IceMoon

Hello Everyone.

I'm planning on visiting Strasbourg for a weekend trip and I'm very interested in seeing the black forest. However, I dont have a car, so I'm limited to only what's reachable by bus or train ( I looked for guided day tours from Strasbourg to the black forest and the only ones available are expensive private tours).
Because I'm looking for quaint small towns in the black forest area and within reasonable distance of Strasbourg, I've limited my choices to triberg or gengenbach. But if I decide those aren't worth visiting, I might do Colmar instead.

Which town should I do? Is there another town that you would reccommend?

quokka

Gengenbach is very pretty, but rather small. It will keep you busy for a few hours but not for a whole day. I would thus combine Gengenbach with nearby Vogtsbauernhof open-air museum: http://en.vogtsbauernhof.de/ This is a museum village with historical houses, farm buildings, workshops etc. transferred there from all over the Black Forest, all of them fully furnitured and equipped. They have live farm animals, displays of various crafts etcetera. The museum village gives a good impression of country life in the Black Forest in former centuries. The museum has its own railway station and can easily be reached by local train (Ortenau S-Bahn) from Gengenbach. Both together would make a great day trip.

You could also combine Gengenbach and Triberg in one day. Triberg is famous for cuckoo clocks, if that's what you are after... but it is rather touristy, and I don't find the town too pretty. The waterfalls are nice but there are many waterfalls in the world which are much more spectacular. Thus Triberg would not be my first choice.

Fussgaenger

Gengenbach is situated very nicely for day trips by train to Triberg and the Vogtsbauernhof. All 3 are located on the scenic Black Forest Railway.

https://www.black-forest-travel.com/...t-railway.html

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...hn_(Baden).png

Schiltach is a beautiful town of half-timbered buildings on a separate train line but accessible by direct train from Gengenbach. This train line leaves the Black Forest Railway at Hausach.

https://www.orte-bw.de/grafik/upload..._2010_1040.JPG

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinzig...zigtalbahn.png

Day trips to Strasbourg and to Freiburg are doable from Gengenbach as well.

Another good thing about staying in Gengenbach is the KONUS card, which allows you FREE train transportation all around the Black Forest during your stay and on the day you check out. You get the card from your hosts once you check in.

http://www.dreisamtal.de/en/service/konus.php?lang=en

The KONUS card is good as far as Basel Switzerland in the south and west to the German/French border station (Kehl) and back when you visit Strasbourg (you need Kehl-Strasbourg-Kehltickets however.) You can also use it to travel to Donaueschingen and then along the Hell's Valley railway to Freiburg (via Titisee.) The KONUS card isn't available in all towns - certainly not in Strasbourg (you'd pay separately for all your train journeys from a Strasbourg base.)

Fussgaenger

Note: For travel between Kehl (that border town) and Strasbourg, the Europass 24h mini ticket costs €6.60/one or €10.90/2. It's valid for one day for the round trip Kehl-Strasbourg-Kehl and can be bought at a ticket machine in Gengenbach. Here is a brief description in English:


https://www.cts-strasbourg.eu/en/onl...fares/tickets/

From Gengenbach, your KONUS card covers you to Gengenbach (where you change trains) and onward to Kehl (where you just stay on the train to Strasbourg as long as you already have that 24h mini ticket in hand.)

dugi_otok

For a day trip from Strasbourg I would stick to Alsace. Here are some possibilities:

1. Train to Obernai and/or to Colmar.
https://www.google.com/search?q=ober...w=1585&bih=683

https://www.google.com/search?q=colm...w=1585&bih=683

2. Train to Colmar. Bus to Riquewhir/Ribeauville

https://www.google.com/search?q=riqu...w=1585&bih=683

https://www.google.com/search?q=ribe...w=1585&bih=683


3. Mini bus tour route des vins d'Alsace from Strasbourg to Colmar, Equisheim, Riquwhir, and Haut Koenigsbourg (castle)

https://www.google.com/search?q=egui...w=1585&bih=683

https://www.google.com/search?q=haut...w=1585&bih=683

https://www.google.com/search?q=rout...w=1585&bih=683

mokka4

I have been to all three.
I vote for Gengenbach + Vogtsbayernhof, though this will be a very full day to appreciate both.
I traveled by train, so completely manageable. I based myself in a Gengenbach apartment and daytripped to the others.
I also liked Colmar very much, but you will have already had a taste of Alsace.

swandav2000

Hi IceMoon,

I just spent the day in Gengenbach a few weeks ago, and I have to say it underwhelmed me. I just didn't think it was all that charming or inviting. However, two things may be responsible for my reaction -- one is that I'm just not that fond of half-timbered construction, and the other is that there was no pedestrian zone (lots of cars everywhere running, parking, honking, idling, etc).

I spent a few days in Freiburg last year and loved it, so I would recommend that to you as a day-trip.

If your interest is to see the countryside, I can recommend a walk that Rick Steves recommends, from Sankt Peter to Sankt Märgen. You can get there by the great bus service that runs well in this region.

http://www.schwarzwald-tourismus.inf...ach-St.-Peter2

Though this site shows it as a round-trip, you can do it one-way and take the bus from the other end back to Strasbourg.

Have fun as you plan!

s

IceMoon

quokka,
Thanks, I might just take up your suggstion and combine Gengenbach and Triberg. I'm really interested in seeing the half timbered houses of gengenbach and the waterfall at triberg.