Testimonials | Black Forest Tours

Many people who toured with Black Forest Tours have provided feedback after returning home. And quite a few of them have returned for another tour – realizing that there is a lot more to see in the Black Forest. We are constantly trying to improve our tours so please submit your feedback after your experience touring the Black Forest!

Here is an excerpt from Rick Steve’s travel blog:

‘Freiburg and Baden-Baden vie to be the leading home-base city for those visiting the Black Forest. While Baden-Baden has an old spa-and-casino elegance, Freiburg is much younger and livelier. I explored Freiburg with Simone Brixel, a local guide who always makes my visits much more enjoyable and meaningful.’
Rick Steves, Travel Lessons from Germany’s Black Forest

Wizz Magazine visited the Black Forest in summer of 2019. The article describing our road trip together was published in the October 2019 edition of Wizz:

Thank you Michelle for putting this fun video together after our tour:

Here is a a slide show a visitor put together after touring with me:

I am happy that more and more visitors explore the Black Forest Germany on a hiking tour. We have developed several hiking trails in various areas of the Black Forest. I am very excited that my Black Forest Hiking Trail has been featured in Lonely Planet Magazine’s February 2018 Edition as one of ’52 Best Weekends Away 2018′:

We also offer corporate retreats, events and team-building in the Black Forest. Here is a short video of a multiple-day hiking tour we set up for a US-based company:

Here are some of the videos travelguru Rick Steves took while we were touring the Black Forest together:

Most importantly – I want to say THANK YOU to all the visitors from around the world who chose me and my guides to spend a few hours of their precious vacation time with. I love that you are curious & adventurous travellers interested in exploring an off-the-beaten path area like the Black Forest. Please stay in touch – I enjoy every moment of showing you around and hope to see you again one day!

Kristin Lee

2019-11-10T19:07:57+0000

My parents were visiting Germany for the first time so we decided to spend the day with Black Forest Tours. Simone was... so knowledgeable and was able to share so many insights into the history and current events of the area. The tour also allowed us to see so many unique places in one day without having to deal with the hassle of figuring out the logistics of how to get from point A to point B while hiking in a foreign country. We would definitely recommend her and would love to go back to the beautiful Black Forest area in the future!read more

Graeme Harding

2019-05-07T05:43:52+0000

Simone is very knowledgeable on her Black Forest area from flowers, to hiking tracks, through clocks and waterfalls; to... hidden gems like natural cooling cabinets. You won’t be disappointed in Black Forest Toursread more

Susan Harding

2019-05-06T08:22:29+0000

Our full day tour with Simone exceeded all our expectations we would highly recommend Black Forest Tours and Simone... Thankyou for a fabulous day. The snow made it a bit more magical. ❄️read more

Carolyn Dooge

2019-02-20T17:12:25+0000

Simone was fantastic, we loved our day with her. She had fun and interesting things planned, and when ideas came up in... conversation, we adapted the tour. It was personal service at its finest. Highly recommend. 5 starsread more

Randi Alexander

2018-10-25T21:37:02+0000

My friend and I went on a private tour with Simone this week. We knew the Black Forest was on our must do list of... activities but were overwhelmed by the possibilities and hiking options. Taking this tour was the best decision we made for our trip. Not only did we luck out with perfect weather, but we had the perfect tour and felt completely satisfied with the experience. from waterfalls and hikes to coo coo clocks and black forest centric foods, we covered it all within a few hours. After the tour Simone gave us recommendations for places to go in Freiburg (check out the Freierling Brewery) and also gave us tips for the rest of our European trip, which I have to say were extraordinary recommendations. Do this tour and hope for Simone it's worth every penny.read more

Bobby Fields

2018-10-21T18:51:14+0000

Beautiful area and of course plenty of Coo-Coo clocks to choose from.

