A Walk in the Black Forest

A very enjoyable way of seeing the 'real' Black Forest. We specially enjoyed the historical aspects of the Ravenna Gorge/Hollental walk, and the St. Peter walk. Good food at all the hotels, but a special thanks to Hotel Peterle for interesting wine choices alongside delicious food.

We recently returned from our week in the Black Forest.  The countryside was very pretty, with masses of wild flowers, birdsong and cowbells and the dark Forest sections didn’t dominate the routes. The occasional drink stations (including schnapps for the brave) with honestly boxes were a welcome novelty. Hotel Peterle was really good, very well run and it had a great team spirit. The food was the best of the trip and the interesting local wines were a highlight. We really enjoyed our two nights there and, in hindsight, would have booked an extra night. The Hotel Sonne was also very pleasant with good staff, rooms and food.  However we didn’t enjoy our stay at the Hotel Imbery in Hinterzarten. The rooms were tatty, the food dull and some of the staff lackadaisical. Not sure if it was this hotel, or the Sonne, which failed to collect our luggage. It did reach us after a while but we had an unpleasantly tense wait for it after the longest walk of the trip. A couple of tips: Be prepared for very large helpings at meals! And, as many locals speak no English, it would be helpful to brush up on a few German words and phrases!

We would definitely recommend including an extra day at Hotel Peterle as we felt the best walking was to be had in this area, especially in June when the meadows were in flower. The meals at Hotel Peterle were also a highlight and it is worth ensuring that your stay does not coincide with their Ruhetag days (Wed & Thurs). We did the Shepherd's Boys' Trail and the Feldberg-Falkau circuit. Of the two, we preferred the former as the Feldberg Tower was touristy and turned out to be expensive (16 Euros there and back) as the ticket office was closed and the machines did not seem to accept the Konus card. The circuit itself was very good though. We would also recommend an extra day in Kirchzarten so that you can take the train into Freiburg which has a colourful market around the munster on all days apart from Sunday. It is only 12 mins by train and by visiting from Kirchzarten it gives you the option of saving the best day weatherwise for doing one of the  walks. We felt this was a better option than doing the two night Freiburg extension.

We really enjoyed both walks in Italy and Germany, the grading was good for us and we enjoyed their differences.  Hotel della Fortezza was a wonderful place to stay and Hotel Imbery was a great experience, lively and friendly.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: This customer enjoyed our walking holidays 'Historic Orvieto and Hidden Tuscany' followed by 'A Walk in the Black Forest'

Beautiful walking area, the high walks between hotels and the gorge walk were particular highlights. The use of the free train meant that the walks could be done in any order so we could do the most scenic walks on the sunniest days. 

We were lucky to have a week of glorious weather in early October for our journey through this beautiful corner of Southwest Germany, giving us the full benefit of the glorious views. Seeing the high peaks of the Alps floating above the far horizon some 100 miles distant from the top of the Feldberg was a real highlight. The walks took us through a variety of landscapes, from deep forest to high peaks and open meadows and gave a great sense of the character of this fascinating and tranquil region. We barely saw another soul for long stretches, especially on the weekdays. The long 1000m descent into Kirchgarten was very demanding on the knees and were very glad of our walking poles. Mountain walks are matched by hearty and plentiful mountain food! That said, the gourmet dinner with paired wines at Hotel Peterle was refined and delicious.  

The Black Forest was an excellent choice for a small group with mixed levels of walking experience, and the choice of suggested routes worked well for us. The area is varied and very beautiful. There is one key feature of the area which added greatly to our enjoyment of the trip: public transport was excellent and all the more so, given that for tourists, the services were free with the Konus Card. 

We thoroughly enjoyed our walk in the Black Forest. There was a good choice of walks at each location, and the route plans were by and large excellent. Each walk had its own character. We did the walk around the Schluchsee lake, which was a gentle start to the week and were rewarded with a brass band playing at the Unterkrummenhof on Sunday lunchtime. The walk to Hinterzarten had a very welcome drinks station halfway - Milchhisli. The Ravenna Gorge was excellent with lots of varied scenery and interesting things to see along the way. We were slightly apprehensive about the Hinterzarten to Kirchzarten walk, and while it is a good day's walking, was probably the highlight, especially with the Hofener Hutte for a break and to admire the views. We especially enjoyed the Hotel Peterle with its friendly owner and great food. All in all we had a great week with very good weather.  

