Black Forest & the Rhine valley
Dosage
3 days
Indication
Forest drives, old towns & wine
Contra-indication
Needing a beach
Side effects
A taste for cuckoo clocks
Black Forest & the Rhine valley why go
A weekend loop through Germany's southwest corner — the dark pine of the Black Forest, the vineyards along the Rhine, and half-timbered towns that look drawn by hand. Short drives, big scenery, and a slower kind of Germany than the big cities give you.
✦ Walked in person. Every stop below is from our own notebook — including the wrong turns.
At a glance
The itinerary what to do, where
3 placesTrade the motorway for the forest roads. Deep pine, quiet valleys, and the winding scenic drives the region is built around.
What to do
Down out of the forest to the towns and the wine country along the valley, where the streets are cobbled and the hills are terraced with vines.
What to do
Eatregional food and a glass of local Riesling
A slow final morning — a viewpoint, a last coffee in a market square, and the drive back before the weekend ends.
What to do
From the road 8 photographs
Before you go take it with you
Questions about timings, seasons, or where to swap a stop? Write to us — we answer every message with the map open.
Plan it with usKeep wandering similar routes
