Hi! I will be traveling by train to the Black Forrest with my husband the first week of Sept. We'll be coming from Wengen, Switzerland. We will leave Wengen very early in the morning and will have 5 nights before arriving in Amsterdam. I'm trying to decide if we should stay one or two nights in Hinterzarten (or another small town in that area) and then 3-4 nights in Cochem? Or...train directly to Cochem and stay 5 nights, making it our base? I'd love to see the Triberg Waterfall. Would another town be better for our first stop....one that would make the Triberg Waterfall possible? Would one night be enough and then do 4 nights in Cochem? There seems to be plenty day trips around Cochem. Our last day traveling to Amsterdam, we'll stop in Luxembough for a few hours.
We are mostly interested in small town/villages, local architecture, scenery, castles.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19092 posts
Some people put down the Black Forest as just another low mountain range, but I've spent a bit of time there, mostly in the North, and enjoyed it. Cochem has a river, but it's otherwise not a scenic as the Forest.
I've never been in Hinterzarten, but I have been in neighboringTitisee, and it was pretty, albeit very touristy. If there is a place there you want to stay in, by all means do. From there, take the train to Donaueschingen (the headwaters of the Danube), then take the train to Hausach via Triberg. I've been on the train between Hausach and Donaueschingen twice. It's a pretty ride on what is called the Schwartzwaldbahn. I haven't been to Triberg or the waterfall, but the train station is a fair piece from town. There are periodic buses from the station into town, but they don't always coincide with the arrival of the train so you might have to walk. Not sure the waterfall is worth the effort but the train trip on the Schwarzwaldbahn is worth the side trip. Near Hausach, is the Black Forest Outdoor Museum, with a collection of Black Forest farm house. If it were I, I would go from Hausach up the Kinzig to Freudenstadt, and from there to Pforzheim, maybe stopping in Calw, hometown of Hermann Hesse. From Pforzheim continue on to Cochem. I'd take a little time from the Mosel to spend more in the Black Forest.
Posted by
Paradise
6640 posts
"We are mostly interested in small town/villages, local architecture, scenery, castles."
Lee suggests a trip along the Black Forest Railway (Schwarzwaldbahn) and in fact I think this would be a better area to stay than Hinterzarten (which is mostly an area for hiking.) You will generally find nicer towns and architecture in this area than in the Hinterzarten/Titisee region:
Schiltach - Photo 1 Photo 2
Haslach
Gengenbach Photo 1 Photo 2
Hornberg
Hornberg's ruined castle (There aren't a lot of castles in the Black Forest - see those on the Rhine and Mosel.)
Villingen (Nice pedestrianized walled town with lots of towers)
Wolfach
Vogtsbauernhof in Gutach
Schwarzwaldbahn, Hornberg
Wolfach and Schiltach are a few minutes' train ride from the Schwarzwaldbahn along the Kinzig Valley line Lee mentions.
Schwarzwaldbahn rail line map
Triberg is a longish uphill walk from the station, touristy, and except for the Black Forest Museum a bit of a disappointment.
I suggest you stay at least 2 nights in Cochem and 2 in the Black Forest. Gengenbach is very fetching. Schiltach feels truly foresty. I've stayed in the Black Forest on several occasions, most recently in Steinach (near Haslach) at this farm apartment. We walked to the station and used the KONUS card to visit other towns (free train and bus travel with the KONUS card.)
Posted by
OP
US
5 posts
Thank you Lee and Russ for all the great information! Looking at train schedules, most of the towns Russ mentioned would be too many hours on the train from Wengen. However, Hausach was the shortest at 5 hours (same as Triberg). If we stay two nights at the first stop, it will give us a day and a half to visit the surrounding area by train. I'm still undecided!
Posted by
Greeley, co, usa
2406 posts
4:38 from Wengen to Gengenbach (9:03 departure). Remember that when in the Black Forest, your trains will be free if you stay in KONUS town.
About 4 hours from Gengenbach to Cochem