Bike & Hike: Black Forest Trail

Great package for people who are looking for longer day hikes plus additional days of bicycling the Black Forest. You have a chance to hike 2 days of our Black Forest Trail - a selection of the best trails the Central Black Forest has to offer. We add-on a tour by car your next hotel. Here you receive an e-bike so you can explore the Black Forest by bicycle.

Location

Black Forest

Start / End

freiburg, Offenburg

Activity

hiking, bicycling

Distance

17-19 km hiking, 30-40 km bicycling

Difficulty

easy-moderate

Duration

4 days, (add on more days)

Bike & Hike: Black Forest Trail

Bicycle Tours

spring, summer, fall

4 days, (add on more days)

Great package for people who are looking for longer day hikes plus additional days of e-bicycling the Black Forest. You have a chance to hike 2 days of our Black Forest Trail – a selection of the best trails the Central Black Forest has to offer. Then we transfer you to the Southern Black Forest by car where you spend another day or 2 of bicycling.

We Handle All The Detail
Luggage Transfer Included
E-bike & Helmet included
Hotels included, Upgrades possible

2 days of hiking, 1 rest day with transfer, 1 day of bicycling – add-on more days
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’:

2 days of hiking: Explore 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. Find a detailed description of our Black Forest Trail here.

Good to know: If the Black Forest Trail is too challenging or long for your taste, we also offer a shorter version of our hikes – called the Black Forest Trail/Shorter Distances.

Day 3: Transfer to the South / Rest Day

After 2 days of hiking you deserve a rest day. Our driver guide will pick you up mid-morning to take you on a 4 hour drive to your next hotel. You will be crossing through the clock area with a chance to see Germany’s highest waterfall in Triberg. Your tour ends at your next hotel in the Southern Black Forest. Explore this small mountain town upon arrival

Day 4: Explore the Black Forest on an e-bike

In the morning you will receive your rental e-bike. We will help you get the bike adjusted to your height. And explain the basic functions to you. Then you are off to explore the area by bicycle! There are several bicyle trails to choose from – one taking you to a remote Black Forest lake where you can enjoy lunch at a farmhouse restaurant.

Optional add-on: a bike guide

Our package is laied out as a self-guided package. We provide you with all the information you need and access to our mobile touring app – this way you know what you are doing and cannot get lost. But many visitors prefer to add-on a local guide for their e-bike tour. Our bike guide can easily adjust the route to everyones fitness level – no worries! The second day we provide you with several options with our touring app to bicycle the Black Forest on your own.

Departure Day

After breakfast you will hop on a train to Freiburg (included) which is a 45 minute train ride away. Many visitors store their luggage at the train station for a few hours to explore the sunniest city of Germany. We are happy to provide you with a complimentary audio tour for Freiburg. Or we can add-on a 90 minute walking tour of town.

e-bikes

Our e-bikes are typical touring bikes which allow you to tour on streets as well as on forest roads. We equip you with a lock and a helmet as well. Our e-bikes come in various sizes. When handing over the bikes we make sure everything is adjusted correctly to your height. The battery should last all day.

Is it for me?

Great tour for active people looking for longer day hikes. Plus a day of bicycling. These tours are self-guided tours, you will be touring with our printed material and mobile app.

Great combination of an active tour (hiking and bicycling) plus a few hours with a driver guide who knows the area like noone else.

You get the best of both worlds – some time to tour on your own. Plus some time with a tourguide.

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.

Boutique hotel outside a medieval town ( 2 nights )

We work with a small family-owned boutique hotels with newly remodeled rooms. The hotel has a small wellness area. This boutique hotel is known for its restaurant (some hikers say it was the best meal during their entire stay in Germany). Enjoy in the sauna after your hike and the quietness of the suburb. In the morning you will hike straight from your hotel. Depending on your time of arrival (check in is at 3 PM) you can also add-on an e-bike. This allows you to hop on the bike in the afternoon and pedal to town (3 km) or explore the nearby valley.

Your hike starts in front of your hotel. From here, you will be along the river for the first few minutes until you enter the Black Forest. A steep mountain climb will take you to a sightseeing tower where you can enjoy views of the Black Forest valley. If you are really fit there is a 2.5 km detour which takes you to a farmhouse for lunch.