Another excellent Inntravel holiday, well organised and set in a lovely area.  Our first time walking in Germany and we weren't disappointed.  Food at the Hotel Peterle was exceptional and very good at the Hotel Sonne.  Hotel Imbery was good but not quite as good as the other two.  We travelled by train and that added to the experience of the trip as well as allowing us to have an extra 2 night add on at Hotel Senat in Paris.

Another excellent Inntravel holiday with great accommodation and good - and plentiful - food. The walking was enjoyable: testing without being daunting and varied enough, though the many woodland paths do somewhat blur into one. The route from Hinterzarten to Kirchzarten is a definite highlight with its expansive views. The towns visited are all pleasant and well-kept, without scoring highly on atmosphere. It's an area that I'm glad to have visited, though I doubt I'll feel the urge to return.

We had a wonderful 3 weeks combining the Black Forest, Bavaria (Where Eagles Soar) and Lake Achensee trips in an effort to catch up after a quiet couple of years. The trips were all up to the usual Inntravel high standard.

Our highlights: The hotels, particularly in the Black Forest and Bavaria. Hotel Peterle in the Black Forest and the Alpenhof in Bavaria were wonderful, and were both well worth an extra night if possiblec. Although all the walks were good, we particularly enjoyed the Feldberg in the Black Forest, the Jenner and Konigsee in Bavaria, and the Rofanspitze in Achensee - these had stunning views.

Our tips: If using cable cars or boats, make an early start to avoid later “crowds”. Our thanks to a previous reviewer of the Bavaria trip recommending the possibility of a taxi from the tourist office in Schonau Konigsee (who were extremely helpful) up to the hotel - after getting caught in heavy rain, this suggestion was a godsend. (And considering the saving of marital strife, very cheap!) Similarly, if using the bus from Schonau Konigsee to the Alpenhof hotel, it is a good idea to get on the bus at the Jennerbahn stop - by the time it arrives at the next stop near the tourist office, it can be full. We combined these trips by driving - not sure how it would work out by train but would imagine it would be quite feasible.

We've had a wonderful holiday. The walks were beautiful and just right for us. We tended to choose the longer options if there were choices, which suited us. The Black Forest is delightful - even in the rain! Loved the beer and cakes! The hotels were all fine, clean and friendly. We used Eurostar and trains to get to Germany which added to the fun of the trip - highly recommended.

Another splendid Inntravel holiday (our 12th)! The walks were very good, being varied with ups, downs and wonderful views of the differing landscapes. The Ravenna gorge was a highlight as was Felberg but each walk had its own merits. The area is very good for being able to adapt walks using trains and buses (with the free travel pass), which we did after finding the walk to Kirchgarten quite challenging. We were blessed with perfect walking weather and really enjoyed all that we did. Again - many thanks. Where will you send us next!?

A really lovely holiday, with beautiful walks and lovely hotels. We were pleased that we spent an extra night at Kirchzarten.

We loved our walking holiday in the black forest. We particularly enjoyed our stay at hotel Peterle - definitely worth an extra night to experience the fantastic food and wine. The gourmet menu on our first night with paired wines was a fantastic treat. The scenery lived up to expectations and was really beautiful we loved walking in the forest as well as the open meadows with stunning view points. We would highly recommend this holiday.

The holiday was superb, albeit quite exhausting as we booked extra nights at each of the hotels, plus two nights in Freiburg. The weather at beginning of June was hotter than usual which necessitated us in shortening some of the walks. The accommodation at each of the hotels were similar; clean and comfortable. All hotel staff were friendly and helpful. The quality of the food was excellent throughout but the service and attention to detail at Hotel Peterle stood out as exceptional.

We got lost twice during the Shepherd Boys' trail, but I suppose that is part of the fun. The highlight was the numerous species of wild flowers we saw and the complementary glass of schnapps en route. As parts of the route to the Feldberg was blocked we decided to take the walk around Schluchsee, which is much easier on the feet. This lake is very popular with tourists but this didn't detract from our enjoyment. The walk to Hinterzarten rewarded us with some superb views. The Ravenna Gorge walk was the highlight of the whole holiday. Titisee was also worth visiting for a relaxing afternoon and you don't need to walk around the lake.

From Kirchzarten we took the bus to St. Peter, where the monastery is truly spectacular. No photograph you could take overlooking the valley from Lindenberg could ever do justice to the views. We shall just have to commit it to memory.

