Black Forest Trail

This hike is postcard perfect and immerses you in the many things that make The Black Forest enchanting. You will hike through heavily forested mountains and open meadows, with steep ravines leading down to farms in the valleys. We added some local experiences and special side-trails, including a portion of the famous Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage Way.

Location

Black Forest

Start / End

Offenburg

Activity

hiking

Distance

12-18 km daily

Difficulty

moderate

Duration

2-5 days of hiking

Tour format

self-guided, with hotel

Black Forest Trail

Hiking Tours

spring, summer, fall

2-5 days of hiking

The Black Forest Trail is a selection of the best trails the Central Black Forest has to offer in 2-6 day packages. We have carefully woven together the prettiest trails with the most dramatic surroundings and interesting sights. We added some special side-trails and local experiences. You will traverse many different select trails, including a portion of the famous Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage Way.

We Handle All The Detail
Luggage Transfer Included
Hotels included, Upgrades possible

5 days/ 6 nights, more/less days possible
Detailed Route Descriptions & Maps
We are only a phone call away

Lonely Planet’s calls our Black Forest Trail one of ’52 Best Weekends Away’:

Focus of Trail: German Culture, Nature & Towns

Our hotels are located in small Black Forest towns. Therefore this is a great tour if you are looking for the best balance of quiet time in nature, while also having time to explore beautiful medieval towns in the evening. The Black Forest Trail takes you off-the-beaten-path where you might hike for some time without encountering other people.

Latest comments from our hikers:

The first hikers of the 2022 season have shared their feedback with us. Here is what they are saying about their experience:

‘I LOVED THIS SO MUCH. This was perfect for my husband and I. Thank you for everything’.
‘I could not have dreamed up a more perfect adventure. I felt so immersed in the German culture and nature’
‘I was so impressed with these four days. the use of both GPS and paper descriptions were very helpful. I would highly recommend this if you are an experienced hiker and can do back to back long days’
‘This was a very special and rememberable adventure.’
‘We had a great time, the hike was awesome and we really enjoyed every second of it. This has been a bucket list item for a long time and you made it effortless to tick off’
‘We loved all the highlights you have added along the route, chatting to local farmers, enjoying beer and schnapps along the way really made it felt like a true Black Forest experience’

Too many km to cover?

The Black Forest Trail covers quite a bit of distance. Many hikers add-on a rest day in the middle of their hike: 2 days of hiking – rest day – 2 days of hiking.

If you like to sound of the Black Forest Trail, but have doubt you can cover all the km each day we have created an easier version of our popular trail for you. The Town & Country Package covers the same towns as the Black Forest Trail does. And you are staying in the same hotels. But instead of hiking from hotel to hotel you have the option to do a short hike (or skip the hike entireley) and connect to the next hotel by train instead.

Is it for me?

The Black Forest Trail is a good choice if you are looking for intermediate level hikes. And if you like a combination of nature and towns. You will be ending each day in a small town.

Please note that there is quite a bit of elevation to the Black Forest Trail. The hike is not a problem for a fit person, but there are a few mountains to cross over.

The Black Forest Trail is recommended if you are an experienced hiker and can do back to back long days

We are now offering our standard 4 day-hike with a rest day in between (making it a 5 day stay). You can certainly opt-out and just do a 4-day hike without any rest day.

Good to Know

Accommodation in double room with private bathroom
Breakfast
Free public transportation pass while staying in the Black Forest
Detailed route descriptions & maps, tour route available in our own hiking app also
Luggage transfer between hotels. Your luggage transfer is organized by us, Black Forest Tours.
Welcome Bag with useful items for your tour

Travel to and from start/end of the Black Forest Trail hike
Lunches and dinners need to be purchased separately
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 pblic transport pass).

Hike Length. The complete Black Forest Trail is a 4 day hike plus 1.day rest adventure. But we also offer a shorter/longer version. Let s know what your preferrred length is and we make it happen.
Good to know: Most people hike the entire Black Forest Trail in 4 days. Most hikers add-on a rest day after day 2 – so they hike 2 days, one rest day, hike another 2 days. This is recommended as the elevation and distances can be quite challenging for many

Hotel Location

All our hotels on the Black Forest Trail are small family-owned hotels. They are not fancy hotels, but clean and friendly. Most often you will meet the owners during your stay. Most hotels are in the middle of a cute Black Forest town. We have several back-up hotels (in case your standard hotels are booked). which are within easy walking distance to the town. Find out more about each hotel under the itinerary details

Hotel Category

All our hotels are 3 star hotels.
For a small upgrade fee we offer an upgrade in some (not all) hotels.

Hotel Rooms

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.
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.

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 hiking with a GPS device.

