The Black Forest

The southern Black Forest from atop the Feldberg, its highest peak.

The Schwarzwald of southwest Germany

Hiking trails and forest vistas, brandy-soaked cakes and genteel spas, mountain lakes and cuckoo clocks—this is the Schwarzwald ("Black Woods") of southern Germany, 4,500 km² (1,737 mi²) of low mountains where southwest Germany washes up against France.

The region was not really settled until the high Middle Ages, by farmers and woodsmen and smallcrofters who slowly crafted today's Black Forest landscape of stream-fed villages and towns, sheep-shorn grasslands, and tidy mountain farms puzzled between those tall, deep-forested slopes crisscrossed by hiking trials (and, conveniently, the regional train lines to get to you to them).

Oh, and by the way: The true Black Forest ham is the air-dried type—similar to prosciutto—though they also eat that boiled ham edged in black that's usually passed off as "Black Forest Ham" in the States.

And the Black Forest cake? Yeah, it's steeped in kirschwasser—which means "cherry water" but is actually potent cherry schnapps (and they soak cake part, too; not just the cherries).

Why is it called the "Black Forest?"

Most people assume it is called the "Black Forest" for the deep evergreen shades of Norwegian spruce, Douglas fir, and white pine that upholster the region.

Fact is, those conifers—as their foreign names suggest—are all imports, planted in the late 19th century as part of a reforestation effort after eight centuries of human habitation (and one of heavy timber industry) had cleared most of the ancient hardwood and deciduous forests that once blanketed the region.

It was the Romans who first called this region the silva negra, or "Black Woods"—not for its color, but for the sense of forboding they felt upon discovering such a vast track of uninhabited woodlands—no locals to conquer and enslave, nor cleared earth to till. (Some Celtic tribes had settled around the fringes 2,500 years ago, but the heart of the forest remained wild.)

The woods were dark and useless—and possibly evil—so the Romans gave them a suitably spooky name, left one of their patented paved roads through the edge of it, and moved on—though local legend holds that the Titisee is actually named after future Emperor Titus, who supposedly (not really) first discovered this idyllic glacial moraine lake in the heart of the silva negra.

Top Black Forest experiences

Trekking in the Scwarzwald of southern Germany

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

The Feldberg is the highest peak in the Schwarzwald of southern Germany

Summit the Feldberg ★★

I stood at the grassy crossroads in an Alpine meadow and considered our options. The wide dirt path to our right twisted toward the peaks of the Swiss Alps etched into the blue skies a few dozen miles to the south. To the west, the tall, spruce-carpeted hills dipped into the Rhine Valley then rose into the mountains of Southern France. Back to the east was the top station of the gondola that had deposited us here high in the Schwarzwald, with its view over the glacial cirque of Feldsee Lake at the mountain’s foot to the wider waters of the Titisee far in the valley below... » more

The 3-Michelin-starred Schwarzwaldstube Restaurant in Baiersbronn

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

Explore the museums of Karlesruhe ★★

Home now to a bevy of great museums of Old Masters paintings, local history, and global archaeology, "Carl's Rest" was just the wild fringe of the Hardter Wald forest in 1715 when Carl Wilhelm, Margrave of Baden-Durlach, decided to build a retreat here to escape his shrewish wife for the charms of his "Tulip Girls"... » more

Black Forest cuckoo clocks in the Ravennaschluct

Hike the Ravenna Gorge (& shop for cuckoo clocks) ★

The Ravenna Gorge was nicknamed the Höllental ("Hell's Gorge") by retreating French troops in 1796—a bit unfairly, since this narrow Black Forest valley is quite beautiful, a deeply wooded cleft spanned by a the impressively tall stone viaduct of Germany's steepest railway bridge. The French simply had a rough time marching through this wilderness. The irony is, their deposed queen had passed though herself just 26 years earlier... » more

Spa-spa in Baden-Baden

Baden-Baden means "Baths-Baths," has been spa town since the Roman era—you can even visit the remains of the ancient soldiers' baths complex beneath the stately 1869 Friedrichsbad "Irish-Roman" baths facility—which, if you have to pick one baths in which to spa, this would be the one... » more

Where to stay in the Black Forest

Klosterhof 21 ★★★

These half-timbered apartments are the real deal, built in the 1550s and occupying the former servants' quarters of the Maulbronn Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Europe's best-preserved monastic complex north of the Alps. [€€] » book

Schloss Eberstein ★★

You gotta love a Neo-Gothic castle surrounded by its own vineyard that's also a four-star hotel with a Michelin-starred restaurant. The rooms, with views over the Murgtal valley town of Gernsbach, are posh and modern, though some part of the castle date back to its origins in the 13th century, with additions and restructuring going right through the 1800s. [€€] » more

Erlebnispark Tripsdrill Natur-Resort ★★

Like sleeping at a zoo, this odd hotel offers both wooden Gypsy-style caravan wagons and tree houses for its overnight guests—long with free passes to the wildlife park with its 40 species. [€€] » book tree house¨ | » book caravan

Sleep in a wine barrel ★★

The Wild Family has an odd set of rooms on its Black Forest vineyard: Giant wine barrels converted into guest quarters. This isn't quite camping; you have a proper bed, and the barrels are heated (though you do have to step into the barrel next-door for your private bathroom). [€€] » book

Hotel Schloss Hornberg ★

This Black Forest castle hotel rises above the Gutachtal Valley, an incorporates the original 1120 castle tower built by the Hornburg Dukes. The rooms are simple, modular, and comfy, and it gets a star for being among the cheapest of the state's castle-hotels, with double rooms starting at just €89. [€]... » book

Tips & links

Black Forest tourism information

GENERAL

Blackforest-tourism.com, Tourism-bw.com

CITIES

Freiburg.de, Karlsruhe-tourismus.de, Baden-baden.com, Pforzheim.de

PARKLANDS

Northern Black Forest: Schwarzwald-nationalpark.de; Southern Black Forest: Hochschwarzwald.de

How long should I spend in the Black Forest?

Give the Black Forest at least two days so you have plenty of time to take a decent day-hike or two as well as sample the cake and see some of the sights in the cities at its fringe.

Useful links & resources

SIGHTS