Freiburg
With its lacy spires, cheeky gargoyles and intricate entrance portal, Freiburg’s 11th-century minster cuts an impressive figure above the central market…
Must-see attractions in The Black Forest
The Black Forest
The Schwarzwälder Freilichtmuseum spirals around the Vogtsbauernhof, a self-contained early-17th-century farmstead. Farmhouses shifted from their original…
The Black Forest
From the baroque-meets-neoclassical Schloss, Karlsruhe’s 32 streets radiate like the spokes of a wheel. Karl Wilhelm, margrave of Baden-Durlach, named his…
Baden-Baden
A Joan Miró sculpture guards the front of this architecturally innovative gallery, designed by Richard Meier. The star-studded collection of modern and…
The Black Forest
Embracing the global craft gin craze, Monkey 47 has scooped awards for its batch-distilled, handcrafted dry gin, with piney, peppery notes. Distillery…
The Black Forest
Sticking out above Rottweil like a sore thumb, the futuristic, environmentally progressive Testturm is the brainchild of steel-engineering giant…
The Black Forest
Niagara they ain’t but Germany’s highest waterfalls do exude their own wild romanticism. The Gutach River feeds the seven-tiered falls, which drop a total…
Schwarzwaldhochstrasse
An outdoor wonderland of heather-speckled moors, glacial cirque lakes, deep valleys, mountains and near-untouched coniferous forest, the Black Forest…
The Black Forest
Looming above Freiburg, the Schauinsland peak (1284m) is topped by a lookout tower commanding fabulous views to the Rhine Valley and Alps, plus walking,…
Upper Danube Valley Nature Reserve
The Black Forest
Theatrically set against cave-riddled limestone cliffs, dappled with pine and beech woods that are burnished gold in autumn, and hugging the Danube's…
The Black Forest
Billed as the best-preserved medieval monastery north of the Alps, this one-time Cistercian monastery was founded by Alsatian monks in 1147. It was born…
Freiburg
Dip into the past as represented by artists working from the Middle Ages to the 19th century at this superb museum in a sensitively modernised monastery…
Freiburg
The forested Schlossberg dominates Freiburg. Take the footpath opposite the Schwabentor, leading up through sun-dappled woods, or hitch a ride on the…
The Black Forest
Sharp angles contrast with graceful swirls on Frank Gehry’s strikingly postmodern Vitra Design Museum. The blindingly white edifice hosts thought…
The Black Forest
Heading south on the Freiburg–Feldberg road, you’ll glimpse the roaring Todtnauer Wasserfall. While the 97m falls are not as high as those in Triberg,…
Baden-Baden
The sublime casino seeks to emulate – indeed, outdo – the gilded, chandelier-lit splendour of Versailles. Marlene Dietrich called it ‘the most beautiful…
Schwarzwaldhochstrasse
This glacial cirque lake makes a beautiful splash on a vast tract of forest. Lore has it that a king and nymphs dwell in its inky depths – and indeed the…
Baden-Baden
This 2.3km ribbon of greenery, threading from Goetheplatz to Kloster Lichtenthal, is quite a picture: studded with fountains and sculptures and carpeted…
The Black Forest
A steady and attractive 6.5km walk through spruce forest and pastures from Triberg's waterfall brings you to this 1070m-high 19th-century lookout tower,…
The Black Forest
Next to the 13th-century Riettor gate tower and occupying a former Franciscan monastery, the Franziskaner Museum skips merrily through Villingen’s history…
Breisach
Plonked on a hill above the centre for all to behold in wonder, the Romanesque and Gothic St Stephansmünster shelters a faded fresco cycle, Martin…
The Black Forest
All the more evocative for its lack of adornment, this 11th-century former Benedictine monastery effectively conveys the simple, spiritual life in its…
Schwarzwaldhochstrasse
Word has it that German composer Brahms and French painter Courbet had a soft spot for these wispy falls, which plunge over mossy boulders into a green…
The Black Forest
The town's most outstanding landmark is this former Benedictine abbey, a rococo jewel designed by Peter Thumb of Vorarlberg. Many of the period’s top…
Freiburg
Join locals relaxing in a cafe by the fountain in chestnut-shaded Rathausplatz, Freiburg's prettiest square. Pull out your camera to snap pictures of the…
Breisach
Vauban’s French fortified town of Neuf-Brisach (New Breisach), a Unesco World Heritage Site, sits 4km west of Breisach. Shaped like an eight-pointed star,…
The Black Forest
The treasure-trove Badisches Landesmuseum, inside the Schloss, shelters the jewel-encrusted crown of Baden's grand-ducal ruling family, and spoils of war…
The Black Forest
Named after the tiny chapel at the head of the Breg Valley, Martinskapelle attracts cross-country skiers to its forested trails in winter and hikers when…
The Black Forest
The outstanding State Art Gallery presents a world-class collection, from the canvases of late-Gothic German masters such as Matthias Grünewald and Lucas…
The Black Forest
Between the town’s two tower-topped gates sits the triangular Marktplatz, dominated by the Rathaus, an 18th-century pink-and-cream confection. The…
The Black Forest
A cable car whisks you to the 1493m summit of Feldberg in minutes. The panorama unfolding at the top reaches across the patchwork meadows and woods of the…
The Black Forest
Centred on a trickling fountain, the sloping, triangular Marktplatz is Schiltach at its picture-book best. The frescoes of its step-gabled 16th-century…
Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie
The Black Forest
Set in a historical munitions factory, the ZKM is a mammoth exhibition and research complex fusing art and emerging electronic media technologies. The…
Schwarzwaldhochstrasse
Rising 1007m, Mehliskopf's slopes attract families seeking low-key outdoor adventures. You can whiz downhill year-round on the bob run, picking up speeds…
The Black Forest
If giant cuckoo clocks and Black Forest gateau no longer thrill, how about a trip to the world’s largest loo? Drive on the B33 to Hornberg and there, in…
Baden-Baden
Rheumatism, arthritis, respiratory complaints, skin problems – all this and a host of other ailments can, apparently, be cured by Baden-Baden’s mineral…
The Black Forest
Haslach’s 17th-century former Capuchin monastery houses this museum, showcasing flamboyant costumes and outrageous hats, the must-have accessories for the…
The Black Forest
Buried deep in the forest, the nature-focused Steinwasen Park, 7.5km southeast of Schauinsland, is a big hit with families. A trail weaves past animal…
Schwarzwaldhochstrasse
As storybook Black Forest villages go, Ottenhöfen fits the bill nicely with its plethora of lovingly restored watermills (best explored on the 12km…
Baden-Baden
Standing proud above a manicured park, this neoclassical pump room was built in 1839 as an attractive addition to the Kurhaus. The 90m-long portico is…
