Staufen, Friberg, or elsewhere in So. Blackforrest

With the exception of the Oktoberfest grounds (Marienwiese) during Oktoberfest, I don't think I have ever seen anything in Germany that looked like "Disneyland on Spring Break". Possibly the otherwise "most touristy" I have seen was St. Goar/Bacharach. Titisee, perhaps, was a little touristy, but nothing like the Mittelrhein.

Staufen does not rank highly on our list to visit again. The hotel that Rick recommended at one time that is near the train station is like staying at Disney's haunted mansion - definitely not a good idea. You may not like touristy areas, but Baden Baden though touristy is better recommended than a stay in Staufen if you are going to be in that area of Germany.

Baden-Baden is not quite what I would call the southern Black Forest. If you are willing to go that far north, I would suggest Freudenstadt (www.freudenstadt.de) or a place call Alpirsbach (www.alpirsbach.de). I particularly don't think Alpirsbach would be considered touristy. When I was there, I don't think I encountered anyone who spoke English.

A great town for me was Triberg. It has Germany's highest waterfall, but despite that it is still a very sleepy town. It is known for its cuckoo clocks (home to the Hubert Herr clock "factory") and Black Forest Cake (Cafe Schafer advertises that it uses the original recipe and it was pretty outstanding). About 1 km down the road is another small town that boasts the world's largest cuckoo clock.

Let me know if you want more information (hotels, etc).

The only disneyesque places I've been in Germany are Rothenburg and Neuschwanstein Castle. The rest of the country is mickey-free, although Triberg in the Black Forest comes close, with all its cuckoo clocks and tour buses.

Staufen is a pleasant place but I don't quite understand why it merits the attention it gets in Rick's book.

Not sure what you're doing in the BF or for how long, but the most outstanding town I know if in the heart of the Black Forest would be Schiltach - small but oft-visited, mostly by Germans. It's south of Freudenstadt (which is nice but a bit more "city" than village.) Schiltach is cobblestoned, half-timbered magic in a lovely setting, and central for daytrips to many other towns.

Another option is Gengenbach, a truly lovely old walled town with many beautiful buildings near Offenburg. It's at a lower elevation, and less foresty.

If you stay in Gengenbach, Schiltach, Freudenstadt, Triberg, Alpirsbach, Staufen, or one of many other BF villages, you can take advantage of the Konus Karte - a guest card that gives you free rail and bus travel throughout most of the BF. Nothing wrong with saving some $6/gal gas. Just ask for one from your hotel or innkeeper.

We spent 2 nights in Staufen last June. It was one of our favorite villages from many visits to Germany. We are in our early 60's and traveling with an 11 year old so weren't looking for excitement. After sightseeing in the area, we enjoyed coming back to a nice dinner and an evening of journaling and looking at the day's pictures.

We stayed at the Hotel Hirschen and loved the room and the restaurant. The owners were delightful. We loved walking around the small town and saw few tourists (it was early June).
I guess the replies show that everyone's tastes are different and we aren't all looking for the same things. Staufen would definitely get my recommendation for a small, not touristy village.