Kathy Eichelberger

2018-09-17T11:51:42+0000

Simone took four of us exploring and hiking in the Black Forest -- first time for each of us. She went at our pace... and made recommendations of things to see and we made the decisions. What a beautiful day we had seeing the countryside and visiting the Black Forest region.read more

Bill Caffey

2018-01-24T13:51:49+0000

Heide Reddrop

2017-08-31T15:49:54+0000

Siu Kar Luen

2017-08-27T12:09:09+0000

Thank you Simone for the hospitality. We really enjoyed the lovely scenery and nice weather in Black Forest. Will... definitely come back again!read more

Michael W Roddy Jr

2017-03-21T10:22:21+0000

Polly Raub Roddy

2017-03-21T02:24:09+0000

We just finished the tour yesterday with Simone it was fantastic.

David Miller

2016-08-05T00:03:29+0000

Simone was incredible, she knows where to allow you to experience the Black Forest unlike anyone else. My family loved... the 8 hour tour.read more

Trish Stilwel

2016-04-11T18:36:34+0000

I most love your Facebook feed. It really did hit me and made me smile. My dream would come true visit Germany one... month. Maybe next year. Such a Good vacation. Will you please give me information a place stay, cost foods, drinks, any transportation for free than cost pay taxi, and would be glad I could go back Germany one Month. I love beers, German foods and love sight seeing. ❤️read more

Shriniwas Joshi

2015-08-02T20:20:27+0000

Hello Simone, My wife and I would like to thank you for arranging our tour for us. We really appreciate your... professionalism while dealing with our changing plans and patience you had shown through endless email conversations. In the end you gave us a tour my family enjoyed thoroughly. In addition, please convey our gratitude to driver Manne who is absolutely fabulous. He is resourceful, informative and very helpful. My wife and I had interesting conversation with him throughout the tour about history of Black Forest and various local traditions. He never seemed annoyed with my questions, though I tried my best ;) We are already planning to visit Black Forest in few years time for a leisurely vacation and needless to say, I will be contacting you. Thanks againread more

Sabine Abinader

2015-07-20T19:59:22+0000

We booked three 8 hour-drive-me-tours with BF Tours and it was great!! Simone provided us with all kind of information,... maps & brochures to help us, she was always ready to answer our questions anytime and she even helped us explore Freibourg-im- breisgau (that we wanted to discover on our own) by giving us maps and documents! We will definitely be back to the magnificent BF!! ❤️ (S.Abinader)read more

Shanmugam Ramamurthy

2015-05-14T07:11:54+0000

The best tour, we enjoyed very much with our guide Simone Brixel,still we are talking about our tour,Thanks Simone... Brixel,From Rama.read more

James Regener Jr

2015-02-01T02:01:16+0000

Karla Streeter

2014-05-17T11:20:53+0000

Gessica Argenti

2014-04-21T16:59:18+0000

Jürgen Feger

2014-01-13T18:10:27+0000

Sasha Vindichansky

2013-12-27T14:56:58+0000

Sara Fabiny

08:45 02 Jan 20

Our tour with Simone was just brilliant! Simone is such an easy going person, the kind of person that you actually consider a friend by the end of the day. She was super knowledgeable and made the day about us and what we wanted to see and do. She was also great for offering advice about lots of different things. We will definitely be doing another tour when we return as we know it will be worth it!! Could not recommend Simone and her tour company more - just perfect :)

Zachary Davies Boren

08:23 09 Oct 19

Fantastic experience. Beautiful trails, terrific towns, and Simone makes everything so easy. Without worrying about luggage, or having to spend lots of time planning your path, you can really make the most of the forest.

Raven Sanders

00:19 09 Oct 19

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Simone. When planning our trip we were overwhelmed with all of the choices of what to do and where to go in the Black Forest. We found Black Forest Tours and opted for the 8 hour tour, and we were not disappointed! She took us to see both the world's widest and largest cuckoo clocks, the Triberg waterfall, castle ruins, and a beautiful town. Along the way we learned so much about German history and culture. We tried Black Forest Ham and spaghetti ice cream, and she gave us a heads up about a local wine festival to attend once the tour was over which was a lot of fun. There is no way we would have gotten this much value over even a week on our own, and the tour felt customized to everything we had hoped to see. We highly recommend Black Forest Tours!

