rent a bike black forest germany

Cycling the Southern Black Forest

The Southern Black Forest Tour is surprisingly relaxed. You cycle past typical Black Forest farms with low-hanging roofs that nestle close to forested, green mountains. On this roundtrip tour from Freiburg you overcome most altitude metres by train and often enjoy rolling downhill. Easy and relaxed!

Location

Black Forest

Start / End

freiburg

Activity

Bicycling

Distance

35-70 km daily

Difficulty

easy-moderate

Duration

5 days/6 nights, (add on more days)

Cycling the Southern Black Forest

spring, summer, fall
5 days/6 nights, (add on more days)

Great bicycle tour if you like a combination of touristy sights (Lake Titisee), thermal baths, wine tastings, a night in Germany’s sunniest town (Freiburg) and a quick visit to Switzerland (Basel). The rides are not too challenging, you will overcome the most high metres by train. Add-on more days if you enjoy a day hiking the famous Wutach Gorge or want to spend a day at the thermal bath.

  • We Handle All The Detail
  • Luggage Transfer Included
  • Hotels Included
  • Detailed Route Descriptions & Maps
  • Choice of bicycles (e-bike, trekking bike….)
  • Train rides included

Great bicycle tour if you like a combination of touristy sights (Lake Titisee), thermal baths and wine tastings. And don’t mind switching hotels each night (we take care of your luggage).

Southern Black Forest & Switzerland

This tour package takes you to the southern part of the Black Forest. This area is not very touristy – this is where you find the locals on the weekends. While tourists often focus on the must-see sights like the cuckoo clock area or the thermal baths in Baden-Baden – the deep south is where you find some of the hidden gems.

During this bicycle tour you also get a change to hop across the border to Switzerland. The start and end of this tour is Freiburg – where we recommend adding on an additional day before your bike tour. Let our guide give you an orientation walk of Freiburg prior to sending you off on your bicycle!

Navigation, Route Notes, Maps & Support

You will receive detailed route notes and maps from us upon check-in at your first hotel. GPS data is also available if you are bicycling with a GPS device.

We are working with a local company which has years of experience running bicyle tours. In case there is a problem our support is only a phone call away. If your bicycle needs repair we equip you with a repair kit – or you can stop at the nearby repair shop for help.

Is it for me?

  • Great for anyone who is active, fit and can ride a bicycle. If you are looking for a bit of activity during your vacation – this is the tour for you.

 

 

 

Itinerary

Arrival Info

Arrive in the Black Forest by train (destination train station is Freiburg, from here you switch to the regional S-Bahn or bus to get to your hotel). 

Exploring Town

  • If you are arriving early we recommend that you head into the old town for a quick orientation.
  • Depending on the time of your arrival we will schedule an orientation walk of Freiburg on your arrival day. If you are arriving late we will provide you with a self-guided tour of Freiburg

Dinner

We will provide you with plenty of options on where to grab a bite to eat in the evening in Freiburg.

Accommodation

  • standard hotel

We work with  several hotels in Freiburg – all of them can be reached by public transportation.

Description of your day

Your day starts out with a 10 km bicyle ride from Freiburg to Kirchzarten, a small town in the valley. From here you hop on the train (train ride included) and a half hour later you arrive at Lake Titisee, a glacier lake up in the mountain. This will help you avoid almost all metres of altitude on this tour!

At Lake Titisee we recommend a quick stop to browse through the many souvenir shops or even jump into the water for a quick swim.

From Lake Titisee onwards, you cycle
through beautiful countryside to Bonndorf, a town in the Southern Black Forest. This is where you will spend the night.

Accommodation

  • Standard hotel in Bonndorf

 

 

Description of your day

  • If you are also interested in hiking, we recommend spending an additional night in Bonndorf. From here you can then hike the famous Wutach Gorge – one of the last wild corners in the Southern Black Forest.

When you are ready to depart with your bicyle  you will cycle along a plateau to Wutachtal Valley. The route is cycled practically without any effort – downhill most of the time. You will then reach today‘s destination, the town of Waldshut-Tiengen, which is right on the Swiss border.

