Is the Black Forest worth it?

When I was in the Black Forest last month, I did think, "This looks a little bit like Vermont." And the Todtnauer Waterfall, near my hotel, was pretty, but not awe-inspiring. I love Europe, and have spent over 600 nights there, between business and pleasure. This was my third time in Germany this year, for seven, 2, and 2 days. I don't like to say that anything is "just like it is at home." And a tenet of Rick Steves touring is, "Assume you'll return." So I'm willing to let you say, "I'll catch it another time." But never, "That's missable." Make no mistake, you're missing something. I tasted "Neue Susser", freshly pressed, barely fermented grape juice. I enjoyed Freiburg, with a sister-city seal of Madison WI in front of the old town hall-and an empty space at the Platz der Alten Synagoge. I saw Zaha Hadid's first building, in Weil am Rhine. And I missed a lot of great places nearby that I didn't have time for, like Tuebingen, Konstanz, Villingen, and a lot more. You can't see everything in one trip. I've visited my brother in Olympia WA, and I'm not too impressed. Mount Ranier, well, maybe a little better ....

We rented a car and spent 7 days in the Black Forest the summer of 2010. It was OK, but I wouldn't leave the Rhineland for it. It is pretty much the same from top to bottom, so a day is sufficient. This from a devoted mountain man who climbs every weekend.

Füssen to the BF can be done in about 5.5 hours by train; the 2 route that passes along the Danube River valley via Ulm and Donaueschingen, and another that travels via Lindau and Lake Constance, are quite scenic I think the Black Forest is great. It's more "old world" than most of Germany, and traditions remain here in a way that is unusual elsewhere in the country. If you go only to Freiburg and Baden-Baden, you won't even notice that you're in the Black Forest - there are a lot of special towns to visit, including Villingen, Schiltach, Hausach, Gutach, Gengenbach, Urach, and Gutach, home of the Vogtsbauernhof open air museum. Before you toss it aside, have a look at some of the villages on Ben's trip reports and at the places he's stayed; the BF figures prominently in these: http://www.bensbauernhof.com/tenthstammtischanniversary2009.html http://www.bensbauernhof.com/germanyaustria2010.html http://www.bensbauernhof.com/germanybyrailandbus2011.html

Keri,, i have only been there once,, over 20 years ago.. so no expert,, but i was underwhelmed and a bit dissappointed. Just my opinion.

Kerri, I passed through the southern BF 23 years ago, stopped at Titisee on my way to Freiburg. Was under-impressed. In the last ten years I've spent 21 nights on five trips in the northern BF and loved every day of it. The terrain and trees are more like West Virginia or Eastern Kentucky. Great quaint towns like Calw or Alpirsbach. I don't think anywhere can match the elegance of the Palais Therme in Bad Wildbad. We traveled one day in December after a snow storm from Offenburg to Donaueschingen via Triberg on the Schwarzwaldbahn. The bright sun on the new snow and the villages in the valley were unforgettable.

The Black Forest is just one of several forested low mountain ranges that you can find throughout central and southern Germany. All of them are either partially or wholly contained in Naturparks or National Parks, and all of them are dotted with characteristic towns and villages. So in that sense, the Black Forest isn't really that unique. The southern portion, however, does have some impressive mountains. However, even these don't compare to the Alps, which you will have seen in Füssen. So yes, given your time restraints and the fact that the Schwartzwald would be a detour, I would skip it.

We spent four nights in the Black Forest this past September. I had heard that the rides on both the Black Forest Railway and the Hell's Valley Railway were spectacular, so we did them both. Frankly, I was underwhelmed. Also, Triberg and Titisee were both very touristy. But we did like Gengenbach.

The Black Forest was my favorite part of out trip in Germany. we drove from Zurich and visited Triberg, absolutely beautiful city. Loved the waterfall (You have to pay to get in but worth it.) We were there in March of 2010 and had great weather. About two inched of snow on the ground.

This will be short and to the point. I would not recommend going to the Black Forest.

And to also be "short and to the point", I'm so thankful you were not my trip advisor. I could have missed out on so much.

Lee everyone is entitled to their opinion,, it doesn't have to be the same as yours all the time right? You already posted a response then just reposted to put someone elses opinion down,, hmm.