Freiburg is definitely worth visiting, but this could be done from Kirchzarten which is only fifteen minutes away by train. Tram number 2 from Freiburg and bus number 21 both free when using the Konuscarte took us to Shauinsland. A twenty minute cable car ride took us to the top of the mountain where there are numerous walking paths and more spectacular views to admire. We took the Flixbus from Freiburg to Basel airport, which takes less than an hour and costs around £22 each way. Overall another very enjoyable Inntravel holiday. 

An outstanding holiday with very good accommodation and some excellent walks. The combination of sun-dappled woodland with beautiful meadows and delightful hamlets made for a thoroughly enjoyable trip.

Definitely worth staying the extra night at Hotel Peterle in order to do the Shepherds Boy trail . Loved the honesty boxes and of course the Schnapps in the woods. 
Stops at the Cafe Waldvogel and also the Hoffner Hutte were well worthwhile not only for their cake but the  friendly people . 
We reversed the walk to St. Peter's in order make it an uphill trail and it gave us longer to explore St.Peter's.

On the last day we took the train to Freiburg and then a tram and bus to the Schauninsland Cable car (magnificant views and longest cable car in Germany) and did Option walk A from the cable car stop at the top of the mountain. This way we could see Freiburg in the morning, and do option A walk in the afternoon.

There are so many reasons that we would have no hesitation in recommending Inntravel for walks in Europe:

1. Inntravel's customer service, from pre-sale to post-sale, was exemplary in every respect: friendly, responsive, timely .... and thoroughly professional. (Will, with whom we made initial contact, was especially helpful and responsive.)

2. Pre- and post-walking travel arrangements proceeded far more smoothly and easily than we had expected.

3. The location and quality of hotels also exceeded our expectations.

4. The walking routes and terrain were in total accord with out expectations (and abilities) and provided a range and variety of experiences.

5. Luggage and taxi transfers proceeded flawlessly.

6. The institution of WhatsApp-enabled communication and App-based maps and walking guides will only enhance what is already an excellent set of services

The Black Forest region is captivating and endlessly beautiful. Trails and hikers abound. 

For us the walking highlights were The Shepherd Boy walk and the walk from Alpersbach to Kirchzarten. We would recommend that people make use of the free travel on buses and trains provided by the Konus card to vary the walking programme. eg. we didn't do the walk from Altglashutten to Alpersbach but took the train through the Black Forest to visit the delightful town of Donaueschingen. We then took the train back to Hinterzarten and walked to Alpersbach from there. Due to poor weather we did the walk up the Ravenna gorge from Kirchzarten by taking the train to Hinterzarten and starting the walk there. In other words be flexible.

A lovely holiday with beautiful walks and very comfortable accommodation.  Be a little wary of the cost of drinks at the Waldhotel, as this is quite a bit more expensive than the other two hotels.  Would advise asking to see the wine list prior to ordering wine!  The walk from Alpersbach to Kirchzarten and the Schauninsland walks were particular favourites of ours.

Lovely food and accommodation, pleasant easy walking. A shame the weather wasn't better.

We really enjoyed the whole week - lovely scenery, hotels and food.  

The walk inthe Black Forest was one of the best Inntravel walking holidays that we have undertaken over the last 20 years. The walks were beautiful, well signposted through a variety of lovely countryside and rolling hills. The hotels selected were excellent and I would recommend extending the holiday to six days of walking.

Can't say more than this was an excellent, beautifully arranged and thoroughly enjoyable holiday in a stunning part of Europe.

The whole trip was amazing. Waldhotel lichen soup was a pleasant surprise. Highly recommend this trip.

Josef at the Waldhotel was just amazing.  I put in a request for a special proposal dinner and it went perfectly. The romantic setting and food was just how I imagined for this special day. Josef made us feel so welcomed and was a highlight of the trip. The first hotel was also as incredible with the lovely family run hotel that made us feel at home the moment we walked through the door. The food was fantastic throughout the trip... it was so unique and delicious. It was hands down the best holiday we've ever had. Thanks to everyone at Inntravel and across the three lovely hotels that helped plan this special trip and proposal day. We'll never forget it and will definitely do another walking holiday with Inntravel !

My first time with Inntravel who provided me with an excellent self-guided holiday with carefully chosen hotels and superbly detailed walks. I spent an extra day at Hotel Peterle and recommend the Shepherd's Boys' Trail as a good introduction to their maps and walking instructions.