We will be in Heidelberg in June, and I thought a day trip to see parts of the Black Forest would be nice. I'd prefer not to drive (there will be two car loads for our group), and I was unable to find a day tour guide that will take 7 persons - so I thought maybe a scenic train to a town or two would suffice? Is that do-able, and if so - which town (s) would you suggest?
Posted by
Paradise
7206 posts
You've chosen to stay too far away from the Black Forest for a convenient visit, but a nice, brief one is possible if you don't mind spending the time to get there.
I'd suggest a trip by regional train to the Black Forest Open-Air museum (or Vogtsbauernhof) in Gutach, where you can get a solid feel for traditional life in the Black Forest... and a stop in the old-world town of Gengenbach. Below are some resources to inform you on these places.
https://www.vogtsbauernhof.de/en
Gengenbach:
https://www.schwarzwaldportal.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/IMG_20211014_131531-scaled.jpg
Gengenbach photo gallery:
https://www.stadtbild-deutschland.org/forum/index.php?thread/10418-gengenbach-galerie/
Gengenbach things to do:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g1142455-Activities-oa0-Gengenbach_Baden_Wurttemberg.html
Gengenbach is 2 train hours from Heidelberg. Gutach Freilichtmuseum (the name of the station by the museum) lies around 30 minutes beyond Gengenbach.
Sample schedule: uses regional trains only to keep the journey economically sound for your large group. (using day passes or the Deutschland-Ticket.) All times from the German Railways site:
Lv Heidelberg 9:07, ar Gutach Freilichtmuseum 11:41. 3 hrs for museum and lunch.
Lv Gutach Freilichtmuseum 14:42, ar. Gengenbach 15:05. 2.5 hrs for sightseeing, dinner.
Lv Gengenbach 17:36, ar. Heidelberg 19:41