The Black Forest is a destination for romantics. Charming villages offer comfortable accommodation, exquisite local cuisine and excellent wines. For walkers and cyclists, it also boasts an extensive trail system, exploring not just the peaks but the rolling dales, deep gorges and rocky outcrops, easily accessed by an excellent public transport network.
This area of southern Germany is a perfect blend of rich cultural heritage and beautiful ancient landscapes. Days spent in these mountains, forests, gorges and dales offer fairy-tale adventures among castles and medieval villages. From the Panorama Path above Baden-Baden to the 240km Southern Black Forest Bicycle Trail, this guide explores the very best of this popular region.
The Black Forest is a hillwalker's dream. The terrain is so varied that walkers and hikers of all ages and abilities can find a suitable walk to enjoy. The walks described in this book range from easy to hard, some routes are quite long and require stamina, for others sure-footedness is required.
The sparsely populated southern region is often thought of as the most beautiful part of the Black Forest. It has the highest mountains, deepest gorges and biggest lakes. It is perfect hillwalking terrain, with trails varying from forestry roads to field tracks and little paths far off the beaten track. The geography of the central Black Forest is surprisingly diverse, the western edges are draped in vineyards and orchards, while the eastern plateau forms an expanse of rolling hills that makes for easy walking and thanks to its height, offers fabulous long-distance views. The northern Black Forest is dominated by narrow valleys and dark, tall firs. Yet even here there is surprising variation and many wonderful walks.
Germany has a huge cycle trail network that covers the entire country. The routes described in this book are suitable for regular touring bikes. Most cycle paths are paved and in good condition. If you don't want to bother taking your bike over to the Black Forest, there are many places where you can rent bikes for a day or more.
includes 15 day walks, 3 multi-stage treks, 4 day-long cycle routes and the Southern Black Forest Cycle Route
illustrated with original, detailed, contour mapping
packed with practical information on local facilities and transport options
