Black Forest

With over 24,000 kilometres of marked trails, the Black Forest is one of Germany's most beautiful hiking regions. The Westweg runs for around 285 kilometres from Pforzheim to Basel, while the more than 50 Genießerpfade (connoisseur trails) are ideal for day hikes. Things get wild and unspoilt in the Wutach Gorge in the southern Black Forest.

The Triberg Waterfalls plunge more than 163 metres into the valley and are among the best-known waterfalls in Germany. In the evening they are even illuminated. In the northern Black Forest, the Allerheiligen Waterfalls rush through a narrow gorge, and at the Todtnau Waterfall you can watch the spectacle from a 450-metre suspension bridge.

In summer, Titisee and Schluchsee in the High Black Forest are perfect for swimming, pedal boating and strolls along the shore. Things are quieter at the Mummelsee on the Black Forest High Road. If you're looking for silence, hike to the Wildsee in the Black Forest National Park, which can only be reached on foot.

The bare summits in the south offer the widest views in the region. At 1,493 metres, the Feldberg is the highest mountain in the Black Forest, and a cable car takes you up the Schauinsland straight from Freiburg. On clear days, the view stretches all the way to the Alps.

In half-timbered towns such as Gengenbach and Schiltach, you can wander through winding lanes lined with colourful houses. At the Vogtsbauernhof open-air museum, you'll see how people used to live on Black Forest farms. Afterwards, Black Forest ham and gâteau taste best right where they come from.