Group of 5 friends from USA and 2 cars (one a new red CLS) driving to Strasbourg after visiting Mercedes Benz Museum. This will be on a Tuesday the first week of October. Will finish museum tour about noon and would like to be at hotel in Strasbourg around 6:30ish ~ say 6 - 6 1/2 hours.

Have questions about a wonderful place for lunch and the most stunning route through the Black Forest. I have looked at map and done some homework and it looks as if we want to spend some time in Freudenstadt and then take Hwy 28 to Strasbourg.

Any thoughts about Herrenberg/Nahold/Pfalzgrafenweiler/Freudenstadt/Strasbourg

vs.

Horb/Schopfloch/Freudenstadt/Strasbourg

vs.

your idea on best route?

add detour up to Baiersbroon Schwarzwald Hochstrasse?

beautiful Black Forest restaurant (open on a Tuesday)?

"must sees" along whatever route you think most stunning?

add Tubingen?

Thanks!

Stunning? MOST stunning? Don't set yourself up for a disappointment.

Phillip:

I've driven that area frequently, primarily searching for scenery, charming villages, etc.

Obviously the fastest route between Stuttgart and Strasbourg, which you DO NOT want to take, is 96 miles and 1-1/2 hours by going on A8 Stuttgart, Pforzheim, to Ettinglin; then A5 to Baden-Baden (by-pass), Kehl, Strasbourg. Fast, but pretty boring.

With 6 hours to get to Strasbourg, I would suggest that the most scenic route that would include the best of the Black Forest would be:

A8 Stuttgart to Ettlingin

A5 Ettinglin to Baden-Baden (1-1/2 hrs. thusfar)

B500 'Schwarzwald Hochstrasse', from Baden-Baden via Bad Peterstal and Zell am Harmersbach to Strasbourg. That's another 80 miles and about 2 more hours of the best of the Black Forest.

You could conceivably be in Strasbourg in 3-1/2 to 4 hours at normal driving speeds but you'll want to stop for lunch and photos. A great place for lunch would be at the Mummelsee, midway along the Schwarzwald Hochstrasse. http://www.mummelsee.de/de/hotel/hotel.htm

The drive via Bad Peterstal and Zell am Harmersbach is as typical and charming as any you'll find in the Black Forest. In Bad Peterstal, a small spa resort, you'll find a huge mineral water bottling plant and roadside kiosk where you can walk in and sample the natural effervescent water as it comes from the ground. Take away gallons if you wish!

Zell photos - http://www.badische-seiten.de/bilder...php?o=zell&n=1

Zell is a small but quite active and charming town.

A deviation, but doable within your time frame, would be to go from Zell - Triberg - Strasbourg. This would take you into the town regarded as the 'heart of the Black Forest', cuckoo clock central! Adds another 78 miles to the abobe ITN.

Best Park Platz in Strasbourg is at the Guttenberg underground ramp, about 100 M from the Cathedral. Our favorite hotel in Strasbourg is Hotel Rohan http://www.hotel-rohan.com/uk/index.php, also very close to the Cathedral.

Paul in PA

A81 south, and then B28 west is easy to find and drive.

While B500 from Baden-Baden will take you through more scenery, you have the trade off of going there by A8/A5 - which are both not much fun to drive and often really crowded.

But you can combine both routes, and pick up pef's route after Freudenstadt.
Personally, I did not think that Freudenstadt needed more than half an hour of walking around or having a cafe in the main square, though.

Thanks pef1234 and Cowboy1968 (are you from Texas-we are from San Antonio). Good thing I am the boss because have spent most of the last few hours reviewing y'all's suggestions.

Please make sure I am on the same page. We depart the museum and head towards Pforzheim and stay on A8 until we can head south to Ettlingen (don't exit Pforzheim and take smaller road?).

Depart Ettlingen s/e and take road that goes through Bad Herrenalb and Gernsbach. Head s/w until I hit 500 (before Baden-Baden). Snake along 500 until have lunch in Mummelsee. Continue south until arrive at 28.

Would it be worth it to head east and visit Freudenstadt for 1/2 hour or so?

Otherwise, head west on 28 until arrive Bad Peterstal. Continue through Peterstal and shortly turn left and head towarads Zell / Biberach. After that, just take fastest way to Strasbourg.

Thanks for hotel suggestion. However, we have three rooms reserved at the Cour du Corbeau which looks nice. Dinner at the S'kaechele and go to bed. Several of our group will have started the day in Texas.

Phillip:

Sorry, I confused you! Take A831 west out of Stuttgart for approx 7 miles to where it connects with A8.

Take A8 west around Pforzheim. Don't go into Pforzheim!

Continue on A8 until it merges onto A5 south, near Karlsruhe.

From the merge point, follow A5 south for 19 miles to B500 at Baden-Baden.

Follow B500 through Baden-Baden (worth a brief stop) and it quickly leaves town and becomes B500 'Schwarzwald Hochstrasse' or High Road through the Black Forest. This meandering, 2-lane liesurely drive is only about 30 miles until you're out of the scenic part near Bad Peterstal but the vistas and typical 'Black Forest' scenery in that area are awesome.

B500 ends just west of Freudenstadt (IMO not worth your valuable time) at B28.

Take B28 west through Griesbach and Bad Peterstal.

1 mile west of Bad Peterstal turn left onto L94 for 9 miles to Zell am Harmersbach. Lively small, typical BF town; not touristy.

2 miles past Zell am Harmersbach you'll reach the major road going toward Offenburg and Strasbourg. At this point you're only 24 miles from Strasbourg and the signage will steer you there.

Wonderful place for an upscale dinner in Strasbourg, near the canal lock in Petite France part of town http://www.maison-des-tanneurs.com/index-gb.htm tons of photos at http://www.google.com/search?q=maiso...w=1459&bih=796

Your hotel http://www.cour-corbeau.com/site/index.php?&lang=en is a wonderful stay. We've not stayed there but have friends who have several times. It's at 6-8 rue des Couples, near the canal; easy walking distance to Petite France area and the Cathedral, center of Strasbourg.

One of our most favorite cities in Europe.

Enjoy . . . . . Paul in PA