Starting 2022 you have a choice between hiking with a paper map & route description. Or using our app to navigate on the trail (mobile device required, no data plan needed)

Our Route Description is highly detailed and customized, and we update it each season – not what you find online from other sources.

Have a look at the elevation profile images for each day – there is quite a bit of elevation to cover. There are some significant ascents and descents. Sometimes you have the option to shorten the route.

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.

Itinerary

Arrival Info

Arrive in the Black Forest by train (destination train station is Offenburg, from here you switch to a regional train which takes you to the hotel in about 60 minutes). A private car will pick you up from the train station and transfer you to the hotel.
If you are arriving in the Black Forest by car, we recommend parking the car at your last hotel in Offenburg area, then taking the train to your first hotel.

We recommend to arrive at lunch time. Early check-in on your arrival day at 12.30 PM possible (your room is available at 3 PM). On your arrival day a complimentary lunch buffet is included. Therefore you can check in at lunch time, enjoy lunch and the wellness area at the hotel before getting your room at 3 PM.

Accommodation

4 star hotel with standard rooms or upgraded rooms

This beautiful 4 star wellness hotel happens to be located in a remote mountain town. There is a complimentary lunch buffet waiting for you on your arrival day. There is also a complimentary coffee/cake buffet in the afternoon. The hotel has extensive wellness facilities with several pools & saunas. No cell phone reception at the hotel.

Description of your day

Your hike starts in front of your hotel. From here, you will be hiking down from the top of the mountain into the valley – a bit steep 7 km – but in absolutely beautiful terrain. If you are too tired already, you have the option to skip the remaining hike and head straight to to your hotel. Real hikers continue on of course. You will be rewarded with a beautiful chapel and the best vistas of the day as you descend the hillside into town to your hotel.

Bonus Hike: Add-on more distance

The regular train is 14.4 km in length (9 miles).
There is the option to shortcut the trail by 2 km (1.2 miles)

Accommodation

Simple family hotel in the town centre of a small town. Standard rooms
Superior hotel with premium rooms and wellness area 2 km outside of town centre

We have 2 hotels to choose from. Both hotels have restaurants where we recommend eating in the evening.

Our standard hotel is a small family-owned hotel located in a timber-framed building in the heart of the old centre of a medieval Black Forest town.

Back-up hotel outsisde of town

Our back-up hotel is a superior hotel and located 2 km (1,2 miles) outside of town centre with wellness facilities on site. Good to know: choosing the superior hotel means you add 2 km (1.2 miles) to your hike hike on day 1 and day 2.

Description of your day

To start today’s hike you will walk to the train station and take a 5 minute train ride to the neighboring town (free travel on trains included). Explore a castle ruin before you hike into the forest. Bonus today: you can enjoy a self-serve fridge at a farmhouse which a farmer has put up for hikers. Enjoy scenic views and a wine bench before climbing up a sightseeing tower.

Shortcuts

no shortcuts today

Trail Options: Extend your hike

For the very fit we can add a bonus hike to make it 23 km (14 miles) total. Instead of taking the train in the morning you can also hike the distance to the next town – this is a short (6 km), but very steep climb over a mountain.

Accommodation

Our hotel is newly opened and in the heart of the old town. You are in walking distance to everything – perfect location. All rooms are modern and have A/C. The hotel does not have its own restaurant. But there are plenty of places to eat less than a 10 minute walk away.

Backup hotel outside of town

Our backup hotel is outside of town centre in a small suburb.

Friendly family-run hotel with wellness area offering standard rooms or new upgraded rooms.

typical black forest hotel cozy hotel black forest

The hotel has a wellness section with pool and sauna. We highly recommend having dinner at the hotel restaurant – locals come from all over to eat at this place.

black forest hotel with pool

We highly recommend to plan on a rest day today. The hikes are moderate, but you have to climb several mountains. Feedback from many hikers is that they should have planned on a rest day in the middle of the hike. Therefore a rest day is now included in our standard package. You can certainly opt-out and continue your hike today.

If you decide on a rest day there are several options on how to spend your day.

-rent a e-bike from your hotel (20 Euro/day).

-do some sightseeing (Triberg clock area and Vogtsbauernhof farmhouse museum are close-by)

-enjoy life in town and watch the locals.

-relax at the public swimming pool

-take a train ride on the famous Black Forest Railway (currently under construction, July 2022 and not running)

Description of your day

There is a constant (but easy) climb at the beginning of your hike. Once you are on the summit you can enjoy views over the valley (and take a drink out of a farmer’s refrigerator).

Now you are in for a special treat – because the trail taking you into town takes you by 2 historic wolf traps – a rare sight, even for locals

Shortcuts

no shortcuts today

Accommodation.

Today you have 2 hotels to choose from. But no option to upgrade! There are 2 standard hotels.

