5 Days in Black Forest, Germany

Posted by ritesh on 12/21/14 06:27 AM

Hi,

I am planning a 5 day trip in the Black Forest region of Germany during the month of May 2015 with my family, including my parents and children (both teenagers).

I will make an entry into this region from Geneva and take my flight back home from Frankfurt. Since my flight from Frankfurt is at 13:30 Hours, I am thinking of reaching Frankfurt the previous day and probably do a hop-on-hop-off kind of tour the previous day. This leaves me with 4 days to cover the Black Forest region. I am planning to split my stay in two different cities / towns of the region to make it less hectic. Or would it be advisable to stay in one place and cover the region by doing day trips by train / car? Please give your valuable inputs on how best I could utilize my four days in Black Forest to make this one of the most memorable holidays ever.

Posted by Russ

Paradise

12/21/14 05:07 PM

7072 posts

The best input I have for you right now is to peruse some trip reports from people who've been there before - read their comments and see what interests you most. Have a look at Bavaria Ben's trip reports page. There are many documented visits to the Black Forest here; the 6 most recent reports, including one I penned, all include information on the Black Forest ("Schwarzwald" in German,) so scan the page for those terms and you'll find plenty of photos and descriptions when you click on those reports.

The train is a good way to visit the BF towns - and you can travel completely free of charge if you stay in one or more smaller towns that participate in the KONUS program. Gengenbach is not only a beautiful old-world town but also a KONUS town as well as a particularly good base town for visiting the Central Black Forest towns along the scenic Black Forest Railway, Freiburg, and Strasbourg (FR.) Bigtyke (Stephen on this travel board) has stayed in Gengenbach and may have some lodging or other tips for you.

KONUS program
Gengenbach photo
Black Forest Railway

Posted by Denise

Lake Forest, CA, USA

12/21/14 07:13 PM

1633 posts

Not sure what mode of travel you are using, but say it's the train. My absolute favorite area/town in the southern Black Forest is Muensterstal. From the Geneva airport, there's a fast train that gets you into Muensterstal in just under 5 hrs. From Muensterstal to the Frankfurt area, it's about 2 1/2 hrs. Use this website to check routes: http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

Why Muensterstal? Lots of wonderful, traditional German lodging including apartments which might suit your family size well. A smaller, less touristy town. Great traditional German food. An easy commute or drive to the towns of Staufen and Freiburg. Lots of great, easy walking trails. A lovely Monastery with lots of history. A true gem of a Black Forest town that has it all. Enjoy your trip making lots of family memories.

Posted by stephen

Greeley, co, usa

12/22/14 02:36 AM

2588 posts

The sommerrodelbahn (summer toboggan) in Gutach is a lot of fun. It is a stone's throw from the Vogtsbauernhof open air musem. We loved Gengenbach and the place we stayed there would work well for your group. As Russ mentioned, my report on this is at Bavaria Ben's website. I am hoping to get back there in 2016.

Posted by AllieH

West Coast, California, USA

12/24/14 02:32 AM

485 posts

We stayed in Gengenbach for 5 nights last April. Lovely little town. We did use the KONUS card and took the train to Triberg, Strasbourg, and another town. The last 2 days, though, we made use of our rental car and just 'explored' the region. It was nice to not be dependent on the trains and we actually saw much more. One of our favorite sites was the Vogtsbauernhof museum, an outdoor museum of original (and some rebuilt) farmhouses dating back to the 1600's. Here's their link: http://en.vogtsbauernhof.de/

Posted by Betty

Missouri City

12/24/14 04:19 AM

252 posts

We have stayed in both Gengenbach and Staufen and thoroughly enjoyed each of them. Both are small but very charming and offer a range of close by options for day trips. We had a car on each occasion as that is our preferred method of transportation but the Konus card and train make it easy to get around if you'd rather not drive.