By air
Basel-Mulhouse (BSL) or Stuttgart (STR), ~1 h
Europe · Germany
Black Forest, Germany
Dark woods, cuckoo clocks and waterfalls
Getting there
Best time to visit
May to October — hiking weather
Don't miss
Titisee
The Triberg Waterfalls
Baden-Baden
Freiburg
Things to do
Hiking
The Titisee lake
Spa towns like Baden-Baden
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Stefan Karl · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Hiking shoes
A quieter corner
The Mummelsee lake on the Black Forest High Road
Questions travellers ask
Which airports serve the Black Forest?
Basel-Mulhouse (BSL) or Stuttgart (STR), about 1 hour away.
When is the Black Forest best for hiking?
May to October is hiking weather. Bring hiking shoes.
Which places in the Black Forest should I visit?
The Titisee lake, the Triberg Waterfalls, Freiburg, and spa towns like Baden-Baden. Look out for the Mummelsee lake on the Black Forest High Road, too.
Which local foods should I try in the Black Forest?
Black Forest gateau and Black Forest ham.
About Black Forest
- Forest
- Mountains
Where it is
The Black Forest (Schwarzwald) is a large forested mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, south-west Germany, bounded by the Rhine valley to the west and south, across which lie France and Switzerland; its highest peak, the Feldberg, rises to about 1,500 m.
History
The Alemanni and later medieval monasteries settled and cleared the forest's valleys. For centuries its logs were rafted down the Kinzig, the Murg and the Rhine, farmers carved wooden cuckoo clocks in winter to earn extra income, and in the 19th century spa towns such as Baden-Baden and the Black Forest Railway, opened in 1873, brought in visitors.
People
People in the Black Forest speak German, mostly in Alemannic dialects. The traditional costume of Gutach, Kirnbach and Reichenbach includes the Bollenhut, a hat with woollen pompoms, red for unmarried women and black for married ones, and before Lent the Fasnet carnival brings out carved wooden masks.
Known for
- Cuckoo clocks and woodcarving
- Black Forest gateau and Black Forest ham
- The Triberg Waterfalls
- Lake Titisee and the Schluchsee
- The spa town of Baden-Baden
Did you know?
The Danube, Europe's second-longest river, begins in the Black Forest, where the Brigach and Breg streams meet at Donaueschingen.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.