38 Best Sights in The Black Forest, Germany

The largest of several towns comprising the Kaiserstuhl region, Breisach am Rhein is a typical German village, with a cathedral atop a hill and an impressive city hall. The exceptional thing here is the views from the square beside the cathedral, which show the Black Forest to the east and France to the west (just beyond the River Rhine). It's a sister city to the UNESCO-recognized Neuf-Breisach across the border and a beautiful stopover for many Rhine river cruises.

Covering 160 acres, Europa Park is the continent's largest and busiest amusement park and one of Germany's best-loved attractions. It has a quaint walk-through replica of European villages as well as roller coasters and rides, like the Eurosat CanCan Coaster, a virtual journey inside the Moulin Rouge, and the Silver Star, one of Europe's highest roller coasters. Try the Swiss Bob Run or the Poseidon Water Roller Coaster for even more thrills for the entire family.

The Münster Unserer Lieben Frau, Freiburg's most famous landmark, towers over the medieval streets. The cathedral took three centuries to build, from around 1200 to 1515. You can easily trace the progress of generations of builders through the changing architectural styles, from the fat columns and solid, rounded arches of the Romanesque period to the lofty Gothic windows and airy interior of the choir. The delicately perforated 380-foot spire, the finest in Europe, can be climbed (at the time of this writing, the spire is closed until further notice). In addition to a magnificent view, you'll get a closer look at the 16 bells, including the 1258 "Hosanna," one of Germany's oldest functioning bells.

Built as an exhibition hall for the private collection of businessman Frieder Burda, this modern structure was created by acclaimed New York architect Richard Meier. Continually rotating, the private collection focuses on classic modern and contemporary art. Highlights include a number of pieces by Gerhard Richter as well as works by Picasso, German expressionists, the New York School, and American abstract expressionists.

The Hornberg–Triberg–St. Georgen segment of the Schwarzwaldbahn is one of Germany's most scenic train rides. The 149-km (93-mile) Schwarzwaldbahn, built from 1866 to 1873, runs from Offenburg to Lake Constance via Triberg. It has no fewer than 39 tunnels, and at one point climbs almost 2,000 feet in just 11 km (6½ miles). It's part of the German Railway, and you can make inquiries at any station.

At the head of the Gutach Valley, the Gutach River plunges more than 500 feet over seven huge granite cascades at Triberg's waterfall, Germany's highest. The pleasant 45-minute walk from the center of town is well signposted. A longer walk goes by a small pilgrimage church and the old Mesnerhäuschen, the sacristan's house. You can do much of the hike free of charge but to climb to the top, you'll need to pay a fee.

A visit to Freiburg's cathedral is not really complete without also exploring the Augustinermuseum, in the former Augustinian cloister. Original sculpture from the cathedral is on display, as well as gold and silver reliquaries. The collection of stained-glass windows, dating from the Middle Ages to today, is one of the most important in Germany.

Housed in the Schloss Karlsruhe, this museum has a large number of Greek and Roman antiquities and trophies that Ludwig the Turk brought back from campaigns in Turkey in the 17th century. Most of the other exhibits are devoted to local history.

The Brauerei was once part of the monastery, and has brewed beer since the Middle Ages. The unusually soft water gives the beer a flavor that is widely acclaimed. There are guided tours of the brewery museum daily at noon and 2:30 (in German only), which include glasses of beer, as well as tours and tastings on selected Fridays and Saturdays; see the website for details. If there is one place in Germany to go out of your way for a beer, Alpirsbach is it.

Germany's oldest casino, this testament to 19th-century decadence was the brainchild of Parisian Jacques Bénazet, who persuaded the sleepy little Black Forest spa town to build gambling rooms to enliven its evenings after gambling was banned in France (just a few miles away). Opened in 1855, the sumptuous interior was modeled on Versailles, right down to the Pompadour Room, home to a "practice" roulette table, and the luminous Winter Garden, with white marble and antique Chinese vases. The richly decorated gaming rooms could make even an emperor feel at home—Kaiser Wilhelm I was a regular patron, as was his chancellor, Bismarck. Russian novelist Dostoyevsky related his experiences here in his novella, The Gambler, and Marlene Dietrich reputedly called it the most beautiful casino in the world. Passports are necessary as proof of identity. Come in the morning before the doors open to players for a guided tour (40 minutes), available in English on request. To try your hand at either French or American roulette, blackjack, or Texas hold'em, you'll need to be over 21 and follow a strict dress code (jacket for men, no sneakers).

In the center of Furtwangen, 16 km (10 miles) south of Triberg, drop in on the Uhrenmuseum, the largest such museum in Germany. It charts the development of Black Forest clocks and exhibits all types of timepieces—from cuckoo clocks, church clock mechanisms, kinetic wristwatches, and old decorative desktop clocks to punch clocks and digital blinking objects.

