Wondering if anyone out there could help us!

My boyfriend and I are planning a trip to the Black Forest in Feburary next year, and we've found a really nice hotel we want to stay in, although we haven't booked anything yet.

The hotel is in a small village/town called Hochenschwand, and appears to be quite deep into the forest. This is where we really want to stay, right in the heart of it all, but we're a little worried about transport, particularly which airport do we fly to in order to get to the hotel?

The closest one appears to be Zurich in Switzerland, but I'm a bit unsure as to how the border crossing would work. Could anyone be of help?

We're going to be mainly in the south of the B.F (near Freiburg) so if anyone has any experience of it, and can offer us help on where they flew to and what transport they used to get around (neither of us drive) that would be ace.

Kate x

The nearest airport might be Basle-Mulhouse-Freiburg. Details of he regular buses to Freiburg from the airport (from memory, I think you exit through the Swiss channel) are on the Basle airport website: outline details of the train from Freiburg to Hochenschwand are at www.hoechenschwand.de. Press the routenplaning button on the home page for a map of local train services.

Connections might be more staightforward from Zurich, though, as you can get trains from the airport, probably changing at Zurich's Hauptbahnhof. Go to www.bahn.de (follow the International Guests button) for trains both from Freiburg and from Zurich.

The border's just like any other external Schengen border: you probably have to show your passport leaving Switzerland and - unless you have a nationality that needs a Schengen visa - that's about it.

You're not telling us where ou are flying in from. If it's a place in Europe from where low-cost airlines are an option, Baden Airpark (Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden) will be your best bet.

Moushki, would you mind sharing the name of the place you want to stay? I'm always looking for new suggestions.

Thanks.

Sorry! I should have said we're flying from England - preferably Leeds/Bradford as that's where we live, but if we have to go to one of the London airports, then so be it.

Thankyou so much for the information flanneruk. I didn't even realise there was a train station in Hochenschwand - that's made things a lot easier! I thought it was going to involve a long and expensive taxi journey from a Swiss airport.

I'm looking at travelling from Zurich by train, although doing so has now confused me because there seems to be endless train stops in Hochenschwand and I have no idea which one to get off at (Hochenschwand is turning out to be a deceiving little place!)

The hotel we want to stay in is called Alpenpanorama. It was the cheapest, and best situated for us.

Those are not rail stations, they are bus stops. It does not appear that there is rail service all the way to Höchenschwand.

From Freiburg, there is train service to Seebrugg, then bus service (two connecting buses) from there. The bus trips are fairly short, 8 and 6 minutes, but there is a half hour wait for the second bus.

From Singen get off at Waldshut. There is a half hour bus connection from there.

I was in the area in the summer and I can tell you it will be a fairly lengthy journey by public transport. From Zurich, you first have to get to Freiburg and change to Höllentalbahn line to Seebruck (on the shore of Schluchsee), then bus connections. From Basel/Mulhouse, there's a regular bus to Freiburg, then train and local buses. If your budget allows, try hiring a car from the French side of Basel/Mulhouse airport (a lot cheaper than Swiss side; from around £150 a week) and the journey will be about 2 hours, usually via Freiburg. Basel/Mulhouse is served by Easyjet from UK, from Liverpool, Stansted or Luton.
Remember it will be very cold in February and substantial snowfall is a possibility, but not inevitable (low altitudes, around 1000 metres).
It's a lovely, very quiet part of Southern Black Forest (Hochschwarzwald), with some excellent hiking and wintersport possibilities.
Remember, once you check into your hotel, they will give you a guest card (Gästekarte) which entitles you to free public transport around Black Forest (Konus-Karte).

Switzerland is soon joining the Schengen Accord countries - perhaps in 2007 but not sure. Anyway the border is more a formality than any hurdle - Customs folks come aboard trains and rarely ask for identification from Caucasian-looking types. There are direct trains from Zurich to the Black Forest area i believe.

"From Zurich, you first have to get to Freiburg. Absolutely not! Look it up on bahn.de.

The best way from Zurich to Höchenschwand can take as little as 1:25 (up to about 2 hrs). The trains take you to Waldshut where it is a half hour bus trip to Höchenschwand. The rail part of the fare should be less than €12. The bus fare won't be very much.

If London is an option, check out Stanstead to Baden-Baden on Ryanair. Bus to Baden-Baden train station, 40 minutes by train to Freiburg from there. Then continue as described above.

Oh the joys of the low fare airlines. The only flight to Karlsruhe airport via RyanAir gets into Karlsruhe airport at 16:45. The next bus leaves the airport at 20:32, and the train connection gets into Höchenschwand the next morning. And, one of two flights via Friedrichshafen gets into there at 2115, after the last connection of the day to Höchenschwand. There is an earlier flight to Friedrichshaven, with plenty of time to get to Höchenschwand, but it leaves Stansted at 7:10, so you would have to be at that airport at 5:10.

You could spend the night in one of those towns, Baden-Baden or Friedrichshafen. The trip from Baden-Baden to Höchenschwand takes 3 to 3-1/2 hours and costs €29-41. The trip from Friedrichshafen takes about 2:40 and cost €20,20.

Can't help you with public transport as we had our own car but have you tried emailing the hotel telling them you are keen to stay and askinsg what would be the easiest way to get them from either of the two airports you are considering? If it is a very small hotel they might not have sufficient English but it certainly can't hurt to try.

Hope you work it out as it is a wonderful area in which to stay. Last time we stayed at Frieburg but said that next time we would choose to actually stay in one of the smaller villages as you are intending to do.

I see little point in bothering the hotel with the question of how to get to Höchenschwand from an airport. That information is readily available on Bahn.de. Four airports, Zurich, Friedrichshafen, Basel, and Karlsruhe, have been suggested, although I suspect Moushki really wants to fly to Zurich. The route from Karlsruhe is the most difficult; from the other three airports you go to Waldshut and take the bus from there.

What Moushki might want to ask is how to get from the bus stop at Höchenschwand Rathaus to the hotel. Via Michelin shows it is about 0.6 km. That is not a bad walk unless one has very heavy luggage. Is there a city bus? Will the hotel pick them up at the Rathaus if they call?