23 Best Hotels in The Black Forest, Germany

A much-loved luxury hotel founded by Hermine Bareiss in 1951, this is one of the top hotels in Europe and one of the very best in Germany. With a three-star gourmet restaurant inside, the Bareiss helped put Baiersbronn on the map as a gourmet village and has made an art of what they call the half-pension "culinary vacation." Rooms are the size of suites, and the buildings center around the spa and sauna area with multiple indoor and outdoor pools. Families are especially well catered to, with a circus wagon, treehouse, petting zoo, and playgrounds, activity programs, and childcare.

This stately and exclusive hotel on the Lichtentaler Allee is one of Germany's most celebrated and storied retreats—a favorite of royalty, from Queen Victoria to Czar Alexander II, and their contemporaries— that today features individually decorated rooms and suites with both modern and antique furnishings, good-sized balconies, and grand marble bathrooms. From a romantic escape (book a private spa suite) to a golf getaway, the hotel goes above and beyond to cater to the interests of its well-heeled guests. The Villa Stephanie comprises a five-story spa with saunas, plunge pool, gym, hammam, and treatment rooms overlooking the gardens; it offers various healthcare programs and medical treatments, including a detox retreat for those so inclined, plus rooms and suites for a complete wellness retreat. The Wintergarten restaurant offers German cuisine with a modern twist, while Fritz & Felix serves up eclectic global specialties.

Freiburg's most luxurious hotel has tastefully furnished rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the romantic Old Town as well as a great restaurant. Despite its central location, the hotel basks in near-countryside quiet. The Hans Thoma Stube (reservations essential) has been outfitted with venerable tables, chairs, tile stoves, and wood paneling; the black-tied waiters will also serve you small regional dishes at merciful prices.

The Rademacher family opened this hotel using patriarch Norbert's experience as a veteran of New York's Waldorf-Astoria and his wife Edeltraud's interior design skills to combine two elegant city mansions into a unique, antiques-filled lodging. Now run by Andreas Rademacher, the hotel has paintings of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's illustrations for his 1943 French children's classic, Le Petit Prince, charmingly adorning the rooms, each done in its own unique decor.

The building dates to 1561, and the Schüssler family, now in its fourth generation as hoteliers, know how to make visitors feel welcome; you could spend an entire afternoon and evening here sampling the food and enjoying the serene atmosphere even if you don't stay overnight in the comfortable guest rooms. Choose between the terrace or the dining room, trying the wines and enjoying, say, a fillet of wild salmon in a horseradish crust, a boar's roast, or some lighter asparagus creation (in season).

Between the main square and the train station, this hotel is comprised of two buildings: one modern with glass features and one historic section, each with comfortable, affordable rooms. While the older-style rooms are carpeted, the modern rooms have wood floors, large bright-colored bathrooms, and balconies. The restaurant provides a hearty meal with local dishes, including the Alsatian tart, Flammkuchen, a thin flatbread topped with cream, bacon, and onions.

This handy hotel, with a waterfall and a statue of a "friendly dragon" in the lobby, is just across the road from the entrance to Europa Park; the newest rooms, while simple, are contemporary and inviting and come in a range of sizes, including a family room with bunk beds. It's also only 300 yards from a nature preserve and swimming area, and guests can park there free. Though there are no formal restaurants on-site, the Street Food Market offers food and drinks all day long.

Evoking the beauty of its namesake era (and a touch classier than its sister hotel Der Kleine Prinz), the Belle Epoque offers large rooms, soaring ceilings, spacious beds, genuine antiques, luxurious baths, and a beautiful enclosed garden. Family-friendly and elegant simultaneously, it offers both breakfast and high tea in a beautiful salon just off the lobby with a great view to the Lichtentaler Allee.

A model of comfort and gracious hospitality, this historical hotel in Hirsau, 3 km (2 miles) from Calw, has charming rooms, a commendable restaurant, an indoor pool, and proximity to lovely Black Forest walks. The restaurant serves such regional specialties as Maultaschen (meat-filled dumplings) and Schwäbischer Rostbraten (panfried beefsteak topped with sautéed onions).

With a large indoor pool and sauna and comfortable rooms, this boutique hotel offers a nice alternative to the luxury of some of the other local options if you don't mind the plaid-filled, 1970s aesthetic of the room decor. The steep-roof exterior of this 200-year-old typical Black Forest building offers an unmistakable clue to the heavy oak fittings and fine antiques inside. In winter, the lounge's fireplace is a welcome sight when you are returning from the nearby ski area. In its beamed restaurant, you can dine on fresh fish, which you may choose to catch yourself from one of the hotel's trout pools.