Officially founded in 1285, this small town in the center of the wine-growing Kaiserstuhl changed hands several times, most notably when it became a tributary to the Hapsburg Empire. This history is documented in the free Austria Museum in the Üsenberger Hof, also home to the town's tourist information center. Largely spared from the ravages of war, the town center still maintains timber-frame houses dating back to the 15th century that give it a quaint, traditional look complemented by a series of churches within the city walls.

You can visit the ancient Gasthaus zum Löwen, where Faust lived—allegedly in room No. 5—and died. Guests can stay overnight in the room, which has been decked out in period furniture with all modern conveniences removed (including the telephone) to enhance the effect. The inn is right on the central square of Staufen, a town with a visible inclination toward modern art in ancient settings.

A wine cellar specializing in turning white wine into the sparkling white wine known as Sekt in German, this 600-year-old building with an arched eave basement was used as a bomb shelter during the war and adapted for the years-long in-bottle fermentation process. Tours are held every day (except Sunday) at 2 pm; arrive 30 minutes early to watch the DVD introduction in English.

The museum recounts the life of the Nobel Prize–winning writer Hermann Hesse, author of Steppenwolf and Siddharta, who rebelled against his middle-class German upbringing to become a pacifist and the darling of the Beat Generation. The museum tells the story of his life in personal belongings, photographs, manuscripts, and other documents. The museum is closed for renovations until spring 2023.

Three kilometers (2 miles) north of Calw, Hirsau has ruins of a 9th-century monastery, now the setting for a museum, a weekend festival in June, and the Klostersommer open-air concerts in July and August. Buy advance tickets for the concerts at the Calw tourist office.

The little town of Maulbronn, 45 km (28 miles) due east of Karlsruhe, is home to the best-preserved medieval monastery north of the Alps; its entire complex of 30 buildings is on UNESCO's World Heritage list. The name Maulbronn (Mule Fountain) derives from a legend. Monks seeking a suitably watered site for their monastery considered it a sign from God when one of their mules discovered and drank at a spring. The Kloster is also known for inventing the Maultasche, a kind of large ravioli. The monks thought that by coloring the meat filling green by adding parsley and wrapping it inside a pasta pocket, they could hide it from God on fasting days. Today the Maultasche is the cornerstone of Swabian cuisine. An audio guide in English is available.

A well-groomed park bordering the slender Oos River, this green, tree-lined pedestrian boulevard is a perfect place to stroll, take in the atmosphere, and forget you're in a city. Lined with 19th-century villas, it's home to four museums and an extensive rose garden, the Gönneranlage, which contains more than 400 types of roses.

The road to Gernsbach, a couple of miles east of Baden-Baden, skirts this 2,000-foot-high mountain peak, named after a monument to the god Mercury that dates from Roman times and still stands just below the mountain summit. You can take the Merkur Funicular Railway to the summit, but it's not a trip for the fainthearted—the incline (54 degrees) is one of Europe's steepest.

The square around Freiburg's cathedral, which once served as a cemetery, holds a market Monday to Saturday. You can stock up on local specialties, from wood-oven-baked bread to hams, wines, vinegars, fruits, and Kirschwasser (cherry brandy). The south side, in front of the Renaissance Kaufhaus (Market House), is traditionally used by merchants. On the north side of the square are farmers with their produce. This is where you can sample some local sausages served with a white roll and heaps of onions.

The former home of painter, sculptor, and architect Johann Christian Wentzinger (1710–97) houses the City History Museum, which contains fascinating exhibits, including the poignant remains of a typewriter recovered from a bombed-out bank. The ceiling fresco in the stairway, painted by Wentzinger himself, is the museum's pride and joy.

Freiburg's famous Rathaus (Town Hall) is actually two 16th-century patrician houses joined together. Destroyed in the war, it was faithfully reconstructed in the 1950s. Among its attractive Renaissance features is an oriel, or bay window, clinging to a corner and bearing a bas-relief of the romantic medieval legend of the Maiden and the Unicorn.

The sandstone church is on the corner of Robert Koch Strasse and Lichtentaler Strasse. The Russian diaspora community in Baden-Baden consecrated it in 1882; it's identifiable by its gold onion dome.

Five kilometers (3 miles) south of Rastatt, in Förch, Ludwig the Turk's Bohemian-born wife, Sibylle Augusta, constructed her own charming little summer palace after his death. Inside, in an exotic, imaginative baroque interior of mirrors, tiles, and marble, her collection of miniatures, mosaics, and porcelain is strikingly displayed. One of the only original palaces left unscathed by the war, the opulent interior includes a one-of-a-kind, 18th-century Florentine cabinet with 758 colorful panels.

The town quite literally grew up around the former Schloss of the Margrave Karl Wilhelm, which was begun in 1715 and was in use for more than 200 years. Thirty-two avenues radiate from the palace, 23 leading into the extensive grounds, and the remaining nine forming the grid of the Old Town. Today, the palace is home to the Badisches Landmuseum.