Carlos Moore

11:58 08 Oct 19

My fiancee and I were planning on visiting Germany and were looking for something unique to end our trip with when after some research I found Black Forest Tours. Touring the Black Forest has long been a bucket list item for me and with my 50th birthday happening my fiancee decided that this was her gift. After working with Simone on what we wanted to visit and do, she came up with a plan tailored for us. We opted for a 4 day hike/5 nights trip plan which would include hiking, visiting towns we were interested in, and schnapps fountains that I heard so much about. When we arrived in our first town at the train station, we were immediately met by a driver who took us to the first hotel: a lovely spa hotel in the mountains where the next morning we'd start our adventure. The room was relaxing with a balcony view of the small town church and village below. In our room, we found a bag filled with maps, goodies, and information from Simone Brixel detailing our next 5 days hiking. After breakfast the next morning, we started our hike through the Black Forest which was amazing. We couldn't believe the views and sights that we saw on just the first day. After a hard hike (we had small day packs and hiking poles which really helped), we arrived at the next town and the next hotel with our suitcases waiting for us in our room. The hiking was challenging but extremely fun even in the rain. The directions provided by Simone were detailed and extremely accurate and easy to follow. Each hotel was fantastic (although some were better than others) but we enjoyed them all. Each town had charm and was off the beaten path which was exactly what we were looking for. The food was excellent, the people were nice, and the experience is not to be missed. I cannot recommend Black Forest Tours enough and can't wait to head back for another experience with them.

Lue F

19:20 08 Sep 19

Our favorite tour of all of the ones we took in Europe was with Simone. She personalized our tour and was flexible to change it up on the fly when the weather changed. Simone is quick to communicate and keep in touch before and during the tour. When we come back to the Black Forest area, Simone will be the first person we contact.

ice dov

09:01 30 Aug 19

Well organized tour with excellent hotels and scenery. I have completed all the hikes including bonus routes and it is not harder than moderate difficulty. There are a lot of places to stop by to get food or rest also wells along the path to refill with water. Both the Red Deer and the Complete Black Forest hikes are highly recommended to do.

DtG

16:34 02 Aug 19

Fantastic family hiking trip. Beautiful scenic route, easy to follow instructions and good hotels. Simone could not have done more to ensure we had a great trip.

Villareal Clan

20:26 20 Jul 19

Black Forest Tours prepared an amazing trip for us - very detailed trail maps with lots of 'extras' and info about the area. They also booked great hotels and each day our luggage was transferred without any issue (and usually waiting for us in our room). I HIGHLY recommend booking your next trip to the Black Forest with them!

Larissa Davis

12:45 20 Jul 19

When planning our trip to Germany, my mom and I knew we wanted to see the Black Forest. Of course, we didn’t know all that the Black Forest could offer and really wasn’t sure what to do with our time there. Upon booking our tour with Black Forest Tours, we still weren’t completely sure what to see and do. However, Simone listened to our interests and made the perfect day. We saw parts of the Black Forest we would never see on a major tour bus with a lot of people. Like visiting a small farmers grocers where we got to taste local fruits and schnapps! We also visited a small locally owned mill where we had the opportunity to taste some delicious Black Forest Ham. And, of course, we visited a quaint town with the best cake! Simone catered the entire day to us and made us feel comfortable the whole time. It was a huge relief having someone that was very familiar with the area and language. We never felt rushed or uncomfortable. Simone has spent a lot of time in the U.S and understands the cultural differences that come with traveling to a new country you aren’t familiar with. She even went over and beyond a normal tour guide and helped us navigate the rest of our time in Europe, not just The Black Forest. I recommend anyone traveling to the Black Forest area of Germany to book a tour with the Black Forest Tours. You will not regret visiting the beautiful area and having a knowledgeable tour guide by your side!

suraj guha

08:30 02 Jul 19

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the excellent arrangement you had done for the tour. All places were wonderful and references to them were helpful. Our driver Peter was extremely helpful and jovial. My family and I absolutely loved it. I have already recommended your company and will definitely continue to recommend this to my family and friends.

