International Journal of Arts and Sciences Visit the Black Forest & Breisach

Black Forest

For those who love to travel on their own, we recommend the Black Forest outside Freiburg.

Go to Platform 7 in Freiburg Hbf (i.e., Freiburg’s main train station) where the train to the Black Forest departs every 30 minutes. Buy a return ticket (probably under ten Euros).

The train proceeds on a 38-minute journey. Get off at the Titisee train station and proceed to the lakefront.

From the Titisee train station to the lakefront it’s an L-shaped walk of about three minutes.

The souvenir shops at Titisee are among the cheapest in the state. However, the wood-carvings, crafted from the surrounding trees, are expensive. On the lakefront, one also finds cafes and eateries celebrating the local cuisine. This is the home of the Black Forest cake. You may also notice the flammkuchen, a Badisch thin-crust “pizza” made with ham, cheese, and cream (also widely available in Freiburg and Gottenheim) which is often consumed with a pint of beer. There will also be the pfannkuchen, a crepe-like pastry.

After the Second World War, entire forests in Germany were cut down for their lumber as reparation to the Allies for their war expenses. However, the Black Forest was spared and lives on. Legends about the Black Forest abound and capture the imagination of every German child.

Since the Black Forest is high up in the mountains, expect the weather to be colder than in Freiburg.

After shopping and relaxing on the lakefront, the delegates proceed back to Platform 1 to return to Freiburg Hbf.

A visit to the Black Forest should be done in the morning or afternoon. Once the shops close late in the afternoon, life dies out at Titisee.

Breisach am Rhein

A shorter and more relaxed trip would be the one from Freiburg’s main train station to Breisach am Rhein (a.k.a. Breisach) about 25 minutes away. Breisach is also worth a visit in the evening since it’s a lively little village known for its home-style restaurants. It also houses Europe’s largest winery, the Badischer Winzerkeller.

The train from Freiburg Hbf departs every 30 minutes (except late in the evening when it departs every hour) from Platform 5. Buy your ticket from the vending box on the train. Once the train arrives in Breisach ask for the Munster (i.e., the Cathedral) and walk towards it. This takes you through the town center.

If you proceed to the Munster which sits on top of a hill (see photo), you’ll see the Rhine river immediately underneath you. France sits on the other side of the river bank. Don’t expect to see Paris; instead you’ll see countryside and the Vosges mountains in France.

Note: Breisach and the Black Forest do not sit on the same train line.