Baden-Württemberg

The castle-topped town of Meersburg on the Bodensee (Lake Constance)

The southwestern Baden-Württemberg state calls itself "The sunny side of Germany"

The Baden-Württemberg province shares borders with Bavaria and the Rhineland—and with France, Switzerland and Austria.

This southwestern-most corner of Germany is home to the fairy-tale Black Forest and Germany's own motor city, Stuttgart, where both Porsche and Daimler Mercedes-Benz have nifty museums.

In fact, many familiar brands come from here, including Ritter Sport chocolates, Steiff teddy bears, and the puzzles of Ravensburger, still made in the tower-ringed medieval town where they started.

From the lacy Gothic cathedral of Ulm on the Danube to the garden island of Mainau on the Bodensee (Lake Constance), the ancient university in Heidelberg to the half-timbered villages of Upper Swabia, recreated Bronze Age villages and medieval castles still owned by the noble families that built them 800 years ago, the spas of Baden-Baden to a replica of the Hindenburg cabin in Friedrichshafen's Zeppelin Museum, this state offers a little bit of everything Deutschland.

Top Baden-Württemberg experiences

Hike the Black Forest ★★★

Germany's Black Forest contains a staggering 23,000km (14,000 miles) of hiking trails, so you'll never be at a loss for a place to go. And, since it has been inhabited for a millennia, you're never far from a town or rail spur to get you to that trailhead.... » more

 

Storm medieval castles ★★★

These mighty bastions of the feudal past contain fine art and 18th century fashions, medieval weapons and crown jewels, fascinating history and fabulous views—and you can even spend the night in many of them... » more

 

Gear up for Stuttgart's car culture ★★

Stuttgart is Germany's own Motor City, home to both DaimlerChysler and Porsche—and to a both a Mercedes Museum and a Porsche Museum—not to mention the V8 Hotel surrounded by showrooms of classic automobiles of Motorworld, a custom car shop... » more

 

Tour the Zeppelin Museum ★★★

In the lakeside city of Friedsrichshafen where the mighty airships once docked, you can get a glimpse onto mankind's first era of flight—and board an exacting replica of the doomed Hindenburg passenger cabin... » more

 

Relax on Mainau ★★

Mainau is a gorgeous, 111-acre botanical garden on an island just off the delightful University city of Konstanz... » more

 

Cruise Lake Constance ★★

Flit between the shoreline attractions by ferry, or take a leisurely dinner cruise at sunset, with the villages and vineyards of Germany sliding past to one side and the peaks of the Alps rising above the far Swiss shore. A lake is meant to be enjoyed from the water... » more

 

Stay in amazing hotels ★★

Don't just settle for a hotel when you can sleep in medieval castle or a giant wine barrel, stay on a farm or in a wing of one of Europe's top classic car body shops. These lodgings could be the highlights of your trip... » more

 

See the cathedral of Ulm ★

One of the world's greatest Gothic cathedrals soars above the Danube in a glory of stone tracery and skyscraping spires—and the carved stonework up close is even more impressive. Climbing the 768 steps to the top of the main spire is a tourism rite of passage... » more

 

One village; 7 Michelin stars ★★

The tiny Black Forest town of Baiersbronn has three Michelin-starred restaurants—two of them three-starred, one of which is often crowned "best restaurant in the world"... » more

 

Regions of Baden-Württemberg

• Schwarzwald (Black Forest)
• Bodensee (Lake Constance)
• Stuttgart region
• Upper Swabia
• Heidelberg region

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