Süden The Travel Magazine for SouthWest Germany Natural highs Exploring the Swabian Alb at your own pace Rockin’ it out Challenging wall climbs on the River Neckar The wild woods Rangers reveal secrets of the Black Forest National Park CONTENTS 14 Living on the edge The Swabian Alb 22 Rock climbing in Hessigheim Exploring on foot or by bike 2 6 Clean and Wertheim green Mannheim The Black Forest GERMANY Heidelberg National Park Heilbronn G EMBER Karlsruhe ÜRTT 72 EN-W BAD ERN RTH Natural and local NOPforzheim Stuttgart Aalen Enjoy some of SouthWest Baden-Baden Germany’s tasty treats B T Bad UrachA L S N E Tübingen I A Ulm R B A O Rottweil W Welcome F S Go wild on the river ABIA R SW Abseiling, hiking and river K PPE Biberach 36 Great adventures Freiburg U C to SouthWest Tuttlingen rafting: family fun on the Black A Hike the Black Forest’s grand gorges LACK L Forest’s river B L A K E C Ravensburg OREST B O N S T Germany! F A N C 32 HIGHLANDS Konstanz E 38 Microadventures 5 ideas for trying something new! The German federal state of Baden- Württemberg is surprisingly wild. Our Try a new watersport! 42 SouthWest Germany’s safaris unspoiled landscapes range from dense In Lake Constance, on Lake Herd sheep; meet mammoths; Constance, above Lake Constance: see primitive horses forests and open meadows to gurgling scuba dive, sail or fly in an airship 04 Clean and green streams in deep gorges. Green oases 44 Explore SouthWest Germany’s 48 Island in the sun offer tranquility – even in our cities. There green heart Explore two contrasting islands at Lake Constance are also new ways to get out into the SouthWest Germany’s giants 10 Family adventures great outdoors. Breath-taking views and Weinheim’s Exotic Forest boasts Sleep under the stars; hear the call 50 Sleep in the great outdoors exciting microadventures: these are just rare old trees, such as towering of the wild; splash around in a brand-new In a tree, a tepee, a wagon or a vineyard! sequoias water park! some of the unforgettable experiences for 52 the whole family. Have fun exploring 12 Treetop views Magic meadows sunny and wild SouthWest Germany! Stunning panoramic observation decks Explore Swabia’s ancient Go wild in the city unspoiled orchards, home to fruit Where to find green oases in 30 Take a walk on the wild side trees, wildflowers and buzzing bees the heart of SouthWest Enjoy unspoiled nature and cultural 56 60 Germany’s cities landscapes 66 Contacts, social media, brochures 2 3 SUNNY SOUTHWEST GERMANY Give yourself a boost More and more holidaymakers are renting e-bikes. You still have to pedal, but the motor provides a “boost” when needed – so grandparents can keep up with younger riders! For the more adventurous, downhill mountain bikes are perfect for the specially- designed hill trails. Whether you take on the challenge of a bike park or go for a peaceful ride, cycling is a great way to get away from it all in the Black Forest, the Swabian Alb and in the northern region of SouthWest Germany. CLEAN Special tip HOLIDAYS ON TWO WHEELS Fancy a touring holiday? AND GREEN SouthWest Germany’s extensive network of well- Exploring the heart marked, dedicated trails includes the scenic Kocher- of SouthWest Germany Jagst Cycle Trail and the Rhine Valley Trail. www.tourism-bw.com 4 5 SUNNY SOUTHWEST GERMANY Punting through a bird sanctuary If you love birds, then the Taubergiessen Nature Reserve in the Rhine Valley is the place to go. Just make sure you have your binoculars and camera ready! These wetlands, near Freiburg, are among the last wilderness areas in Germany. Explore by boat, gliding silently through the water meadows. Look out for families of ducks and coots; spot grey herons, standing like statues on the shore. Swans often follow the boat because they know the skipper, Felix Sigg. He seems to know every bird by name! With his knowledge and some luck, you might see orioles and kingfishers. Tours are well worth it – even in winter. Special tip ORCHID MEADOW In summer, see the Rheinauen Nature Centre’s orchid meadow near Rust. www.schwarzwald- tourismus.info/Media/ Attraktionen/Naturzentrum- Rheinauen 6 7 SUNNY SOUTHWEST GERMANY Fly like a bird Go up, up and away in the Black Forest on the Hirsch- grund Zipline course. South of Freudenstadt in the wooded Kinzig Valley, seven ziplines whisk you up and over steep rocky slopes and across val- leys, hills, streams and trees. Linked by picturesque paths and platforms, each zipline offers a unique experience. The Kimmigberg offers a relaxed gliding experience; the Gründlebahn, 1,900 ft/570 m long and 83 m /275 ft high, is the longest zipline in Germany. Allow 2.5 to 3 hours to complete the full circuit. Special tip THE ESSENTIALS The minimum age is nine. The