You are then crossing through a medieval town for the second part of today’s hike. If you are too tired on your first day, you have the option to skip the remaining hike and head straight to to your hotel or enjoy an afternoon in town. This is also a good opportunity to grab lunch in town before continuing on your hike. 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.

Accommodation tonight – same hotel

You will start hiking straight from your hotel.

Explore a castle ruin before you hike into the forest. 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

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. This seems to be the favorite hotel of our guests on the Black Forest Trail!

Description of your day

Mid-morning our driver guide will meet you at your hotel to take you on a 4 hour guided tour, ending at your next hotel in the Southern Black Forest.

On a 4 hour tour you will have a chance to see some of the most-see sights (e.g. a waterfall, the clock area, a castle ruin). Choose from several stops before arriving at your next hotel.

Accommodation

You are staying at a family-owned hotel in the heart of a mountain town with easy access to everything.

Morning. In the morning you will receive your rental e-bike. We will help you get the bike adjusted to your height. And explain the basic functions to you. Then you are off to explore the area by bicycle!

We provide you with several bike routes to choose from.

Interested in hiring a guide?

Many visitors prefer to have a guide show them around on their first day. Depending on your fitness level and the distance you are interested in we can add a half day or full day tour with a guide to your package.

Evening. Several places in town to have dinner at

Accommodation

same hotel as last night

On your departure day you will hop on a train to Freiburg (free).

We recommend exploring Freiburg prior to your departure (why not add-on another night?). No rush – if you want to explore town, then store the luggage at the train station and pick it up later. We can also add-on a guided walking tour of Freiburg for 90 minutes covering the highlights of the old town centre.

Good to Know

Our 4 day/5 night package includes:

5 nights of accommodation in double room with private bathroom (simple hotels or gasthaus) in 3 different hotels.
5 breakfast
5 days of free transportation on local busses and trains
luggage transfer between all hotels
transfer by car plus guided tour from the Central Black Forest (hiking) to the Southern Black Forest (bicycling) with a driver guide.
e-bike rental with helmet & locks
welcome bag with useful items for your tour (water bottle, etc)
access to our mobile touring app 2gotours during your visit – you cannot get lost if using our app.

Travel to and from startf the Black Forest (arrival in Offenburg, departure from Freiburg)
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).

Season. This package is available from mid.-June to mid-October.

Our regular Bike & Hike: Black Forest Trail is 4 days/5 nights in length.

More time? We recommend to add-on at least one more day to have more time to experience the region, Many people add-on another bicycle day or a day in Freiburg.

Please contact us with your desire length and we can email you an exact quote

Hotel Location

All our hotels 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 of our hotels are in the middle or close to a cute Black Forest town.

Hotel Category

Most our hotels are small family-run hotels.
For an additional fee we can sometimes offer an upgraded hotel

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.
No 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. Only 1 of our regular hotels on the Black Forest Trail. One other hotel can be upgraded to a room with A/C making it 2 hotels total with A/C on the hike.
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.
Spotty Wi-Fi. All hotel are wi-fi. But it can be spotty in your room.

Breakfast included.
Lunch.Purchae a lunch package at the hotel, or grab a sandwich on your way out of town at the local bakery (we recommend where)
Dinner. All hotels but one have a restaurant on site also (not all are open every day). If there is no restaurant on site there are restaurants within walking distance of your hotel.

comfortable walking boots and socks
warm and waterproof clothes
a day pack is useful
rain gear
sun glasses, sun hat, sun block

You will receive detailed route notes and maps from us upon check-in at your first hotel.

You have a choice between touring with a paper map & route description. Or using our app to navigate during the day (mobile device required, no data plan needed)

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.

Day 1: Hiking

Day 2: Hiking

Day 3: transfer & rest day

Day 4: Bicycling, several routes to choose from

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:

71 reviews

Brett K

May 4, 2024

by Brett K on Black Forest Tours

Ever since I saw pictures of the Black Forest in high school German class, I wanted to hike the trails in the mountains. The scenery and thought of visiting the villages between. No car, no train just a backpack, some hiking shoes, and a destination. However, I also
wanted to rest every night in a comfortable hotel.

