The Black Forest
The Münsterplatz is presided over by the step-gabled Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) and Klaus Ringwald’s Münsterbrunnen, a bronze fountain and a tongue-in…
Must-see attractions in The Black Forest
The Black Forest
In the southwest corner of Marktplatz looms the 17th-century red-sandstone Stadtkirche, with an ornate 12th-century Cluniac-style baptismal font, Gothic…
The Black Forest
The sturdy 13th-century Schwarzes Tor is the gateway to Hauptstrasse and the well-preserved Altstadt, a cluster of red-roofed, pastel-painted houses. The…
Baden-Baden
Sidling up to the Museum Frieder Burda is this sky-lit gallery, which showcases rotating exhibitions of contemporary art in neoclassical surrounds…
The Black Forest
Museum am Markt is crammed with everything from antique spinning wheels to Biedermeier costumes. Highlights include the cobbler’s workshop and an…
The Black Forest
The grand neoclassical Marktplatz is dominated by the Ionic portico of the 19th-century Evangelische Stadtkirche and the dusky-pink Rathaus. The iconic…
Baden-Baden
The centrepiece of cobbled Marktplatz is this pink church, a hotchpotch of Romanesque, late Gothic and, to a lesser extent, baroque styles. Its…
The Black Forest
Clamber south up Schlossbergstrasse, pausing to notice the plaques that denote the trades of one-time residents, such as the Strumpfstricker (stocking…
Freiburg
The sculptor Christian Wentzinger’s baroque townhouse, east of the Historisches Kaufhaus, now shelters this museum, spelling out in artefacts Freiburg’s…
The Black Forest
The Guinness World Records–listed world's largest cuckoo clock occupies an entire house, but is mostly a gimmick to lure shoppers inside a large clock…
The Black Forest
The best way to discover Gengenbach’s historical centre is with a serendipitous mooch through its narrow backstreets, such as the gently curving…
Baden-Baden
The beauty-conscious Romans were the first to discover the healing properties of Baden-Baden’s springs in the city they called Aquae Aureliae. Slip back…
The Black Forest
A glockenspiel bashes out melodies and a cuckoo greets his fans with a hopelessly croaky squawk on the hour at the kitschy House of 1000 Clocks, a…
Baden-Baden
Admittedly it's not everyone's cup of tea, but if you happen to find Fabergé fascinating, you're going to love this museum devoted to its impossibly…
Schwarzwaldhochstrasse
Serene and family-friendly, Kniebis backs onto a terrific landscape for all manner of outdoor activities – from hiking and biking to cross-country skiing…
The Black Forest
The main crowd-puller in Villingen's Altstadt is the red-sandstone, 12th-century Münster with its disparate spires: one overlaid with coloured tiles, the…
Freiburg
This archaeology-focused museum is inside the neo-Gothic Colombischlössle. From the skylit marble entrance, a cast-iron staircase ascends to a stash of…
Baden-Baden
Though modest in height, the 668m Mt Merkur commands widescreen views of Baden-Baden and the Murg Valley. It’s a popular spot for paragliding, gentle…
The Black Forest
Lovers of statistics will delight in ticking off Germany’s biggest square (216m by 219m, for the record), dislocated by a T-junction of heavily trafficked…
The Black Forest
The riverfront Schüttesäge Museum focuses on Schiltach’s rafting tradition with reconstructed workshops, a watermill generating hydroelectric power for…
The Black Forest
The conservation-oriented, 3700-sq-km Naturpark Südschwarzwald spans most of the southern Black Forest, home to vivacious university city Freiburg and…
Schwarzwaldhochstrasse
The 90m-high Allerheiligen Wasserfälle spill in silky threads over several cascades. From here, a short round-trip trail leads over bridges and up steps…
Baden-Baden
Corinthian columns and a frieze of mythical griffins grace the belle époque facade of the Kurhaus, which towers above well-groomed gardens. An alley of…
The Black Forest
Standing proud on Münsterplatz, the late-Romanesque, three-aisled Münster-Heiliges-Kreuz features some striking Gothic stonework and cross-ribbed vaulting…
Freiburg
In a sculpture-dotted park sits the neo-Gothic Colombischlössle. Built for the Countess of Colombi in 1859, the whimsical red-sandstone villa now houses…
Baden-Baden
These Italianate gardens are the perfect spot to unwind, with their soothing fountains and waterfalls. There are fine views of the Altstadt and wooded…
Freiburg
The 13th-century Schwabentor, on the Schwabenring, is a massive city gate with a mural of St George slaying the dragon, and tram tracks running under its…
Baden-Baden
The Romans used to cool off at this hill; check out the ruins of the original baths at its foot. Nowadays, on the same site, the serene botanical gardens…
The Black Forest
Amble along Klosterstrasse to check out the former Benedictine monastery. A calm Kräutergarten (herb garden), stippled with fragrant and medicinal herbs,…
The Black Forest
At the northern tip of Marktplatz, Museum beim Markt presents an intriguing stash of post-1900 applied arts, from art nouveau to Bauhaus.
Freiburg
Across the Gewerbekanal from the Altstadt, this gallery highlights 20th-century Expressionist and abstract art, including emotive works by Oskar Kokoschka…
Baden-Baden
Beautiful, if a little incongruous, Baden-Baden's Byzantine-style 1882 Russian church is lavishly adorned with frescos and topped with a brilliantly…
Schwarzwaldhochstrasse
If wildlife encounters rank highly on your wish list, factor in a stop at this game reserve to come eye to eye with stags, roe deer and wild boar.
The Black Forest
Lush with exotic foliage and ideal for a stroll, the Botanischer Garten is speckled with greenhouses, one showcasing a giant Victoria water lily.
The Black Forest
A rival to the hotly contested giant-cuckoo-clock crown, the so-called 'world's oldest-largest cuckoo clock' kicked into gear in 1980 and took local…
Freiburg
Facing the Münster’s south side and embellished with polychrome tiled turrets is the arcaded brick-red Historisches Kaufhaus, an early 16th-century…
Baden-Baden
Vine-swathed steps lead from Marktplatz to the 15th-century Neues Schloss, the former residence of the Baden-Baden margraves, which is set to reopen at…
The Black Forest
Tucked behind the Franziskaner is the Spitalgarten, a park flanked by the original city walls. Here your gaze will be drawn to Romäusturm, a lofty 13th…
The Black Forest
Imagine the surprise when this Roman bath was unearthed in the late 19th century. The 45m-by-42m complex served as a public bath for the Roman legion in…
Baden-Baden
Lichtentaler Allee concludes at the Kloster Lichtenthal, a Cistercian abbey founded in 1245, with an abbey church where generations of the margraves of…
