unlimited travel on many local trains and buses (but not the “IC” / “EC” express trains and the “ICE” high-speed trains). It is valid during your stay (from your arrival, including the day of your departure), which allows you to visit the region from accommodation to accommodation without paying for transport. This includes the following fare zones (map available through the link above):
- Tarifverbund Ortenau
- Regio-Verkehrsverbund Freiburg
- Regio-Verkehrsverbund Lörrach
- Waldshuter Tarifverbund
- Verkehrsverbund Schwarzwald-Baar
- Verkehrsverbund Rottweil
- Verkehrsgemeinschaft Freudenstadt
- Verkehrsgesellschaft Bäderkreis Calw
- Teile des Karlsruher Verkehrsverbundes
You will just need to show it with some ID to the driver or the controller.
Do
The Black Forest has a good choice of Trek, with well-marked trails and maps available from tourist offices. Some Germans even spend a week or two on hikes with their backpacks, spending the night in the primitive accommodations that are the little huts along the paths (to be reserved in advance with the Forestamt office). If you love nature but not so much, you can still go backpacking, going from one village to another by a mixture of hikes and bus trips, sleeping in the very economical rooms of hosts (see "Housing »).
To buy
Eat
The food often includes hearty dishes, and there are lots of cakes, cookies, meats and sauces. In particular we find the Black Forest, the famous eponymous cake (well, in French; in German it is called "Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte Literally black forest cherry cake). The drink is excellent here, some of Germany's best beers and wines are produced in the region.
The Black Forest region has a number of restaurants, the small village of Baiersbronn having the highest density of Michelin-starred restaurants in Germany.
Have a drink / Go out
There are several types of drinks related to the Black Forest, but as in the rest of Germany beer is widely used there. Some of the more common beers are those from Rothaus and Alpirsbacher.
Housing
Accommodation in major tourist areas can be cheaper than in small, quaint towns and villages. For a pretty hut of traditional architecture at a reasonable price, look for a Gasthaus (guest house): there are some in villages all over the region. These come with a lot of good surprises, often with great home-cooked food and special service usually provided by the family who have lived there for many generations. Ask the local tourist office for a list (which often contains prices). Sometimes it will even go so far as to call the hosts to ask for the availability of accommodation. We can have a room in a Gasthaus from 20 € for one person (which will be cheaper than a youth hostel in many countries, for a welcome comparable to that of a good hotel), and up to 70 € for a double room / two people. Reservations may be required at festivals or near tourist sites in the summer.
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Mid-priced hotels start at 50-100 € per night for a double room, with a lot of availability in the medium and expensive categories. Eating in good restaurants can be expensive, a meal for two ranging from 40 to 150 € drinks included. Hostels in villages tend to be less expensive than hostels in cities. But there are also some great deals, with plenty of Turkish-style kebabs and pizzerias offering food for less than 5 €. You can also buy fresh baguettes, meat and cheese at the local grocery store. The grocery store is inexpensive, with various fruit juices available at a reasonable price (we found cherry, apple, grape, orange, banana, and even brick-built sauerkraut juice, for 1 € liter). In the southern Black Forest, look for Lidl, Aldi and Pennymarkt stores for the lowest prices.
Around
- Bertha Benz Memorial Route - in the footsteps of the world's first road trip dating back to 1888, from Pforzheim in the Black Forest to Mannheim
- Historical region of Swabia (Schwaben) - take advantage of Spätzle (egg pasta) in this picturesque neighboring region which connects Baden-Württemberg with the Bavaria.
