One of the most popular day trips in Germany is driving through the scenic Black Forest. Road tripping through this scenic region is a must. For most of the people around the world, Black Forest is known for the famous cake.
Many consider the Black Forest as a single place and try visiting in a day. That’s totally wrong. It is a large mountainous region located in Southwest Germany with an area of over 6,000 square km. There are over 150+ attractions. Below is the list of famous attractions in the Black Forest region.
- Lake Titisee
- Freiburg im Breisgau
- Baden-Baden
- Triberg Waterfalls
- Cuckoo clock
- Gengenbach
- Europa Park and the list goes on.
Out of these, we visited Lake Titisee, Triberg Waterfalls and the Cuckoo clock house.
Blog Contents
Things to do in the Black Forest
1. Lake Titisee
Titisee is the largest natural lake in the Black Forest. Stretching over 2km, Titisee offers Boat cruises since 1900. This place is surreal surrounded by mystical forest. This lake is a paradise for swimming, windsurfing, and sailing.
Origin
The lake was formed by Feldberg glacier, origins dating back to the Ice age (10,000 years ago). Located in SouthWest of Germany, the lake is an hour’s drive from Switzerland and France.
The atmosphere around the lake
It was a bright sunny day, meaning tourists everywhere. Hence, we had a hard time finding a parking space.
Meanwhile, near the lake, there was a parade going on. The music was great and the kids were enjoying it. The whole area is filled with restaurants, cafes, beer gardens, souvenir shops, and street foods.
2. Black Forest cake
The authentic Black Forest cakes are special in this region. So how can we miss that?
Yes, we enjoyed the delicious cake. It has a very strong taste. The cake is made of rich chocolate layers, enriched with cherry liquor and whipped cream.
All restaurants, cafes have a hoarding which states Black Forest cakes. So you can’t probably miss this at all.
3. Triberg Waterfalls
This waterfalls in one popular landmark in the Black Forest region. Claimed to be one of the highest waterfalls in Germany, the falls has a descent of 163m.
By saying the word waterfall don’t imagine Tirberg falls to popular falls like the Rhinefalls or Niagara. If you do so, you will be disappointed. This fall is rather a small one.
Hiking
A small hike through the woods leads up to the falls. Light noise of the falls starts to buzz your ears as you approach closer to the falls. Water pours during snow and heavy rainy season. But during our visit, the flow was not great. Therefore, you can see only a thin line of falls.
Nevertheless, this place is beautiful to hike or to enjoy the green lush. There are many hiking paths along this route and try one of them if you have time.
Opening times
Weekdays: 9.00h – 17.00 h
Weekends: 10.00h – 17.00 h
The opening hours are subjected to seasonal changes.
Entrance fee
Adults – 3.50€.
Reduced (Students, disabled) – 3.00€.
Tip: Park your vehicle a few 100 m before the entrance. Finding a parking place would consume time because the streets are curvy, narrow and crowded.
Vintage car show
During our visit, we accidentally bumped into a Vintage car show near the waterfall entrance. A wide range of Vintage cars was on display. Each car included their details such as Make, Model, Power and high speeds.
Triberg tourism
Apart from the waterfall, Triberg also contains a few more attractions like the Black Forest Museum (German: Schwarzwaldmuseum), Nature Discovery Park. Complete detailed information about this place is listed in Triberg tourism.
The Black Forest Card is an option for tourists looking to make the most of this area. This card gives free admission to more than 160 attractions in this region. Online shopping options are available at the Schwarzwald shop.
4. World’s largest Cuckoo clock
For nearly 300 years, Germany’s Black Forest region has been producing authentic Cuckoo clocks. Seeing the world’s largest Cuckoo clock at Schonachbach was our last stop. Spotting this tiny place was a bit difficult. The area is relatively quiet.
From the outside, I felt, ‘How this little shop is very popular?’. The answer was on the other end.
Huge Clock
The world’s largest Cuckoo clock stood tall, weighing 331 pounds. Every half hour, the clock comes to action. The bird comes out and gives the Cuckoo call.
The shop inside had a wide range of cuckoo clocks, right from traditional to modern style hand made one. The design in every clock was detailed and well built. Have a look at their official website ‘Uhren-park’ to get to know more.
Prices
The prices of Cuckoo clocks are on the higher side. A palm-size clock starts with price of 200€. Go with an open mind. Don’t expect them to be cheap because they are all hand made. So unless you have a craze towards these hand made clocks, I wouldn’t recommend buying it. The clocks are extremely delicate. So be careful when you take home.
The weather remained great throughout the day. We enjoyed our way back to Stuttgart. If you have more time, consider visiting the places listed in Planetware or scroll to the top of this post.
How to reach the Black Forest by train
The train journeys take a long time in this region. Hence, you can see only one or two attractions in a day. Buy a Regional day ticket to have unlimited train travels for a particular day. This is a budget-friendly option.
How to reach the Black Forest by flight
Baden-Baden airport is the most popular airport in this region. It is a great hub for low-cost airlines like Ryanair, Wizz Air in South Germany. Later you can hire a car or take trains to explore this green paradise.
We wish you a happy trip to enjoy Mother Nature at the Black Forest!!
Overall experience: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5
Time of visit: September 2018
“It doesn’t matter how slow you go as long as you don’t stop” – Confucius