The Black Forest (Schwarzwald) is the wooded upland in Germany's south-west corner, between the Rhine valley and the Swiss border. This guide covers its central and southern part, where most first-time visitors go: the university city of Freiburg im Breisgau with its Gothic minster and the Schauinsland cable car, the spa town of Baden-Baden on the northern edge, Triberg with its waterfalls on the scenic Black Forest Railway, the Feldberg, the highest mountain in Baden-Württemberg, glacial Lake Titisee in Titisee-Neustadt, and the Mummelsee on the Black Forest High Road near Seebach. Europa-Park in Rust lies just outside the region in the Rhine plain; we include it as an option for families.
Below you will find the sights we rate most highly, a car-free day trip from Freiburg, a two-day itinerary, how to get here from Frankfurt, Basel, Zurich or Stuttgart, and what changes in winter 2026/27. Opening hours and prices are as of October 2026; each attraction page has the full details.
Our picks for a first visit — each with a short reason why.
Waterfalls
Triberg im Schwarzwald
The Triberg Waterfalls in the heart of Germany's Black Forest are among the country's most famous waterfalls. In the small town of Triberg, the Gutach River tumbles a total of 163 meters in a chain of cascades through a steep fir forest, w…
1. The Gutach river drops 163 metres in cascades right in the centre of Triberg, lit up until about 10 pm. The ticket (EUR 9 in summer, EUR 7 in winter) also covers the Black Forest Museum next door.
Lakes
Titisee-Neustadt
Lake Titisee in Germany's Black Forest is one of the country's most famous lakes and a favorite day trip from Freiburg. Carved by an Ice Age glacier and surrounded by dark fir forests at about 845 meters (2,770 feet) above sea level, it of…
2. A glacial lake at about 845 metres with a lakeside promenade, boat hire and a path all the way round. Motorboats are banned. In winter you may only walk on the ice once the town declares it safe.
Churches & monasteries
Freiburg im Breisgau
Freiburg Minster (Freiburger Münster) is the landmark of Freiburg im Breisgau and one of the finest Gothic churches in Germany. Built of red sandstone on the edge of the Black Forest, it is crowned by an openwork spire that the Swiss histo…
3. Red sandstone Gothic minster with a 116-metre openwork spire; 209 steps lead to a gallery at 70 metres (EUR 5). Entry to the church is free and a farmers' market surrounds it every morning except Sunday.
Mountains & peaks
Feldberg (Schwarzwald)
The Feldberg is the highest mountain in Germany's Black Forest and in the state of Baden-Württemberg, rising to about 1,494 meters (4,902 feet). Its bald, grassy summit offers views that on clear days stretch from the Vosges in France to t…
4. At almost 1,494 metres the highest peak in the German low mountain ranges. The lift runs daily 9 am–4:30 pm until 30 November 2026; the viewing tower on the Seebuck is closed in winter.
Mountains & peaks
Freiburg im Breisgau
Schauinsland is Freiburg's own mountain and one of the best viewpoints in the southern Black Forest. Rising to 4,213 feet (1,284 m) about six miles southeast of the old town, it is reached by Germany's longest circulating cable car. At the…
5. Freiburg's 1,284-metre home mountain, reached by tram, bus and a 20-minute cable car ride (EUR 15 return). Closed for maintenance from 16 November to 4 December 2026.
Lakes
Seebach
Mummelsee is the best-known mountain lake in the northern Black Forest, set right on the Black Forest High Road at more than 3,300 feet above sea level. This small, dark glacial lake, ringed by spruce forest beneath the Hornisgrinde, is wr…
6. A dark cirque lake on the B 500 Black Forest High Road. The 800-metre path around it is step-free and takes about 15 minutes; trails continue up to the Hornisgrinde moor.
Landmarks
Baden-Baden
The Kurhaus of Baden-Baden is the grand neoclassical centerpiece of Germany's most famous spa town, on the edge of the Black Forest. Behind its white columned facade lies the legendary Casino Baden-Baden, which Marlene Dietrich called the…
7. Neoclassical spa house from 1821–1823 with the famous casino, gardens and colonnades. Casino entry from age 21 with passport and a jacket for men; morning tours show the gaming rooms without playing.
