Cycling the Black Forest

The Southern Black Forest is surprisingly relaxed. You cycle past typical Black Forest farms with low-hanging roofs that nestle close to forested, green mountains. On this roundtrip tour from Freiburg you overcome most altitude metres by train and often enjoy rolling downhill. Easy and relaxed!

Location

Black Forest

Start / End

freiburg

Activity

bicycling

Distance

35-70 km daily

Difficulty

easy-moderate

Duration

5 days/6 nights, (add on more days)

Cycling the Black Forest

Bicycle Tours

spring, summer, fall

5 days/6 nights, (add on more days)

This is the bicycle tour of The Black Forest. We cover it all. If you like a combination of touristy sights (Lake Titisee), thermal baths, wine tastings, a night in Germany’s sunniest town (Freiburg) and a quick visit to Switzerland (Basel). The rides are not too challenging, you will to the big climbs by train. You can always add-on more days if you enjoy a day hike of the famous Wutach Gorge or want to spend a day at the thermal baths.

We Handle Eveything
Luggage Transfers
Hotels Included

Detailed Route Descriptions & Maps
Choice of bicycles (e-bike, trekking bike….)
Train connections included

Great bicycle tour if you like a see it all, Lake Titisee, thermal baths and wine tastings. And don’t mind switching hotels each night (we take care of your luggage).

Southern Black Forest & Switzerland

This tour package takes you to the southern part of the Black Forest. This area is not very touristy – you find mostly locals on the weekends, and weekdays are quiet. While tourists often focus on the popular sights like the cuckoo clock area or the thermal baths in Baden-Baden – the south is where you find some hidden gems.

During this bicycle tour you also get a change to hop across the border to Switzerland. The start and end of this tour is Freiburg – where we recommend adding on an additional day before your bike tour. Let our guide give you an orientation walk of Freiburg prior to sending you off on your bicycle!

Navigation, Route Notes, Maps & Support

You will receive detailed route notes and maps from us upon check-in at your first hotel. GPS data is also available if you are bicycling with a GPS device.

This tour is operated by our partner company specializing in cycling tours. With years of experience, support is only a phone call away.

Is it for me?

Great for anyone who is active and can ride a bicycle. If you are looking for a bit of activity in the outdoors during your vacation – this is the tour for you.

Itinerary

Arrival Info

Arrive in the Black Forest by train (destination train station is Freiburg, from here you switch to the regional S-Bahn or bus to get to your hotel).

Exploring Town

If you are arriving early we recommend that you head into the old town for a quick orientation.
Depending on the time of your arrival we will schedule an orientation walk of Freiburg on your arrival day. If you are arriving late we will provide you with a self-guided tour of Freiburg

Dinner

We will provide you with plenty of options on where to grab a bite to eat in the evening in Freiburg.

Accommodation

standard hotel

We work with several hotels in Freiburg – all of them can be reached by public transportation.

Description of your day

Your day starts out with a 10 km bicyle ride from Freiburg to Kirchzarten, a small town in the valley. From here you hop on the train (train ride included) and a half hour later you arrive at Lake Titisee, a glacier lake up in the mountain. This will help you avoid almost all metres of altitude on this tour!

At Lake Titisee we recommend a quick stop to browse through the many souvenir shops or even jump into the water for a quick swim.

From Lake Titisee onwards, you cycle
through beautiful countryside to Bonndorf, a town in the Southern Black Forest. This is where you will spend the night.

Accommodation

Standard hotel in Bonndorf

Description of your day

If you are also interested in hiking, we recommend spending an additional night in Bonndorf. From here you can then hike the famous Wutach Gorge – one of the last wild corners in the Southern Black Forest.

When you are ready to depart with your bicyle you will cycle along a plateau to Wutachtal Valley. The route is cycled practically without any effort – downhill most of the time. You will then reach today‘s destination, the town of Waldshut-Tiengen, which is right on the Swiss border.

