The Black Forest

The Black Forest

The Black Forest, synonymous with cuckoo clocks, folklore and primeval woodland punctuated by charming, gabled fairy-tale cottages, is one of the most popular tourist centers of the countryside.

The northern region, crossed by broad, densely wooded ridges, thickly forested slopes and small picturesque lakes, such as the Mummelsee and the Widsee, includes the 270-km (167 miles) Black Forest Spa Route, linking many of the spas in the region, from Baden-Baden to Bad Wildbad. A trip to the area would not be complete without a soak in their warm waters. The lovely Nagold River is also here, as well as the ancient towns of Bad Herrenalb and Hirsau and the magnificent abbey at Maulbronn, near Pforzheim.

The Central Black Forest is home to the Simonswald, Elz and Glotter valleys as well as Triberg and Furtwangen, which have interesting cuckoo-clock shops and museums. The area around the Triberg Falls, the highest in Germany, is renowned for its traditional pop-pom hats, thatched farmhouses and mountain railways. The Schwarzwaldbahn (Black Forest Railway), which passes through Triberg, is one of the most scenic in all of Europe.

In the south, you will find the most spectacular and dramatic mountain scenery in the area, culminating in the Feldberg, at 1,493 meters (4,899 feet) the highest mountain in the Black Forest. The region also has two large glacial lakes, the Titisee and the Schluchsee. Freiburg, a romantic university city with vineyards producing dry Baden wines and a superb Gothic cathedral with its perfect spires, is also located here.