Accommodation

  • standard hotel in Waldshut-Tiengen area

Description of your day

  • This morning you cycle further on downstream, via Laufenburg to Bad Säckingen. Here you find Europe‘s longest wooden, roofed bridge. Great place for a stop in town to have a break.
  • Continuing on, you cycle along the northern bank of the Rhine river to the town of Rheinfelden.
  • Good to know: To shorten the route you can board a train here
    (not included).
  • Should you decide to continue by bike to Basel, we recommend a visit to the Roman fort Augusta Raurica.
  • Night in Basel

Accommodation

  • standard hotel in Basel, Switzerland

 

Description of your day 

  • You leave Basel, and cycle back towards the Black Forest.
  • At the edge of the Black Forest, you pass through  through small spa towns, which all draw on the healing waters of the area.
  • Great way to visit one of the thermal baths – you will feel like a newborn afterwards

Accommodation

  • standard hotel in Badenweiler area

Description of your day 

  • Today you will head back to Freiburg, where you started your bicycle tour from.
  • You cycle through the vineyards of the Markgräflerland Wine area- up to the rightthe Black Forest and to the left the Vosges Mountains in Alsace/France. We also call this area the Tuscany of Germany – its the warmest area in this country.
  • arrive in Freiburg late afternoon. Here you can enjoy dinner in the old town to celebrate the end of your bicycle tour.

Accommodation

  • standard hotel in Freiburg

 

 

 

 

  • After breakfast drop off your rental bicycle at the hotel
  • Then take the train to get to your next destination (train ride not included)

Good to Know

  • Accommodation in double room with private bathroom
  • Breakfast 
  • Train ride on day 1
  • Luggage transfer
  • Welcome bag with useful items for your tour (water bottle, etc)
  • Bicyle Rental
  • Bicycle Helmet. You need to bring your own.
  • Travel to/from Freudenstadt
  • Lunches and dinners
  • Travel insurance. Make sure you have travel insurance covering you against illness, injury, loss or damage to property and cancellations.
  • Personal expenses such as drinks, tips, telephone calls, extra transfers (such as by taxi or when not included in public transport pass).
  • Season. This package  is available from mid-April to mid-October.
  • Cycling the Southern Black Forest is available as a 5 day/6 night package. You can easily add-on more days. 
  • This package is available starting 529 Euro per person (based on 2 people traveling together and sharing a double room) 
  • please contact us with your desired travel dates so we can provide you with an exact quote
  • bicycle rentals 79 Euro (regular touring bike) to 199 Euro (e-bike) per person

The hotels we include in this package are all small family-owned hotel. They are not  fancy hotels, but clean and very (bicycle-) friendly.  

  • Double Rooms. If you are booking a double room there is one double bed with 2 individual mattresses (not 2 twin beds). If you require separate beds we recommend booking 2 separate rooms. In rare cases twin beds are available, please inquire.
  • Single Rooms. If you are traveling by yourself we charge a single room supplement. You will either be provided with a single room. Or with a double room for single use – based on availability.
  • Upgrades.  Upgrades are not possible on our bicycle packages
  • Bathrooms. All rooms have private en-suite bathrooms.
  • Air-Conditioning. Summers can be very warm. Most hotels in Germany do not have air-conditioning. Sometimes hotels can provide a fan for your room. Usually the hotel owners will tell you to sleep with the window open during the night – this is very common in Germany.
  • Elevators. Please note that our hotels most often do not have elevators – you will have to walk a flight of stairs to get to your room. 
  • Breakfast included.
  • Lunch. Grab a sandwich in town before getting on your bicycle. Or have lunch in town. 
  • Dinner. Most hotels have a restaurant on site. Or there are  restaurants in walking distance to your hotel. We provide you with recommendations.
  • bicycle helmet
  • comfortable shoes to cycle
  • helmet
  • swim suits
  • warm and waterproof clothes
  • a day pack
  • water bottle
  • insect repellent
  • sun glasses, sun hat, sun block
  • first-aid kit.
  • You will receive detailed route notes and maps from us upon check-in at your first hotel.
  • Our Route Description is also available as GPS.
  • Our Route Description also contains info to all repair shops on your route should your bicyle need repair.

 

  • Mobile Phone Coverage. Please note that the Black Forest is a mountainous area. Often there is no mobile phone coverage when touring the Black Forest. 
  • Wi-Fi in hotels. All of our hotels have wi-fi but sometimes it can be spotty in your room – depending on the location of your room.
  • If you require constant online access we do NOT recommend touring the Black Forest. Consider staying in a large town like Baden-Baden or Freiburg instead.

Choice of bicyles

  • Touring bike (27 / 30 gear)
  • E-bikes

30_gang_trapez_1

All our rentals include a rental bike insurance

Bike handover

  • Arrival: Your rental bike is waiting for you at the start hotel.
  • Departure: Leave your bike at the last hotel. If you have rented an e-bike, drop off the battery at the hotel reception.

Equipment of our rental bikes

  • Anti-puncture Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires
  • Hub dynamo
  • Luggage rack
  • Comfortable saddle
  • Waterproof pannier
  • Waterproof handlebar bag with map holder
  • Odometer
  • Bicycle lock
  • Pump
  • Repair kit

Where you will be touring

Cycling the Southern Black Forest
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