Walk 15 minutes from Freiburg Hauptbahnhof to the Münsterplatz. The market runs Monday to Friday 7:30 am–1:30 pm (Saturday until 2 pm); the tower opens at 11 am Monday to Saturday. Allow two hours for church, tower and market.
Places: Freiburg Minster
The Höllentalbahn line runs from Freiburg Hauptbahnhof to Titisee in about 40 minutes, and the lake is a few minutes' walk from the station. Take a boat tour or walk part of the lakeside path.
Places: Lake Titisee
Bus 7300 runs hourly from Titisee to Feldberger Hof, where the lift goes up to the Seebuck summit and viewing tower (until 30 November 2026: lift 9 am–4:30 pm, tower until 4 pm). In winds above about 58 km/h the lift stops.
Places: Feldberg
Minster, tower and the morning market. On Saturdays there is organ music at 11:30 am during market time.
Places: Freiburg Minster
Tram line 2 to Günterstal, then bus 21 to the valley station – about 20 minutes from Bertoldsbrunnen. At the top: a viewing tower, a former silver mine you can tour and a farmhouse museum from 1593.
Places: Schauinsland
Come early, when the water is often mirror-still and the promenade is quiet.
Places: Lake Titisee
Drive the B 317 or take bus 7300 to Feldberger Hof, ride up to the Seebuck and walk about 2 km across the open plateau to the true summit.
Places: Feldberg
Just under an hour's drive to Triberg, where the falls are lit until about 10 pm. Families can swap the day for Europa-Park in Rust, off the A 5 at exit 57b; buy dated tickets online.
Places: Triberg Waterfalls Europa-Park
By air. The closest airport to Freiburg is Basel-Mulhouse EuroAirport on the Swiss-French border; from Basel, trains reach Freiburg along the Rhine. Frankfurt (FRA) has the most long-haul flights; ICE trains from Frankfurt run down the Rhine valley to Baden-Baden and Freiburg in roughly two hours. Zurich (ZRH) works via Basel, and Stuttgart (STR) is handy if you have a car and are heading for the northern Black Forest.
By train. Freiburg and Baden-Baden are ICE stops on the Karlsruhe–Basel line (Baden-Baden station is in the Oos district; take a city bus into town). From Freiburg the Höllentalbahn climbs to Titisee-Neustadt; for the Feldberg get off at Feldberg-Bärental and take bus 7300. Triberg is on the Black Forest Railway between Offenburg and Konstanz. The Mummelsee in Seebach is served only by hiking buses from Achern, Baden-Baden and Freudenstadt.
By car. The A 5 motorway runs along the Rhine valley. From Freiburg the B 31 leads through the Höllental gorge to Titisee and the B 317 on to the Feldberg (about 50 minutes). The Mummelsee lies on the B 500 between Baden-Baden and Freudenstadt.
Getting around. If you stay overnight, ask your host for the KONUS guest card: it covers local buses and trains across the Black Forest.
Spring and autumn are the best seasons: the Triberg falls carry the most water during snowmelt, and clear autumn days give the longest views from the Feldberg and Schauinsland. Summer weekends are busy at Titisee, the Mummelsee and Triberg; arrive early or late in the day.
Winter 2026/27. The Schauinsland cable car is closed from 16 November to 4 December 2026 and again from 22 February to 19 March 2027. The Feldberg viewing tower closes for winter, when the lift serves the Black Forest's largest ski area (14 lifts; in 2025/26 the season ran from 28 November to 6 April, depending on snow). At Triberg only the cleared lower sections of the falls are open, at a reduced EUR 7. In December, a Christmas market fills the square in front of the Kurhaus in Baden-Baden.
Rainy day? The Black Forest Museum in Triberg (included in the waterfall ticket), the Badeparadies water park at Titisee and Freiburg Minster all work in bad weather.
One day covers Freiburg, Lake Titisee and the Feldberg by train and bus. Two days let you add Schauinsland and the Triberg Waterfalls. With three or more days you can also visit Baden-Baden and the Mummelsee in the north, or spend a day at Europa-Park.
Basel-Mulhouse EuroAirport is closest to Freiburg and the southern Black Forest. Frankfurt has the widest choice of flights and fast ICE trains to Baden-Baden and Freiburg in about two hours. Zurich and Stuttgart are alternatives, Stuttgart mainly if you rent a car.
