All posts tagged: Day Trip

Black Forest Day Trip

Tour Itineraries – Just a Driver Tour

Published by simone

How many hours should I book for a Just-a-Driver Tour? A good touring time is 5 or 6 hours. This gives you enough time to see 3 or 4 sights, and also enjoy some of the scenery while driving around. It also allows you to come in by train in the morning from other cities (e.g. Zürich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Strasbourg) without having to catch a really early morning train. You will be relaxed when arriving in Freiburg where our driver meets you at the train station. 4 Hour Tours really only allow you to see a little bit – but if that is all the time you have, then it is better than not touring at all! All Day Tours are great for people who want to see it all and don’t mind being on the go all day. Staying in Baden-Baden? Many people take the train to Freiburg (45 minutes one-way) to start touring from there. But we also offer All Day Tours with a start/end Baden-Baden, see below. Staying in Switzeland Zurich or Basel? Please …

Hiking the Black Forest with a Guide

Published by simone

If you don’t want to worry about reading maps and hiking signs we can set you up with a private guide who takes you on a Black Forest day hike. Our hiking guides are experienced locals who know the area like noone else. Many visitors ask if there are any regular scheduled hikes you can join. The answer is no. All our Guided Day Hikes are private tours, customized to each persons needs. Since these are private tours we can adjust to your speed and fitness. If you don’t want to worry about maps and hiking signs we can set you up with a local guide who takes you on a Black Forest hike, Our Guided Black Forest Day Hikes are laid out as half-day tours starting and ending in the Lake Titisee area. Take the train (or car) on your own from Freiburg. Our hiking guides will meet you at the train station up in the mountains. You will hike one of the prettiest areas in the Southern Black Forest. It is a very popular hike with …

Exploring the Black Forest on a Fairy Tale Tour

Published by simone

With our Fairy Tale Tour you are in for a treat! A little bit of walking is expected from you. But no worries – if you are able to walk 2,5 km (1.5 miles), then our Fairy Tale Walk should be perfect for you- good shoes are essential though! After a drive through the Black Forest and an introduction to some of the local myths we will be greeted by one of our fairy tale tellers. We will meet with several fairys on our walk through the woods where we hear more about the dark secrets of the Black Forest. Our Fairy Tale Guide is an experienced local who knows the area and its fairy tales like nobody else. Our Fairy Tale Tours focus on the myths and legends of the Black Forest. They are fun for both – adults and kids. Many visitors ask if there are any regular scheduled Fairy Tale Tours they can join. The answer is no. All our Fairy Tale Tours are private tours – set up just for you.

What Not To Miss

Published by simone

I don’t just show you the obvious, I take you off the beaten path so you can experience the real Black Forest – like a local. I fill-in the blanks between the lines in those Travel Books and explain the not-so-obvious to give you a robust local experience. Many visitors to the Black Forest inquire about Hop-On-Hop-Off Tours. Unfortunately nobody offers these kind of tours in the Black Forest area. What I do offer are private guided tours (where you tour with a private guide and/or driver) and self-guided Travel Guide Itineraries where I show you how to tour on your own by train or by car. Fortunately when I ask visitors about their priorities I often get the same the answer ‘I want to see the ‘Best of the Black Forest’. Then sign up! I’ll show you. Most of my visitors fit into 2 categories: first are those who want to “see it all” in the limited amount of time – rushing through everything doesn’t matter to them – as long as they can take …

Hiking with a Guide

Published by simone

If you don’t want to worry about maps and hiking signs we can set you up with a local guide who takes you on a Black Forest hike, Our Guided Black Forest Hikes are laid out as half-day tours starting and ending in the Lake Titisee area. Take the train (or car) on your own from Freiburg. Our hiking guides will meet you at the train station up in the mountains. You will hike one of the prettiest valleys in the Southern Black Forest. It is a very popular hike with locals. The hike itself is about 8 km. The hike can also be extended to cover a longer distance. Besides the classic, dark Black Forest gorge hike next to waterfalls, you get a lot of Black Forest history, a few touristy things, the oldest chapel in the Black Forest, the areas largest cuckoo clock and the option to have a beer in a typical Black Forest inn. This hike takes you down into a valley famous for its ancient mills that made everything from rope to spoons. You …

