Black Forest Help

What about Lindau on the Bodensee? (Lake Constance). There are many nice places on shores of the lake that would make a great overnight stop, and hopefully an evening stroll along the strand, or if you're there early enough a boat trip. I personally love Staufen - great choice.

I've never been to Staufen. All my Black Forest time (21 days) has been confined to the Northern part, although I have passed through the south on two occasions - Donaueschingen to Tittisee to Freiburg and Offenburg to Hausach to Triberg to Donaueschingen. I know a lot of people like Staufen, but after seeing the website, it appears to be more on the flat land in front of the Schwarzwald rather than in it. I would be hesitant to base in Staufen. I was through Titisee in 1988 and even back then it was awfully touristy. I might be tempted to base in Triberg, although I have only been there in the winter. I don't know how touristy it might be in the summer. Triberg, IMO, is more a part of the Black Forest. From Triberg, you could go up the scenic Black Forest Railway to Gutach and the Schwarzwald outdoor museum, or farther to Alpirsbach and Freudenstadt or down to the Bodensee. Apparently you're not real familiar with what the Schwarzwald has to offer, because you seem to think you need a car. The Schwarzwald has an extensive network of bus and train lines. You don't need a car. It also has something called the Konus Card which you get for free with you tourism tax. It gives you free train and bus travel throughout the entire Schwarzwald area. Go to here and click on "Strecken und Linienkarte KONUS - Übersichtskarte". Purple lines are trains, yellow are bus routes. (cont'd)

A few years ago, I spent three nights in the northern Schwarzwald (Bad Herrenalb). The first day I took the bus down to Baden-Baden for the day. The second day I took the bus and train to Pforzheim, and then the train up the Nagold to the quaint little town of Calw (home of Herrman Hesse). All of that transportation was free with my Konuskarte. With the train you could go all the way to the Schwarzwald the first day without the risk of falling asleep behind the wheel. If you want to stop somewhere, I would suggest Ulm, home of the worlds highest Gothic Church tower. Other suggestions, farther from Munich and closer to the Forest would be Tübingen or Herrenberg, near Stuttgart.

"We don't want to drive too far that first night - any thoughts on where to spend the night between Munich and say Staufen? And is Staufen a good choice for a base? I have heard numerous comments about people being underwhelmed by the area - is 4 days in the area too much?" Staufen reall lies far to the west at the perimeter of the BF. I'd pick somewhere more central and do as Lee suggests and not drive at all - use the train to get to and around the BF - FREE travel is always good, and the trains there offer good service and very scenic rides. From MUC, catch a train to Ulm or to the old walled town of Memmingen for overnight (29 Euros for 2-5 people on a Bayern Ticket daypass.) The next day, catch a train to the BF along the Danube River route on another 29-Euro group daypass (known as the Baden-Württemberg ticket in this area); I'm not a fan of touristy Triberg, but Villingen, Hausach, and Schiltach are all attractive towns in the heart of the BF where you could set up for a few days. Schiltach is especially attractive. Once you get your Konus card from hour hosts you can go wherever you like on all local trains and buses for free: http://www.blackforest-tourism.com/konus To head to the Rhine after your last night in the BF: Ride the regional trains for free on the Konus card as far north as Dürmersheim, which is just south of Karlsruhe and is the town where your Konus card runs out. You'll need new tickets after that to reach the Rhine. Getting all that way from MUC to Dürmersheim on 58 Euros can't be beat.

Thanks for the great suggestions. I will be looking at the towns suggested. And this is a basically a first trip to Europe for both of us so are not at all familair with the area - that is why it is so great to get ideas from all of you who have been there! We are doing 3 weeks with a car and this is the frist leg but I had heard of the Konus card and thought we could still take advantage of that and leave the car parked. Thanks again.

Russ, thanks for coming along and verifying what I was saying that, with the Konuskarte, you don't need a car in the Schwarzwald. As I said, I've spent 21 days in the area without a car. The Konuskarte will take one as far as Durmersheim. From there it is a 3,40 KVV ticket to the Karlsruhe Hbf, where you can buy a Rheinland-Pfalz (Länder) ticket for €24 (two people). That will get you by RE to Mainz and from there to anywhere on the middle-Rhein or Mosel. Actually, you could use the Konuskarte to go to Ettlingen. From there it's only €2,20 (ticket purchasable on the streetcar) to the Karlsruhe Hbf, but the extra effort to get to Ettlingen might not be worth the savings.

We just got back from Europe and spent 2 days in the Black Forest in a nice B&B near Hausach. From here we took the free train to Triberg and Donaueshingen. It was a great ride and free. The train station was 20 min by foot or 5 min by car. The B&B was the Hansencristenhof. It was a good stop and reasonable. Look on Bens Baurenhof web site for other ideas.

I think I like the idea of Hausach. Of course, It's more in my favorite northern Black Forest, but very centrally located. It's a short distance from the Black Forest outdoor museum and close to the Schwarzwaldbahn to Triberg. In the other direction, you can go up the Kinzig to Alpirsbach and Freudenstadt and farther to Hochdorf and Calw. And Baden-Baden is just down the Murg, another scenic river valley. To go to this part of the Schwarzwald, you are probably best to take the northern route via Ulm and Stuttgart to Herrenberg. Stay at my favorite Pension Kirchgasse in Herrenberg. Then go via Eutingen im Gäu and the world's scariest trestle to Freudenstadt. There are so many things to see in the Schwarzwald. I've never been underwhelmed.