Yes. Trains run from Freiburg to Titisee, buses from Titisee to the Feldberg, the Black Forest Railway serves Triberg, and tram plus bus reach the Schauinsland cable car. The KONUS guest card for overnight visitors makes local transport free. Only the Mummelsee has sparse bus service.
Spot squirrels at the Triberg Waterfalls, take a pedal boat on Lake Titisee or the Mummelsee, ride the Schauinsland cable car (children 6–14 pay EUR 10 return) or the Feldberg lift. Europa-Park in Rust, Germany's largest theme park, is a full day out.
Yes, for snow on the Feldberg ski slopes and the Christmas market in Baden-Baden, but plan around closures: Schauinsland cable car shut from 16 November to 4 December 2026, the Feldberg tower closed all winter and only parts of the Triberg falls open.
The region brings together attractions from these towns. Open a town guide or its list of attractions.
Waterfalls
Triberg im Schwarzwald
The Triberg Waterfalls in the heart of Germany's Black Forest are among the country's most famous waterfalls. In the small town of Triberg, the Gutach River tumbles a total of 163 meters in a chain of cascades through a steep fir forest, w…
Mountains & peaks
Feldberg (Schwarzwald)
The Feldberg is the highest mountain in Germany's Black Forest and in the state of Baden-Württemberg, rising to about 1,494 meters (4,902 feet). Its bald, grassy summit offers views that on clear days stretch from the Vosges in France to t…
Lakes
Titisee-Neustadt
Lake Titisee in Germany's Black Forest is one of the country's most famous lakes and a favorite day trip from Freiburg. Carved by an Ice Age glacier and surrounded by dark fir forests at about 845 meters (2,770 feet) above sea level, it of…
Waterfalls
Oppenau
The All Saints Waterfalls (Allerheiligen-Wasserfälle) near Oppenau are the largest natural waterfalls in the northern Black Forest. The Grindenbach stream tumbles down seven cascades through a narrow rocky gorge, and a trail of stairs and…
Castles
Baden-Baden
Hohenbaden Castle, known locally as the Old Castle (Altes Schloss), towers above the spa town of Baden-Baden in Germany's Black Forest. It was the ancestral seat of the Margraves of Baden, the family that gave its name to the whole region.…
Old towns & squares
Freiburg im Breisgau
The old town of Freiburg im Breisgau is one of the most charming city centers in southern Germany, set at the edge of the Black Forest. Its lanes are crowned by the Gothic Freiburg Minster and laced with the famous Bächle, small water chan…
Theme parks
Baden-Baden
The Caracalla Therme (Caracalla Spa) in Baden-Baden is the modern thermal bath of Germany's most famous spa town, on the edge of the Black Forest. It sits in the historic bath quarter next to the Friedrichsbad, and its round domed hall, ou…
Churches & monasteries
Freiburg im Breisgau
Freiburg Minster (Freiburger Münster) is the landmark of Freiburg im Breisgau and one of the finest Gothic churches in Germany. Built of red sandstone on the edge of the Black Forest, it is crowned by an openwork spire that the Swiss histo…
Landmarks
Baden-Baden
The Friedrichsbad in Baden-Baden is a grand 19th-century bathhouse and one of the most beautiful historic thermal baths in Europe. Behind its Renaissance Revival facade in the old spa quarter, you follow a fixed ritual – the Roman-Irish ba…
Landmarks
Baden-Baden
The Kurhaus of Baden-Baden is the grand neoclassical centerpiece of Germany's most famous spa town, on the edge of the Black Forest. Behind its white columned facade lies the legendary Casino Baden-Baden, which Marlene Dietrich called the…
Lakes
Seebach
Mummelsee is the best-known mountain lake in the northern Black Forest, set right on the Black Forest High Road at more than 3,300 feet above sea level. This small, dark glacial lake, ringed by spruce forest beneath the Hornisgrinde, is wr…
Mountains & peaks
Freiburg im Breisgau
Schauinsland is Freiburg's own mountain and one of the best viewpoints in the southern Black Forest. Rising to 4,213 feet (1,284 m) about six miles southeast of the old town, it is reached by Germany's longest circulating cable car. At the…