minimum weight is 90 pounds/40 kg; maximum weight 250 pounds/115 kg. Harness, helmet, carabiners and pulleys are all provided. www.hirschgrund-zipline.de 8 9 FAMILY ADVENTURES TRIPSDRILL WILDLIFE PARK: 50 different species THE BLACK FOREST Tripsdrill Wildlife Park, north of Stuttgart, is home to wolves and lynx, otters, bears and more. Children love the outdoor enclosures, where they CAMPING IN THE can get really close to fallow and sika deer, petting and feeding them by hand. Chat to the falconers and watch thrilling flight demonstrations by WILDERNESS birds of prey. www.tripsdrill.de/en/wildlife-park A new – and special – experience is camping overnight in the Black Forest Nature Park. Deep in the woods, six official trekking camps have been set up, offering space for up to three tents, plus campfires and outdoor toilets. They are only accessible on foot and all equipment, food and water must be carried in by campers. Sites can be booked from May to October; the cost is 10 EUR per tent (2-3 people), per night. Outdoor adventures www.blackforest-tourism.com For little explorers and grown-up adventurers, for nature lovers and sunbathers, SouthWest Germany offers a huge range of outdoor experiences – by day and by night ZWEITÄLERLAND: Two valleys equal double the fun In the Black Forest, northeast of Freiburg, the Zweitälerland combines the unspoiled Elz and Simonswald valleys. This region is great for hiking; around Buchholz, follow wine trails through the vineyards. The outdoor fun ranges from paragliding to farm holidays, where kids can help the farmer. At Baumkronweg Waldkirch, Europe’s longest tubular slide is a high- EUROPA-PARK: RULANTICA speed thrill ride, measuring 625 ft/190 m EXPLORER’S BACKPACKS in length. www.zweitaelerland.de Water park thrills! In November 2019, the vast new Rulantica I spy with water park opened at Europa-Park, the popular theme park in Rust, north of my little eye Freiburg. Featuring nine Nordic-themed areas, Rulantica has some 25 attractions, including 17 slides. Be brave and take on “Oh, I am so bored...” Holidays with children are great fun; the the Dugdrob & Vildfål AquaRocket slides; challenge comes when the kids lose interest. SouthWest Germany float along in the current in Vildstrøm; has the perfect solution: rent an Explorer’s Backpack (5 EUR) explore Rangnakor, a city on stilts. at tourist offices in the Black Forest, Swabian Alb and in the Lake Order day tickets in advance online: Constance region. Inside you will find all the essentials needed tickets.rulantica.de to enable a curious mind to discover nature: a magnifying glass, binoculars, compass and even a net for poking around in a pond. Tons of fun! www.tourism-bw.com/experience/family-vacations 10 11 NATURAL HIGHS SENSATIONAL TREETOP VISTAS NEW: BLACK FOREST NATIONAL PARK VISITOR CENTRE Birds have the best views! To see what they see, head for these Treetop views six spots, high above SouthWest Germany’s forests 3 BAD WILDBAD’S TREETOP WALK REMSTALKINO AND THE WILDLINE HANGING BRIDGE 4 Free tickets Reach for the sky Remstalkino means Rems Valley Cinema. That’s because the Drei Riesen (Three Giants) view- 1 point has 26 cinema seats. Sit down, relax and take in the views of vineyards, the Rems and Neckar Valleys and Stuttgart. Best of all, the show is free! Located in Weinstadt, northeast of Stuttgart. www.remstal.info Opening in late 2020, the Black Forest National Park visitor centre is a wooden construction with an elegant design. Read the displays about the wild forest; take the open-air skywalk, high above the trees, to the angular viewing tower with its panorama. Located near Baiersbronn, southeast of Baden-Baden. www.nationalpark-schwarzwald.de/en Stuttgart 1 3 4 6 2 5 BADEN- WÜRTTEMBERG Enjoy grand views of the Black Forest on the Treetop Walk, which is 4,000 ft/ 5 6 1,250 m long. Follow the spiral board- walk to the observation tower, 130 ft/ 40 m high. Then, for fun, ride back down on the slide! Linking Sommer- berg Mountain to the Treetop Walk is SCHÖNBUCH TOWER the WildLine Suspension Bridge. At 1,250 ft/380 m long, it hangs 200 ft/ 348 steps 60 m above the valley – and it does A dramatic piece of modern architec2- HIRSCHGRUND ZIPLINE ELLBACHSEEBLICK sway a bit! Located east of Baden- ture, the Schönbuch Tower (Schön- More information Baden. www.bad-wildbad.eu buchturm) stands 115 ft/35 m high. Adrenalin rush Peer over the edge Find more Built of wood and steel, it has three Germany’s longest nature zipline, the Near the village of Kniebis, on the edge beautiful views at tiers that offer 360-degree views of the Gründlebahn, soars at 1,870 ft/570 m of the Black Forest National Park, the www.tourism-bw.com Schönbuch Nature Park, to the over the Kinzig Valley.