What’s New at Black Forest Tours

Published by simone

Greetings from the Black Forest! Many of you have stayed in touch after visiting me in the Black Forest. I always like to hear how you are doing once you are back in your home country – what did you enjoy most while here? What didn’t you like? Please keep on sending me your feedback – I love to hear from you! And this newsletter is my way of reciprocating; to tell you about the good things that have developed for me during the past year. For one, I have finally settled into the town of Freiburg. I found a cozy place in one of the most beautiful areas of the old town. From my office window I have a direct view of the old town gate. Please stop by if you visit Freiburg. If I have time, I am happy to show you my local haunts. Last season I was given the chance to participate in a Rick Steve’s tour as a guest tour guide. I loved the experience and highly recommend touring with Rick …

Cuckoo clock of The Black Forest Germany

Black Forest Cuckoo Clocks

Published by simone

Perhaps one of the greatest contributions to the fame of The Black Forest is the cuckoo clock. While it is easy to appreciate their charismatic beauty and charm, few realize how deeply rooted these clocks are in history. It has been a long journey that has involved several hundred years and thousands of people in small towns located in one valley in The Black Forest. The first description of a cuckoo clock was in 1629 and was made by a German nobleman, Philipp Hainhofer. He described a curious little clock that belonged to Prince Elector August von Sachsen. It was said to contain a bird that resembled a cuckoo and it was therefore called a cuckoo clock. However, these early clocks were very primitive by today’s standard and did not make any sound. Enter Franz Anton Ketterer! Ketterer was a clock maker from The Black Forest and is credited with the invention of the cuckoo clock you know today. It was one day in the 1730s, after pondering the mechanism of a church organ bellows, …

Mummel…what?

Published by simone

Our trip through the Northern Black Forest continues and the question today is…..what and where the heck is Mummelsee? And no – it’s not a spelling error, this is the lake’s real name. According to a legend, the Mummelsee is inhabited by a Nix and the underwater king of the Mummelsee. The king lives beneath the water and dragged down women to his underwater kingdom many years ago. Mummelsee is located in the Northern Black Forest – a straight 40 minute on the Black Forest High Road between Freudenstadt and Baden-Baden. The Hornisgrinde mountain (the highest mountain in the Northern Black Forest) overlooks lakes Mummelsee and provides an unbelievably scenic background. The lake is a very popular destination for tourists and people who want to get out of town on the weekend. Right now the lake is still frozen but the brand new Mummelsee hotel is a good place to stop and warm up. Take in the scenery from a comfy chair and enjoy the view while sipping a good glass of wine (or tea …

Lakes in the Black Forest

Published by simone

Today is probably not the best day to give a quick overview on some of the lakes in the Black Forest – considering that we are in the middle of fall! The first snow is here and Feldberg is covered in 15 cm of white fluffy snow. But why not start dreaming of hot summer days to spend on the shore of a nice cool lake? So here we go: If you’ve visited the Black Forest already, there is a pretty high chance that you’ve been to lake Titisee. Being the largest natural lake, Titisee is THE hot spot in the Black Forest – a high altitude spa resort with plenty of fancy hotels catering to anyone seeking wellness, relaxation and the outdoors. My absolute favorite lake in this area is Lake Schlüchtsee. It’s located very close to Lake Schluchsee (and the Rothaus brewery!) but very small in comparison. Half of the lake is closed off to swimmers due to the presence of a nature reservoir. I love this lake – it’s small, clean, and …

Blackforest Germany Tours Overview

Published by simone

There are tons of things to do and many sights to see in the Black Forest. Many people don’t plan on spending much time in the Black Forest though, it’s rather a destination they are forced to pass through on their way from Northern Europe to Southern Europe. The Black Forest is a good location to make one last stop and spend the night before heading towards Italy, Spain, Greece or other European destinations. If you only have a few hours or a day or two to spend in this region, you should consider one of our short tours. Once you are in the Black Forest you will quickly realize that there is no way you can see all the sights and do all the things you would like to do in 2 days. Consider a Personalized Tour – get in touch with us, tell us how long you are here for and what you’d like to do. We will take care of the rest. We’ll make sure you have the best time you can …