Where to stay in the Black Forest: the 5 areas to know in 2026
The Black Forest is not one place but five. In the north, Baden-Baden has its thermal baths and grand hotels. Around Baiersbronn, the forest grows deep, and the finest restaurants hide there. In the centre, the Kinzig and Triberg valleys keep the farmhouses and the clocks. In the south, Freiburg lives like a student city, half an hour from the lakes and the Feldberg.
Allow around $107* for a room in a village inn, often $191* for a hotel with a spa, and well over $510* at the great houses of Baden-Baden and Baiersbronn. Almost everywhere, the guest card gives you free buses and trains.
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One base or several?
The range runs a hundred miles from north to south: one base is enough for a weekend, two for a week, one in the north and one in the south.
- A long weekend: A single base, in Baden-Baden or Freiburg: the town, the baths or the minster, and a day in the forest.
- Four or five days: A single base, in the Kinzig valley: Triberg, Gengenbach and the Gutach museum all under an hour away.
- One week: Two bases: three nights in the north, in Baden-Baden or Baiersbronn, then four in the south, between Freiburg and the Titisee.
How much driving between two bases?
Times given by car. The train also links Baden-Baden, Offenburg, Triberg and Freiburg, and climbs from Freiburg to the Titisee in half an hour.
| Route | Driving time | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Strasbourg → Baden-Baden | 45 min | via Kehl and the A5 |
| Baden-Baden → Freudenstadt | 1 hr 15 | via the High Road |
| Freudenstadt → Gengenbach | 50 min | via the Kinzig valley |
| Gengenbach → Triberg | 45 min | via the B33 |
| Triberg → Titisee | 50 min | via Furtwangen |
| Freiburg → Titisee | 40 min | via the Höllental |
| Titisee → Feldberg | 20 min | via the B317 |
| Mulhouse → Freiburg | 45 min | via the A36 and A5 |
At a glance: our picks by traveller type
Pick the profile that fits you and go straight to the recommended area.
Map of the areas in the Black Forest
See how the areas sit relative to one another before choosing your base. Click a name to jump to its description.
Baden-Baden and the north Baden-Baden, the Murg valley, Bühlertal, Sasbachwalden, the Rench valley up to Bad Peterstal, and Bad Herrenalb
for the thermal baths, the casino and the High Road
The elegant gateway to the range. Baden-Baden lines up its baths, its casino and its villas along the Lichtentaler Allee, and the Black Forest High Road starts at the edge of town. Further south, Sasbachwalden and the villages of the Rench valley mix vineyards, half-timbering and firs. The downside: the town is expensive, and the real forest begins twenty minutes' drive away.
I especially recommend spending a few hours at the thermal baths to relax.
The towns in this area
Where to stay in this area
Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa Luxury
The grand historic hotel of Baden-Baden, in its park along the Lichtentaler Allee, with a renowned spa.
HELIOPARK Bad Hotel Zum Hirsch Mid-range
In the heart of the old town, a few steps from the baths, with thermal water piped right into the bathtubs.
Pros
- The baths and the old town on foot
- The start of the High Road
Cons
- The highest prices in the range
- The deep forest twenty minutes away
Baiersbronn, Freudenstadt and the Enz Freudenstadt, Baiersbronn, Alpirsbach, the Nagold valley down to Calw, and the Enz valley down to Bad Wildbad and Pforzheim
for the deep forest, the national park and fine dining
The forested heart of the north. Freudenstadt is built around Germany's largest market square, and Baiersbronn stretches out in hamlets along its valleys, between the national park and several Michelin-starred tables. To the east, the spa towns of the Enz and Nagold, Bad Wildbad and Bad Liebenzell, have their springs and their trails. The downside: a car is almost essential between the hamlets.
It is an elevated path that lets you walk above the trees.
The towns in this area
Where to stay in this area
Hotel Traube Tonbach Luxury
A family-run house in the Tonbach valley, in Baiersbronn, with several restaurants and a spa with three pools.
Hotel Langenwaldsee Mid-range
On the shore of a small forest lake near Freudenstadt, with a spa and trails starting from the door.