Accommodation

standard hotel in Waldshut-Tiengen area

Description of your day

This morning you cycle further on downstream, via Laufenburg to Bad Säckingen. Here you find Europe‘s longest wooden, roofed bridge. Great place for a stop in town to have a break.
Continuing on, you cycle along the northern bank of the Rhine river to the town of Rheinfelden.
Good to know: To shorten the route you can board a train here
(not included).
Should you decide to continue by bike to Basel, we recommend a visit to the Roman fort Augusta Raurica.
Night in Basel

Accommodation

standard hotel in Basel, Switzerland

Description of your day

You leave Basel, and cycle back towards the Black Forest.
At the edge of the Black Forest, you pass through through small spa towns, which all draw on the healing waters of the area.
Great way to visit one of the thermal baths – you will feel like a newborn afterwards

Accommodation

standard hotel in Badenweiler area

Description of your day

Today you will head back to Freiburg, where you started your bicycle tour from.
You cycle through the vineyards of the Markgräflerland Wine area- up to the rightthe Black Forest and to the left the Vosges Mountains in Alsace/France. We also call this area the Tuscany of Germany – its the warmest area in this country.
arrive in Freiburg late afternoon. Here you can enjoy dinner in the old town to celebrate the end of your bicycle tour.

Accommodation

standard hotel in Freiburg

After breakfast drop off your rental bicycle at the hotel
Then take the train to get to your next destination (train ride not included)

Good to Know

Accommodation in double room with private bathroom
Breakfast
Train ride on day 1
Luggage transfer
Welcome bag with useful items for your tour (water bottle, etc)

Bicyle Rental
Bicycle Helmet. You need to bring your own.
Travel to/from Freiburg
Lunches and dinners
Travel insurance. Make sure you have travel insurance covering you against illness, injury, loss or damage to property and cancellations.
Personal expenses such as drinks, tips, telephone calls, extra transfers (such as by taxi or when not included in public transport pass).

Season. This package is available from mid-April to mid-October.

Cycling the Black Forest is available as a 5 day/6 night package. You can easily add-on more days.

please contact us with your desired travel dates so we can provide you with an exact quote

The hotels we include in this package are all small family-owned hotel. They are not fancy hotels, but clean and very (bicycle-) friendly.

Double Rooms. If you are booking a double room there is one double bed with 2 individual mattresses (not 2 twin beds). If you require separate beds we recommend booking 2 separate rooms. In rare cases twin beds are available, please inquire.
Single Rooms. If you are traveling by yourself we charge a single room supplement. You will either be provided with a single room. Or with a double room for single use – based on availability.
Upgrades. Upgrades are not possible on our bicycle packages
Bathrooms. All rooms have private en-suite bathrooms.
Air-Conditioning. Summers can be very warm. Most hotels in Germany do not have air-conditioning. Sometimes hotels can provide a fan for your room. Usually the hotel owners will tell you to sleep with the window open during the night – this is very common in Germany.
Elevators. Please note that our hotels most often do not have elevators – you will have to walk a flight of stairs to get to your room.

Breakfast included.
Lunch. Grab a sandwich in town before getting on your bicycle. Or have lunch in town.
Dinner. Most hotels have a restaurant on site. Or there are restaurants in walking distance to your hotel. We provide you with recommendations.

bicycle helmet
comfortable shoes to cycle
helmet
swim suits
warm and waterproof clothes
a day pack
water bottle
insect repellent
sun glasses, sun hat, sun block
first-aid kit.

You will receive detailed route notes and maps from us upon check-in at your first hotel.
You also have the option to tour with our mobile phone app
Our Route Description is also available as GPS.
Our Route Description also contains info to all repair shops on your route should your bicyle need repair.

Mobile Phone Coverage. Please note that the Black Forest is a mountainous area. Often there is no mobile phone coverage when touring the Black Forest.
Wi-Fi in hotels. All of our hotels have wi-fi but sometimes it can be spotty in your room – depending on the location of your room.
If you require constant online access we do NOT recommend touring the Black Forest. Consider staying in a large town like Baden-Baden or Freiburg instead.

Choice of bicyles

Touring bike (27 / 30 gear)
E-bikes

All our rentals include a rental bike insurance

Bike handover

Arrival: Your rental bike is waiting for you at the start hotel.
Departure: Leave your bike at the last hotel. If you have rented an e-bike, drop off the battery at the hotel reception.

Equipment of our rental bikes

Luggage rack
Comfortable saddle
Waterproof pannier
Waterproof handlebar bag with map holder
Odometer
Bicycle lock
Pump
Repair kit

Where you will be touring

Cycling the Southern Black Forest

Stay in the loop

2025 Tours Update

Sign up for our email list and receive all details on our new tours.

Contact

Follow us!

Links

Tours

Testimonials