Luckily, The Black Forest Tours offered a 5-day hiking only excursion that was exactly what I was looking for. Not only do they handle the accommodations they give you very detailed printed instructions and GPS helper app to make sure you stay on trail. In addition to the hotels they set up luggage delivery service so you can have your comforts at every stop without lugging it on the trails. You will be staying in small villages along the Black Forest hiking trails and if you’re in determined no trains/busses required!

It is hard to qualify hiking difficulty generally, but these are not easy trails. The full hikes will be pulling up to 20KM (12 mi) per day! The good news is that the trails will hit up various points of interest along the way to make it more rewarding and giving you some resting spots. You’re traversing a lot of elevation changes. If the weather doesn’t cooperate or if you’re not feeling it the tours also give various opt-out points where you can take a train or shortcut trail more directly to your hotel.

Even with some colder weather (which was no one’s fault) I did the full hike and it was one of the best experiences of my life and highly recommend using The Black Forest Tours to plan your hiking trip in the area.

rosaleen50

Oct 17, 2023

by rosaleen50 on Black Forest Tours

Three experienced and older hikers (aged from 69 to 82) walked The Black Forest Trail arranged by Black Forest Tours. From the moment we stepped from walking through grassy meadows into the deep, dark forest it was simply wonderful. Our hike was self-guided and we were provided with excellent trip notes and maps. While there were some challenging sections due to elevation changes, all the days were between 15 and 20 kms, allowing for time to explore the villages where we were staying along the way. There were options to shortcut and optional extra walks. We did all extra walks as we did not want to miss the scenery and the surprises such as a farmer's schnapps cupboard! For the first 2 days we did not see another person on the hike. We crisscrossed a number of famous hikes, such as Jakobusweg (St James Way) and the Westweg and got to experience the Black Forest in perfect harmony with the tress, the hills, the small chapels and the little farmers' cupboards with schnapps or water that could be bought on an honesty system. Our accommodation was excellent in each village. We added a rest day in the middle of our hike and also an extra day at the start. These were great for exploring the areas, trying local food and getting over long flights (from Australia). The walk was exceptionally well-organised. We travelled to the Black Forest area by train from Frankfurt. The whole trip was a perfect mixture of train travel (getting on small and smaller trains), hiking, exploring fairytale villages and enjoying food and drink with friends in wonderful settings!

mark f

Oct 11, 2023

by mark f on Black Forest Tours

I had an amazing hiking trip with Black Forest Tours. Simone was brilliant to work with and created a wonderful route for us. She certainly cared and helped ensure that we had a brilliant holiday.

The routes were lovely and spectacular, we were given all the information we needed for a successful hike and all logistics were catered for. Fully recommend booking a holiday with Black Forest Tours.

Mark

Oct 1, 2023

by Mark on Black Forest Tours

I had an amazing hiking trip with Black Forest Tours. Simone was brilliant to work with and created a wonderful route for us. She certainly cared and helped ensure that we had a brilliant holiday.

The routes were lovely and spectacular, we were given all the information we needed for a successful hike and all logistics were catered for. Fully recommend booking a holiday with Black Forest Tours.

Diane L

Sep 22, 2023

by Diane L on Black Forest Tours

Simone at Black Forest Tours put together an amazing walking holiday for us. From our first contact requesting information on the tours, Simone was so helpful. Her knowledge of the area and attention to detail was truly an asset.

The hotels, luggage transfers and travel options went all as planned. We initially were a bit "nervous" not knowing any German, but that was never an issue. The very detailed walking notes with pictures were perfect. We got turned around a few times but were always able to get back on track by reviewing the notes or using the GPS APP.

If your looking for a stress free, beautiful walking holiday I highly recommend booking with Simone and Black Forest Tours.

Page 1 of 15:

«

‹

1

2

3

›

»

Stay in the loop

2025 Tours Update

Sign up for our email list and receive all details on our new tours.

Contact

Follow us!

Links

Tours

Testimonials