Must-see attractions in The Black Forest

  • Freiburg Minster cathedral night view

    Freiburger Münster

    Freiburg

    With its lacy spires, cheeky gargoyles and intricate entrance portal, Freiburg’s 11th-century minster cuts an impressive figure above the central market…

  • Vogtsbauernhof

    The Black Forest

    The Schwarzwälder Freilichtmuseum spirals around the Vogtsbauernhof, a self-contained early-17th-century farmstead. Farmhouses shifted from their original…

  • The hunting lodge, 1752-1785, architects Friedrich von Kesslau and Balthasar Neumann, Karlsruhe, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany

    Schloss

    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…

  • Germany, Baden-Wurttemburg, Baden-Baden, Museum Frieder Burda, modern art museum, exterior, dawn

    Museum Frieder Burda

    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…

  • Small bottles of "Monkey 47" gin are offered at a stand at the eat&STYLE food festival in Hamburg, Germany, 11 November 2016. Germany's biggest food festival "eat&STYLE" was opened at the Hamburg "Schuppen 52". The festival offers current food trends and workshops for visitors. Photo: Christian Charisius/dpa | usage worldwide   (Photo by Christian Charisius/picture alliance via Getty Images)

    Monkey 47

    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…

  • Photo Taken In Rottweil, Germany

    Testturm

    The Black Forest

    Sticking out above Rottweil like a sore thumb, the futuristic, environmentally progressive Testturm is the brainchild of steel-engineering giant…

  • Triberg waterfalls

    Triberger Wasserfälle

    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…

  • Beautiful Picture taken from the Eugen-Keidel-Tower in HDR

    Schauinsland Peak

    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…

  • Kloster Maulbronn

    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…

  • Augustinermuseum

    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…

  • Schlossberg

    Freiburg

    The forested Schlossberg dominates Freiburg. Take the footpath opposite the Schwabentor, leading up through sun-dappled woods, or hitch a ride on the…

  • Vitra Design Museum

    The Black Forest

    Sharp angles contrast with graceful swirls on Frank Gehry’s strikingly postmodern Vitra Design Museum. The blindingly white edifice hosts thought…

  • Todtnauer Wasserfall

    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,…

  • Casino

    Baden-Baden

    The sublime casino seeks to emulate – indeed, outdo – the gilded, chandelier-lit splendour of Versailles. Marlene Dietrich called it ‘the most beautiful…

  • Lichtentaler Allee

    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…

  • Franziskaner Museum

    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…

  • Stöcklewaldturm

    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,…

  • St Stephansmünster

    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…

  • Kloster Alpirsbach

    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…

  • Ehemaliges Benedikterkloster

    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…

  • Rathausplatz

    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…

  • Neuf-Brisach

    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,…

  • Badisches Landesmuseum

    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…

  • Martinskapelle

    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…

  • Kunsthalle Karlsruhe

    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…

  • Marktplatz

    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…

  • Feldbergbahn

    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…

  • Marktplatz

    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…

  • Duravit Design Centre

    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…

  • Fettquelle

    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…

  • Schwarzwälder Trachtenmuseum

    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…

  • Steinwasen Park

    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…

  • Trinkhalle

    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…

  • Münsterplatz

    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…

  • Stadtkirche

    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…

  • Schwarzes Tor

    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…

  • Staatliche Kunsthalle

    Baden-Baden

    Sidling up to the Museum Frieder Burda is this sky-lit gallery, which showcases rotating exhibitions of contemporary art in neoclassical surrounds…

  • Museum am Markt

    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…