This hotel's pleasantly modern rooms are on the sunny side of the cobblestone cathedral square and marketplace, and some rooms have beautiful views of the cathedral's flying buttresses. An older building has been renovated in a sustainable manner, with airy rooms in neutral colors with bursts of metallic wallpaper. The kitchen serves typical Badische cuisine, including fresh game and fish and a few vegetarian options; tables are set out in the square in summer.

Rooms at this hotel-restaurant are very comfortable, and some have balconies overlooking the famous waterfall. The old post-and-beam restaurant, with its blue-tile Kachelöfen, attracts people of all types with its affordable regional specialties. Try the fresh Forelle (trout), either steamed or "Gasthof-style" (in the pan), garnished with mushrooms.

An imposing cluster of white houses in the narrow Murg Valley north of Baiersbronn, this country-style hotel, partially renovated in 2021, has broad appeal: wellness-seekers can take advantage of the spa facilities, gourmands can try the Michelin-starred restaurant, and sightseers can use this as a base for exploring much of the Black Forest. Comfortable guest rooms and two restaurants under the leadership of one of Germany's finest chefs and his son, Jörg and Nico Sackmann (one Michelin-starred and one less formal), round off a luxurious program. Rates include breakfast, light lunch, snacks, and dinner.

Just a few steps from the main square, this historic building has been renovated to appeal to both tourists and business travelers; two apartments are also available nearby. Many locals come to the in-house restaurant to enjoy fine regional specialties, including pancakes, big as a platter and topped with everything from salmon and mushrooms to applesauce and plums.

Located in a former mint in the Old Town's pedestrian zone, this family-run hotel has contemporary-style rooms with dark-wood floors and cool white walls and bed linens, and there's a two-room family suite in the attic with a balcony overlooking the Münster and Old Town. Despite its thin walls, it's a charming choice close to both a parking garage and public transportation. The Badische Winzerstube provides all you could want in local atmosphere, wine, and food.

Guests have been welcomed here for more than 350 years, but the comforts inside the inn's old walls are contemporary, if simple. The kitchen creates splendid trout specialties and plays up seasonal dishes, such as asparagus in May and June and mushrooms from the valley in autumn. The terrace is a favorite for hikers passing through, as are the various snacks.

This small guesthouse on the road between Titisee and Neustadt offers a unique charm just a few kilometers away from the crowded lakeshore. The modern rooms come with a balcony overlooking the rural landscape, a kitchenette for your private use, and a friendly husband-and-wife team happy to meet all your needs. Family-friendly and quiet, the hotel serves as a nice practical base and only takes bookings via email directly, not using an online portal. A stay includes use of the Hochschwarzwald card, offering discounted and free admission to a number of sights around the area.

This century-old building near the train station has seen a lot of writers come through its historic doors, and editions signed by visiting authors—including Teju Cole, children's illustrator Janusch, and Alice Schwarzer—line the halls. During redecorations, management dedicated a room to each of the authors, with copies of their books inside and a poem hung on the wall. A copper dome and stone balconies overlooking a park contribute to the comfortable feel.

This large mansion, which dominates the town center, has a wisteria-covered facade, steep eaves, and individually furnished, wood-accented rooms. The hotel offers some pleasant touches such as fresh flowers, and there are a spa, pool, and fitness facility on-site. The Ochsenstube serves dishes such as duck breast with three types of noodles and a sauce of oranges, pears, and truffles; the Alte Schmiede tends toward specialties from Baden, such as trout.

One of the best hotels in Baiersbronn (and Germany), the Traube Tonbach offers a relaxing atmosphere with sweeping views of the Black Forest from each of its comfortable and stylish rooms, not to mention an outstanding spa and swimming pool, along with on-site child care. There has been a hotel at this location since 1789, and you'll find the more traditional rooms in the original building and the more contemporary rooms in the Haus Kohlwald building across the street; both are elegant, with cozy seating areas and wonderful vistas. Due to a fire in January 2020, the original dining hall is being rebuilt and is expected to reopen in spring 2022; this will house the Bauernstube, the hotel's traditional restaurant, along with the classic French cuisine of the Michelin-starred Schwarzwaldstube, and the international fare of the Köhlerstube. The Silberberg, in the original building, serves breakfast and gourmet classics and is open only to hotel guests.

Right on the lake, this hotel has the best location in town, and most rooms have a balcony with great views. A spa and pool area makes for a great escape from both the summer heat and the winter doldrums (the outdoor infinity pool is heated); special packages in winter include skates and snowshoes for rent.

The "Red Bear" claims to be the oldest inn in Germany, with its history traced back 50 generations and documented in a book. Dating from 1311, the inn retains its individual character, along with a cellar displaying its 700-year-old foundation open to the public interested in seeing part of the original inn. Like most of Freiburg, the original building was destroyed in World War II; the new building maintains a historical facade that betrays the comfortable lodgings and excellent dining option inside.