Pros
- The forest and the national park on the doorstep
- The best restaurants in the range
Cons
- A car is almost essential
- Quiet hamlets in the evening
The Kinzig valley and Triberg Gengenbach, the Kinzig valley up to Schiltach, Triberg, Schonach, Furtwangen, St. Georgen and the Elz valley
for the farmhouses, the waterfalls and the half-timbered villages
The Black Forest of the postcards. The Kinzig valley strings together small half-timbered towns, Gengenbach, Haslach, Wolfach, Schiltach, and the open-air museum at Gutach. Higher up, Triberg has its waterfalls and its clocks, and Furtwangen its clock museum. The downside: the villages empty in the evening, and Triberg fills with coaches by day.
Where to stay in this area
Weinhotel Pfeffer & Salz Mid-range
A wine estate hotel on the edge of Gengenbach, a fifteen-minute walk from the old town, with its own wine.
Best Western Plus Schwarzwald Residenz Mid-range
On the heights above Triberg, a few minutes' walk from the waterfalls, with a pool and spacious rooms.
Pros
- The prettiest half-timbered villages
- The Black Forest Railway down in the valley
Cons
- Sleepy villages in the evening
- Triberg packed during the day
Freiburg Freiburg, the Dreisam valley up to Kirchzarten, Glottertal, St. Peter, St. Märgen, Staufen, Münstertal and Badenweiler
for the city, its markets and the southern range half an hour away
The city of the range. Freiburg has its minster, its daily market, its Bächle and the life of a big student city, under Germany's most generous sunshine. The train climbs to the Titisee in half an hour, and the neighbouring valleys, Glottertal and Münstertal, keep their inns and vineyards. The downside: it is a city, with city prices and Saturday-night noise.
The center is very pleasant with typical architecture and well preserved buildings, especially in the main square.
Where to stay in this area
Colombi Hotel Luxury
Freiburg's grand hotel, on the edge of the old town, with a pool and attentive service.
Boutiquehotel Oberkirch im Zentrum Mid-range
A historic house on the minster square, with a view of the spire from some rooms.
Pros
- A real, lively city, in the evening too
- The train to the Titisee in half an hour
Cons
- City prices
- The real forests half an hour away
Titisee, the Feldberg and the south Titisee-Neustadt, Hinterzarten, the Feldberg, Lenzkirch, Schluchsee, St. Blasien, Todtnau, Todtmoos and the Wiese valley
for the lakes, skiing and the high plateaus
The Black Forest of the summits. The Titisee and the Schluchsee spread out at the foot of the Feldberg, where you ski in winter and hike in summer, and Hinterzarten keeps its grand spa hotels. Further south lie St. Blasien and its dome, Todtnau and its waterfalls, Todtmoos and its meadows. The downside: the Titisee shore overflows with souvenirs and coaches on fine days.
Where to stay in this area
Treschers Schwarzwald Hotel Luxury
Right on the water of the Titisee, with a heated outdoor pool facing the lake and train tickets included.
Parkhotel Adler Luxury
A traditional house in the centre of Hinterzarten, with its deer park, its pool and a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Pros
- The lakes and the Feldberg on the doorstep
- Skiing in winter, hiking in summer
Cons
- A very touristy Titisee shore
- Long, cold winters
Our tips for booking the right place
- Ask for the guest card: In most municipalities, the hotel gives you a guest card that opens up free buses and trains across the region, and often discounts too. Check before you book that your accommodation offers it: it changes the budget of the stay.
- Book December and the holidays early: The Christmas markets, the summer holidays and ski weekends fill hotels months ahead, especially around the Titisee and Baden-Baden. In May, June and October, the choice stays wide.
- Try a farm stay: Many farms rent rooms or apartments, with breakfast made from their own milk and eggs. It is the truest way to live the Black Forest, and often the cheapest.
- Staying in Strasbourg to visit the south of the range: allow two hours' drive to the Feldberg.
- Booking on the Titisee shore if you want peace in summer: the crowds are dense all day.
- Choosing an isolated farm without a car: buses rarely pass, even with the guest card.
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