Standard Hotel located in a residential part of a small town, standard rooms, no upgrades.
Standard hotel located in a farming village, 3 km outside of town, standard rooms, no upgrades. A very small friendly family hotel (5 rooms only) in the heart of a village. The restaurant is a local’s favorite!

1. Standard hotel in town

Our regular hotel is spread out over several buildings in a residential neighborhood of town. Please note -this hotel often caters to larger groups so it can be busy at times. The hotel has an indoor pool & sauna. The hotel has its own restaurant. But we highly recommend to take the 10-minute walk into town for a local dinner (we have a recommendation). Great about the hotel: within a few minutes you are in the centre of a beautiful old town.

Back-up hotel outside of town

Our back-up hotel hotel is located 3 km outside of town in a small farming village. It is a very cozy, quiet and small place with just a handful (5 only) modern rooms. There is an good restaurant on-site serving local food. If you don’t don’t care about access to a small town, this is a nice quiet place to stay at. (if you are staying here, then your hiking distance gets reduced by 3 km/2 miles today making it 15 km/9 miles total)

Description of your day

This trail has it all with lots of scenic spots.

Shortcuts

no shortcuts today

Accommodation

We work with several small hotels, all located in the heart of the old town.

Standard hotel in town
Upgraded hotel in town

Standard hotel

Great family-run place in the heart of town with remodeled rooms.

Superior Hotel

Why not treat yourself to a 4 star boutique hotel located in a restored historical building with sauna and wellness facility? Great way to end your hiking holiday!

Have an extra day?

This town is ideal to add-on an additional night. Perfect location for a rest day to explore town and meet some locals.

On your additional hiking day you will be hiking one of the premium trails in the Black Forest – a trail with plenty of views and places to eat.

The trail itself is about 14 km in length. The trail takes you through forests, an idyllic Black Forest valley and alpine meadows. Along the way you find 3 rustic farmhouses to have food and drink, and a schnapps fountain. Take it all in. That’s what the locals do.

This day would be an add-on between hiking day 3 and day 4. You would be staying in the same hotel as you do on hiking day 3.

Where you will be touring

map black forest trail_marked

See what some of our customers say who have done this tour before:

Black Forest Tours

Average rating:

54 reviews

IronTriKev

Jun 12, 2022

by IronTriKev

Love, love, LOVE Black Forest Tours!

Our hike with Black Forest Tours was Amazing! Each day offered incredible experience and gorgeous scenery. The 2Go app was fantastic in keeping us on the right course and the additional written directions with photos were a welcome addition to making us the most comfortable in our route finding! Each day our accommodations were top notch and we were grateful for the restraint recommendations and enjoyed the welcome centers.

Simone has simply built an amazing experience! We are a million percent happy!

Christi

Oct 29, 2019

by Christi

Black Forest Trail

Hi Simone,

We had a wonderful time doing the Black Forest!!

We didn't have much of a sense of what the Black Forest was and how it would be. Some parts of it were definitely more logged/less picturesque than others. We really appreciated that you tried to keep us off the logging roads as much as possible, but we weren't expecting to cross so many! We saw hardly any people the entire time on the trails, and just a few mountain bikes. The solitude was something I wasn't expecting but liked. It was a bit rainy on day 2, but mostly when we were in the forest under cover so it didn't really impact our hike negatively, and the temperature was lovely the whole time!

This was such a relaxing way to explore the area. And it was great to have the option of the train if we wanted to go somewhere else after arriving at our hotel, or take a shortcut. All of our days were ~10 to 16 miles of hiking I think. We could start when we wanted, take breaks as needed, etc. If we had been with other people I think it would have been harder.

We have told our friends about our trip and that we highly recommend your trip. Germany was really fun and I had a blast trying to communicate. Everyone was super gracious in allowing me to try my limited German. We would definitely consider coming back in a few years and trying your other loop.

Thank you again Simone!
Christi a

Zach

Oct 13, 2019

by Zach

Terrific hike

Hi Simone,

Thanks for everything. I had a great time. Totally liberated! Day 1 was full of cool discoveries, day 2 was euphoric in places, and day 3 had so much beauty.

Best of luck - this is a terrific thing you're doing.

Cheers,

CRM n JLM

Oct 9, 2019

by CRM n JLM

An amazing, life changing tour organized with a personal touch by Black Forest Tours

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 and 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. THANK YOU!!

Susan

Oct 3, 2019

by Susan

Great hike

Hi Simone,

We really enjoyed our hiking in The Black Forest. The trails and maps were easy to follow. We did not download the GPX data. All of the hotels were great! And the luggage transfers were perfect. It was always nice to see our bags when we reached the hotel. It was a great trip. Thank you!

Susan

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