Judy Marazas

23:06 25 Jun 19

So excited to write this review. The Black Forest has always intrigued me, so I knew I must visit. I found Simone’s website Black Forest Tours late in my travel planning stage. Between her and I, we finally found a date that worked. And I am so happy we did! I was on a European adventure for over three weeks, and the Black Forest tour is definitely one of the top highlights. Simone is the perfect travel hostess who knows the area! We had such a fun time, it was almost like traveling with my BFF! She took me to some amazing sites; beautiful churches, a working farm, authentic German shops, a gorgeous waterfall, a hidden lake, fantastic “the hills are alive” scenic lookouts, sampling of yummy cake, and searching for the perfect cuckoo clock!...I now have my favorite hanging in my home. Would highly recommend Simone and her Black Forest Tour!!

Aslam Vaid

18:46 22 Jun 19

I decided to do just the 5 hour drive only tour . Must say that one can definitely do it on your own for far less than what I paid. Just my laziness to not do any homework. One can easily hire a car from freiburg and drive to the points of interest if you goggle it..very pleasant driver and excellent route but not worth paying so much. One can do it on their own for less than the amount i paid. Am sure the guided tour must by a better option.

Heather ofScots

00:13 26 May 19

This was a one of a kind experience and I am so happy I decided to tour with Black Forest Tours.Simone is a fun person to be with and she has a skill for creating the perfect day customized to your interests. Definitely the highlight of our Germany trip.I highly recommend!

Nicole Jones

21:00 16 Apr 19

I toured the Black Forest with my husband and 2 children (ages 10 and 11) and had a fantastic time! Simone was very accommodating, adjusting the tour to what we were interested in. The kids loved glass-blowing and the cuckoo clocks as well as the hikes and eating authentic Black Forest Ham!! I hope to be able to return to this beautiful area to do more hiking and exploring and will definitely contact Simone again!!

Charlie Croker

14:14 10 Mar 19

Best tour Ive ever had - really! I cant even begin to compare to others - and this isnt my first trip to Europe. I checked with every other tour company - im lucky i picked Simone. Simone is not only a pro, she is a genuinely nnice person. Very attentive and caring. I feel like i made a friend on this trip - and im coming back to this beautiful place. I could live in The Black Forest area. Thank you Simone.

Julie Webb

17:08 29 Jan 19

Highly recommend touring with Simone and Black Forest Tours. It was difficult to find a tour operator offering winter tours in the area, everone seems closed until spring. We also were looking for a last-minute tour. But nothing was a problem once we got in touch with Black Forest Tours - Simone was responsive and we were set up in no time to tour the Black Forest on a guided tour. I don't think we could have done it on our own considering the weather - you really need a local person who knows how to get away from all the traffic jams and road closures due to snow. Thanks Simone for a wonderful day! We will be back to tour some more - but probably in summer next time!

Myron Dietz

23:08 25 Jul 18

Self Guided tours were very helpful and inexpensive. Simone was responsive and helpful. Years later, my daughter still talks about the waterfall hike being the best hike she has ever been on.

Michelle Jeffries

04:00 12 Jul 16

I am so glad I booked this tour with Simone to see the Black Forest. This visit was very important to me and I only had one day to see everything I wanted to. There was no way I could have seen all that I did that was so specific to what I really wanted to experience while I was here and more than I ever expected! Simone has such extensive knowledge of this area, the history and current day and I learnt so much. Simone really cares that you get the absolute most out of every minute of your time in the area and made everything so easy! I would recommend these tours to anyone wanting the very best the Black Forest has to offer and I can't wait to visit again to see more!!

Moritz Koch

08:45 14 May 16

I can't give 6 stars to Simone, but she deserves them. In a class of its own. Simone tours are unbelievable Great! Took me to really local places I could never find on my own. We had a fantastic day in The Black Forest. Thanks Simone

Troy Hartenstine

16:25 07 Jan 15

Your travel guide surpassed all expectations. I cant recommend your tours enough. They are so refreshingly different from the guide book that "recommends everything". Your guide was spot on for us. No wasted time seeing boring stuff or time spent lost trying to find our way. We thought we had enough time to see the area, but after taking your tour, we realize how much more there is to see. We plan to return. The level of detail of your guide, a lot to read, but it helped us plan some delightful side-trips as well as getting us places we would have never found on our own. Thanks for that. Absolutely worth more than you charge!