Black Forest: Hike along Germany’s most famous mountains (3 Days)

ECOLOGICAL IMPACT

By joining a Nature Meet trip, you actively support nature conservation. For every trip and every ticket, we donate to projects that protect the unique places we visit. Donations for this trip go to:

BUND Regionalverband Schwarzwald-Baar-Heuberg: This NGO focuses on preserving animal, plants and their habitats within Schwarzwald. It is a member organisation of the international network Friends of the Earth (FoE).

KEY FACTS

• Meeting location

Option A: Berlin - Meet at Platform 1, Berlin HBF at 4:15 PM.

Option B: Freiburg - Meet in Freiburg (in Black Forest) on Thursday night at 22:00 (directly in accommodation).

• Distance:

Day 1: Travel to Freiburg

Day 2: 12 km hike, elevation gain/loss 650m, multiple breaks

Day 3: Discovering Triberg & Freiburg - 7 km

Day 4: Discovering Baden-Baden & hike: 10 kms, elevation gain/loss 350m

• Difficulty: Intermediate / advanced – hiking at relaxed pace on well-marked paths, moderate elevation, sure-footedness & good fitness required

• Included:

Community Guide

Shared accommodation with Breakfast for 3 nights

Access to a WhatsApp Group dedicated to the hike

Guided hike Belchen Mountains

Guided hike in Triberg

Entry to Triberg waterfalls

Guided hike for the Panoramic trail in Baden-Baden

Entry to Caracalla Thermal Bath in Baden-Baden

• Transportation:

Train journeys from & back to Berlin are not included. For limited discounted train tickets, please contact us after booking.

All local transport between Freiburg and Baden-Baden is covered by the €9 monthly train ticket offer.

WHY SHOULD YOU GO?

Ever wanted to visit the setting of the fairy tales written by the Brothers Grimm? Legend has it they were inspired by Germany’s Black Forest (Schwarzwald) — the spectacular mountain range in Baden-Württemberg.

The Black Forest gets its name from the oppressive canopy of evergreens looming above the forest floor. Home to elaborate cuckoo clocks, striking half-timbered houses, ruined castles, roman baths and quaint towns, the Black Forest is a magical land full of cultural traditions.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS?

• Discover Triberg (Cuckoo Clock Capital): Known as the unofficial cuckoo capital of the world and also houses the world’s largest cuckoo clock. Cuckoo clocks are an important part of Black Forest history, and they have been made in the region since the 1700s. Besides that, Triberg is also famous for one of Germany's highest waterfalls with the area around the entrance to the waterfalls being reminiscent of Disneyland.

• Discover Freiburg: A vibrant city in southwest Germany’s Black Forest, is known for its temperate climate and reconstructed medieval old town, crisscrossed by picturesque brooks (bächle). Situated in the heart of the major Baden wine-growing region, Freiburg also serves as the primary tourist entry point to the scenic beauty of the Black Forest.

• Belchensteig: Voted as Germany’s most beautiful hiking trail (as per wandermagazin.de) reaching the summit of Belchen mountain. Belchen is the most beautiful mountain in the Black Forest, offering a fantastic panoramic view of the Rhine Valley, the Vosges and, in good weather, even as far as the Alps.

• Panoramic Trail (Baden-Baden): Varied and exciting trail that takes you along Castle ruins from the Middle Ages, hidden forest paths and the large rock pillars of the Battert. The cliffs always promise a fantastic view over the city of Baden-Baden through to Alsace.

• Discover Baden Baden: Considered one of the most beautiful spots in Black Forest, this 19th–century town is filled with striking french architecture and old-world luxury. Baden-Baden is part of the transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name "Great Spa Towns of Europe", because of its famous spas and architecture that exemplifies the popularity of spa towns in Europe in the 18th through 20th centuries.

• Caracalla Thermal Baths in Baden-Baden: Named after the Roman Emperor Caracalla who came to Baden-Baden in the third century to soak his arthritis away, Caracalla is the modern response to a traditional bathing culture - an experience of all senses.

• Schwarzwald Bahn: Schwarzwald Bahn (Black Forest railway) passes directly across the Black Forest, through spectacular scenery, and passing through numerous tunnels and viaducts.

WHAT’S THE PLAN?

Day 1: Starting Thursday evening, we take a train down to Freiburg - The main entry point to the scenic beauty of the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) that gets to Freiburg late on Thursday night. Note: We would be staying in Freiburg for the entire trip.

Day 2: We have an early breakfast and catch public transport to get to the starting point of our hike. We hike to the summit of the Belchen mountain on some parts of the Belchensteig that has been voted the most beautiful walking trail in Germany. Once at the summit, we capture the stunning sights of Black forest before grabbing a bite/drink at the historic Belchenhaus and possibly having a “black forest cake” (if they have not already sold out of it) before heading down and catching public transport to get back to our accommodation in Freiburg.

Day 3: We have an early breakfast and catch public transport to get to Triberg also known as the Cuckoo capital of the world, including a visit to the World’s largest cuckoo clock along with a short hike to one of Germany’s highest waterfalls. After we have finished exploring the area around the waterfall, we make our way back from the waterfalls and head back to Freiburg by early evening, to explore this vibrant city and see what it has to offer.

Day 4: Checkout of our hotel and make our way to Baden-Baden to explore this beautiful town filled with stunning French architecture along with a hike that takes you along ruins from the Middle Ages, offering a unique panoramic view of Baden-Baden and the Rhine valley. We wrap up our fabulous 4 days journey, by relaxing in the famous thermal baths of Baden-Baden for a couple of hours and then heading to the train station to catch the train back to our respective homes.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

• Trip Briefing: In the booking confirmation you’ll find a link to a detailed briefing on what to expect, how to prepare, where to meet & how to get there.

• WhatsApp Group: In the booking confirmation, we invite you to join the group to connect with trip mates, coordinate arrival options, exchange photos & stay in touch.

• Start the adventure: Once we’re there, we kick off our trip with a short round of introductions so that you get to know each other. Then we start exploring & hiking together.

+++ PLEASE NOTE +++

Free cancellation up to 5 full days before the day of the trip. After that, cancel up to 48 hours before the trip to get a 50% refund. The trip is not dependent on favorable weather conditions (i.e. goes ahead as scheduled also when it rains). If the event is cancelled on our end, you will get a full refund.

Nature Meet is not responsible for any loss, theft, damage or personal injury that occurs during the trip.