11 Best Hotels in The Black Forest, Germany

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.

A much-loved luxury hotel founded by Hermine Bareiss in 1951 (and now presided over by his grandson, Hannes), 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.

In this charming property right on the lake and just a short drive from the busy town, guests can take a dip in the water from the private beach or relax in the sauna or steam room cleverly built inside wine barrels. Most of the Alpine-style wood-lined guest rooms with beamed ceilings have balconies overlooking the lake. Meals are served in the cozy restaurant downstairs with views onto the lake; dinner features specialties like duck breast with carrots, celery, and pomegranate. The hotel has a small pool inside plus the wine barrel areas outside.

Younger sibling to Hotel Lauterbad, stylish Fritz brings a fresh, design-focused perspective to a property originally from 1896. The hotel has two buildings, one still in an older style and one with a refreshed look, with more expensive rooms; the newer earth-toned rooms have wood floors, forest views, large bathrooms with rain showers, and balconies. The restaurant focuses on creative dishes using local ingredients. In addition to the outdoor pool, the spa includes three saunas plus relaxation areas. Guests can access hiking trails directly from the property or partake in fitness classes in the well-equipped gym.

This ultra-relaxing family-run hotel a short drive south of Freudenstadt is best known for its 19,000-square-foot spa, including indoor and outdoor pools, and the gourmet German cuisine served at the wood-paneled Stüble. Cozy rooms have pops of color on the furnishings; bathrooms include either showers or tubs. Seasonal dishes are served both in the restaurant and the more rustic Stüble, built with recycled wood from a former chapel, while snacks and drinks are available at the hotel’s mountain hut, Berghütte Lauterbad. In addition to the pools, the spa includes three saunas, three relaxation areas, and a snack bar, plus a well-equipped gym.

In the northern Black Forest a few miles from Calw (accessible by car or bus in about 15 minutes), this modern hotel connected to thermal baths is a somewhat isolated getaway with all amenities in-house, including a restaurant serving local Badische cuisine and a hiking hut a few kilometers away serving some meals. The pretty spa includes heated indoor and outdoor pools, plus a relaxing sauna cabin. Don't miss the lovely forest hikes, complete with waterfall, directly behind the hotel. 

Baden-Baden has plenty of grand and sometimes a tad old-fashioned places to lay your head, so this ultra-modern, design-focused property has updated the hotel game. Sleek rooms feature wood floors, white walls, and muted colors. Though the Superior rooms only have walk-in showers, the Deluxe category and up also include bath tubs. There’s also a well-equipped 24-hour gym, compact spa with hammam, steam bath, sauna, and whirlpool, and a small pool on the roof. Moriki restaurant serves Asian-fusion cuisine for lunch and dinner, and the rooftop bar affords lovely forest views.

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. A large choice of excellent restaurants includes the modernized Swadian-Badish cuisine of the Schatzhauser; the classic French cuisine of the three-Michelin-starred Schwarzwaldstube; the Asian-inflected international fare of 1789; and breakfast and gourmet classics at the Silberberg.

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.

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. Their restaurant Zirbelstube (reservations essential) serves tasting menus of sophisticated international dishes paired with mainly German wines, while the Weinstube offers a regularly changing menu of local specialties for lunch and dinner.

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, Jörg Sackmann, and his son Nico, round off a luxurious program. Rates include breakfast, light lunch, and a six-course dinner.