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The Feldberg and the ridges of the southern Black Forest seen from the Schauinsland
Gengenbach town hall lit up as an Advent calendar at night
The snowy summit of the Feldberg with its tower, seen from the east
A Schauinsland cable car cabin over the forest, with Freiburg in the distance
A Black Forest farmhouse with a huge hipped roof at the Vogtsbauernhof open-air museum

Things to do in the Black Forest: 9 experiences

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Photo: Jörg Braukmann, CC BY-SA 4.0

Marktplatz, Gengenbach

Watch a window light up on Gengenbach's Advent calendar town hall

Photo: Andreas Schwarzkopf, CC BY-SA 3.0

Feldberg

Ride up the Feldberg, the Black Forest's highest summit

Photo: UnFUG-Fabi, CC0

Schauinsland, Freiburg

Float up to the Schauinsland on Germany's longest loop cable car

Photo: Andreas Schwarzkopf, CC BY-SA 3.0

Gutach (Schwarzwaldbahn)

See how Black Forest farmers lived at the Vogtsbauernhof

Photo: Ji-Elle, CC BY-SA 3.0

The Black Forest covers the south-west corner of Germany, from Baden-Baden in the north to the Feldberg and Freiburg in the south. Freiburg, with its minster and market, is the natural base; Baden-Baden has the thermal baths, and the hills hold open-air museums, cable cars and, in Advent, small towns full of lights.

The Triberg waterfalls are on the Germany page; this page adds the rest of the region.

9 things to do in Black Forest

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A Schauinsland cable car cabin over the forest, with Freiburg in the distance

Float up to the Schauinsland on Germany's longest loop cable car

Schauinsland, Freiburg

Half a day from FreiburgNo booking needed

Twenty minutes from the edge of Freiburg to 1,284 metres, with the Black Forest below the cabin and a panorama at the top.

Been there?
A Black Forest farmhouse with a huge hipped roof at the Vogtsbauernhof open-air museum

See how Black Forest farmers lived at the Vogtsbauernhof

Gutach (Schwarzwaldbahn)

Half a dayNo booking needed

Historic Black Forest farmhouses, mills and sawmills gathered at Gutach, showing life and work over up to 600 years.

Been there?
The openwork spire of Freiburg Minster above snowy rooftops

Look up through the openwork spire of Freiburg Minster

Münsterplatz, Freiburg

1 hourFree

A Gothic tower of 116 metres whose spire is pierced right through, so from below you see the sky through the stone.

Been there?
The red Historic Merchants' Hall on Freiburg's Münsterplatz

Eat a Lange Rote at the Münstermarkt and return in Advent

Münsterplatz and old town, Freiburg

1 to 2 hoursFree

A daily market around the minster, where Freiburg's long red bratwurst is sold, and a Christmas market of crafts and candlelight.

Been there?
The snowy summit of the Feldberg with its tower, seen from the east

Ride up the Feldberg, the Black Forest's highest summit

Feldberg

Half a dayNo booking needed

A cable car to the top of the Black Forest, a tower with a view from the Zugspitze to Mont Blanc, and skiing in winter.

Been there?
The Caracalla Therme and its fountain in Baden-Baden

Soak in the thermal water of Baden-Baden at the Caracalla Therme

Baden-Baden

2 to 3 hoursNo booking needed

Thermal springs the Romans discovered 2,000 years ago, in a temple-like pool hall and a Roman sauna garden.

Been there?
The domed entrance portal of the Friedrichsbad in Baden-Baden

Take the Roman-Irish bath in Baden-Baden's Friedrichsbad of 1877

Baden-Baden

3 hoursNo booking needed

A Renaissance-style bathhouse that was Europe's most modern when it opened in 1877, part of the Great Spa Towns of Europe.

Been there?
Gengenbach town hall lit up as an Advent calendar at night

Watch a window light up on Gengenbach's Advent calendar town hall

Marktplatz, Gengenbach

An eveningFree

Every Advent evening at 18:00 another of the town hall's 24 windows lights up, in the world's largest Advent calendar house.

Been there?
The Gutach cascading over rocks in the forest at the Triberg Waterfalls

Climb beside the Triberg Waterfalls in the Black Forest

Triberg im Schwarzwald

No booking needed

The Gutach drops 163 m over seven main steps, and lit paths climb beside it through forest full of squirrels.

Been there?

Traveller picks

Hidden gems suggested by travellers. We check each one before it goes up; the words are theirs, not ours.

No traveller picks for Black Forest yet. Know a place most visitors miss?

Plan your trip

  • Getting around

    Freiburg is the hub: trams and buses reach the Schauinsland, and trains run to Gengenbach and Gutach for the Vogtsbauernhof. Baden-Baden is easier as a separate stop in the north.

  • How many days

    In must30's view, three or four days: one for Freiburg and the Schauinsland, one for the Feldberg, one for the Vogtsbauernhof and Gengenbach, and one for Baden-Baden's baths.

  • When to go

    May to October suits the summits and the open-air museum. November is the gap: the Feldbergbahn and the Schauinsland cable car stop for maintenance and the Vogtsbauernhof is closed. From late November, the Christmas markets and Gengenbach's Advent calendar take over.

  • Where to base yourself

    Freiburg for the south and the Feldberg, Baden-Baden for the baths in the north.

Questions travellers ask

Is November a good time for the Black Forest?

Only partly. The Feldbergbahn stops from 2 to 27 November 2026 and the Schauinsland cable car from 16 November to 4 December, and the Vogtsbauernhof closes after 1 November. The baths and Freiburg stay open.

Do I need to bring anything to the Friedrichsbad?

No. The €39 Roman-Irish bath includes slippers, towels, shampoo, body lotion and tea.

When is Gengenbach's Advent calendar lit?

Every evening at 18:00 from 30 November to 23 December 2026, and it stays visible until 6 January 2027.

More places in this region

Things to do in Germany

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