The Black Forest, Germany — Bella Via Travels
Germany
The Black Forest
Dark pines, cuckoo clocks and spa towns
The Black Forest is the Germany of the fairy tale — a landscape of dense pine forest, river valleys and half-timbered villages that has been inspiring stories since the Brothers Grimm collected them in the early nineteenth century.
The Schwarzwald stretches for 160 kilometres along the eastern bank of the Rhine, from Baden-Baden in the north to Freiburg in the south. Baden-Baden is the most elegant of the spa towns — a nineteenth-century resort of extraordinary grandeur, with thermal baths, a casino and a Kurhaus that has been welcoming the European aristocracy since the 1820s.
Freiburg is the most beautiful of the Black Forest cities — a university town of medieval streets, a Gothic cathedral with a spire that is one of the finest in Germany, and a food and wine culture that reflects its position at the junction of Germany, France and Switzerland. The Badische Weinstrasse runs through the vineyards of the Rhine plain below the forest, producing Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris of considerable quality.
The Titisee and the Schluchsee are the most beautiful of the Black Forest lakes — dark, cold and surrounded by pine forest, with walking trails that range from gentle lakeside paths to demanding ridge traverses. Bella Via designs Black Forest itineraries that combine the spa culture with the walking and the wine.
“Baden-Baden on a winter morning, with the thermal baths and the Kurhaus and the snow on the forest above — it is one of the great spa experiences of Europe.”
What to Expect
The Bella Via Experience in The Black Forest
Baden-Baden
The most elegant spa town in Germany — thermal baths, a casino and a Kurhaus of extraordinary grandeur, set at the northern edge of the forest.
Freiburg
A university city of medieval streets and a Gothic cathedral with the finest spire in Germany — the best base for exploring the southern Black Forest.
The Badische Weinstrasse
A wine route through the vineyards of the Rhine plain below the forest — Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Riesling of considerable quality.
The Westweg
A 285-kilometre long-distance trail through the heart of the Black Forest, from Pforzheim to Basel — one of the great walking routes in Germany.
The Black Forest rewards those who arrive without a fixed itinerary and follow the forest roads wherever they lead. We will help you find the version of it that stays with you.