My husband and I will be traveling through Germany from Interlaken, Switzerland to Duesseldorf, Germany the 2nd week of October. I am wanting advice for a good place to stay for 3 days (arriving on Saturday, leaving on Wednesday) that is decent with a private bath, nothing fancy, just clean and quiet. Our interests are relaxing, beer gardens, ruins, easy hiking, great food and peace and quiet. We are really not interested in going to any public bath houses or spas. We will be traveling by train so we will need to have everything accessible by foot or public transportation. We plan on seeing Cologne from Duesseldorf over the following weekend. I am mainly interested in travel information for the Black Forest since it is at about the halfway point between Interlaken and Duesseldorf. I currently have reservations for Ketterer am Kurgarten, but I am now rethinking that due to some reviews saying that Triberg is a big tourist trap. :-( Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.
Posted by
1 posts
Staying in Freiburg would be my advice, though it isn't necessarily peaceful and quiet. It's a beautiful city and, like most of Germany, has great public transportation.
Posted by
OP
USA
7 posts
I am considering that area but I was concerned that it would be more like staying in a big city. Any suggestions for a sweet spot to stay?
Posted by
New York, NY
1580 posts
if you base in a handsome old-world town like Gengenbach, which shares the scenic Black Forest Railway line with Triberg, you'll find it easy to reach Triberg and other popular destinations, like the Vogtsbauernhof, half-timbered Schiltach, and Haslach. It's definitely a sweet spot to base yourself and explore the region.
https://www.black-forest-travel.com/gengenbach/
Triberg and Villingen are popular also and within an hour of Gengenbach.
Posted by
Southeast US
3843 posts
Another vote for Gengenbach for all the reasons RJean mentions. It's a good base for visiting the Black Forest. it also participates in the Konus Card, which gives you free access to the regional trains in the area. Great town square (triangle, actually) for watching the world go by as you eat gelato from the nearby Italian restaurant.
For your list:
Relaxation -- check
Beer gardens -- check
Easy hiking -- depends on how easy you want
Great Food -- I liked what I ate there (but I'm pretty easy to please) -- reasonable # of restaurants
Peace and Quiet -- check
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32732 posts
can I pile in for Gengenbach?
Posted by
New York, NY
1580 posts
Proceed Nigel
Posted by
Niagara, Ontario
1549 posts
Gengenbach, followed closely by Staufen (I've not visited the northeastern part of the Black Forest, Bad Wildbad, Horb, etc))
Gengenbach has river and hilly walks close by, the vineyards around Durbach are attractive. Baden-Baden a short train ride away, Freiburg can be visited by free train (short route or a longer, more scenic route via Donaueschingen). https://www.stadt-gengenbach.de/index.php?id=4
Staufen is a little gem, a short train ride away from Freiburg, a reasonable train ride away (with stops) from Gengenbach. Lakes Titsee and Schluchsee can be reached easily enough, the latter having a nice hike around it. There is a pleasant, easy walk from Staufen to Bad Krozingen by the side of a creek. There is a nice ruin above Staufen, with more hiking beyond it. https://www.staufen.de/,Lde/299877.html
As one who always drives, I would not normally consider Freiburg as a base because of its size, which may also affect your decision. But as you are using public transport, Freiburg is not such a bad idea. You can easily reach Gengenbach and Staufen from there, it has a nice old town and there is some nice hiking to be had on the hiking paths on the east part of the city past the obervaton tower.
The Black Forest is not Swiss Alps stunning but it is pretty as a picture in parts and has its charms. I once read a laughable opinion that it was not worth visiting if you had already visited the state of Michigan.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
696 posts
Jumping on this thread( hope thats OK ,Debbie) would
Gengenbach be easily accessible from Basel by public transport
Posted by
OP
USA
7 posts
Thank you all for your suggestions. They have given me a lot of options and wonderful insight into this beautiful area of Germany.
Posted by
Union NJ USA
63 posts
My wife and I enjoyed Freiburg - especially the daily market in the Altstadt where we packed a lunch from different vendors per RS advice. We stayed at the Park Hotel Post just two blocks from the train station (cozy and artsy) and made great use of our two days there by booking a personalized tour with Simone Brixel who RS recommends. Though we prefer to explore on our own most times, we found that her extensive knowledge of the Black Forest gave us an experience we could not have replicated on our own no matter how much research and planning we might have done.