In May of next year we will be traveling from Mürren, Switzerland to the Black Forest of Germany totally on public transport , then on to Rothenburg, Bacharach and St. Goar. Then up the Mosel to Cochem and Beilstein! Any recommendations of where to enter the Black Forest and which route would be best and most scenic? Then which is best in going on to Rothenburg,etc? This will be our first trip to Germany. Thank you well travelled friends in advance.
Posted by
179 posts
By train, go to Freiburg im Breisgau first, then by train to Titisee-Neustadt. It's a scenic train route, the Höllentalbahn. Go on a hike in the area. The Feldberg, the Schluchsee, and the Wutachschlucht are nice hiking destinations nearby. You will need appropriate shoes and -in May- a raincoat.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%B6llentalbahn_(Black_Forest)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titisee-Neustadt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schluchsee
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feldberg_(Black_Forest)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wutach_Gorge
Leave the Schwarzwald by train to Donaueschingen, then visit the picturesque towns at the Neckar River starting from Donaueschingen to Rottweil to Tübingen.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donaueschingen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rottweil
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%BCbingen
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19275 posts
I'm fine with Freiburg to Donaueschingen; you might want to hike (short) out to the park at the headwater of the Danube. I'd go from there on the Schwarzwaldbahn, a scenic through Triberg, then down the Gutach river to Hausach and the Schwarzwald Open Air Museum, with traditional Black Forest houses. From Hausach, go up the Kinzig river to Freudenstadt (you might want to stop in the cute little town of Alpirsbach for a visit to the Klosterbräu brewery. After a visit to Freudenstadt, take the train down the Nagold river to Calw, home of Hermann Hesse, then on to Pforzheim, then Stuttgart and Ansbach to Rothenburg.
Posted by
Bavaria
2480 posts
Please note that the train ride from the Black forest to Rothenburg is time consuming and implies three transfers at a minimum (Stuttgart or Karlsruhe, Ansbach, Steinach). Depending on your point of departure it takes between 4:20 and 6 hours. I'd play a little with www.bahn.com to figure out the most convenient starting point.
Posted by
179 posts
Anyone going to Rothenburg o.d.T by train should stop and look around in Ansbach. It's also a picturesque city and has a former residence palace.
For anyone intersted in the former "noble sports" I recommend to visit the falconry at the castle of Schillingsfürst, which is between Ansbach and Rothenburg o.d.T. You have to take the bus from Dombühl to Rothenburg o.d.T to get there but it's worth it.
Posted by
Green Bay
21166 posts
How long are you planning to stay in the Black Forest area, and any particular places you want to see? If you stay at a hotel that offers the KONUS card, you will have free public transport in the Black Forest. You can use it on the way to Rothenburg for as far as it is valid.
http://www.blackforest-tourism.com/info/KONUS