Beautiful Black Forest

We continue our journey with a visit to Strasbourg along the way. One of Europe's most beautiful cities, you'll find a unique mix of Franco-German culture and gothic architecture. Constructed from pink sandstone, Strasbourg's magnificent cathedral towers over the city, providing spectacular views of the city below and the Black Forest. We also recommend a visit to 'Petite France', a picturesque canal district that's not to be missed. We continue our journey, crossing the border into Germany and arriving at our hotel in the Black Forest, where you'll enjoy traditional schnapps to welcome you.

Today, we enjoy a scenic tour of the heart of the Black Forest. Our first stop is in Triberg, the birthplace of the much-loved Black Forest gateau and best known for its world-famous wooden cuckoo clocks, including the world's largest. You can also visit the town's spectacular waterfalls, the highest in Germany, before we continue to the Black Forest Open Air Museum. Here, we will gain insight into over six hundred years of Black Forest life by exploring traditional farmhouses alongside live demonstrations and workshops by local craftworkers.

Enjoy a free day and explore the picturesque village of Oberharmersbach, the perfect place to glimpse into traditional German life. Alternatively, join us for an optional excursion into northern Switzerland to visit the magnificent Rhine Falls, Europe's largest and most powerful waterfall. We also visit nearby Schaffhausen, a medieval town, before crossing back into Germany for a ride on the Wutach Valley Railway: one of the most unusual and impressive stretches of railway in Germany and popularly known as the Sauschwänzlebahn (the 'Pigtail Line'), because of the twisting route around the Black Forest.

Today's excursion takes us on a scenic drive through the beautiful Black Forest to Freiburg, a medieval city overlooked by castle ruins; home to 'The Red Bear', reputed to be Germany's oldest inn, we recommend exploring the town's daily market, which surrounds the town's minister. We continue to the spa town of Titisee-Neustadt, found on the shores of Lake Titisee in the 'High' Black Forest, where we board 'the Titus', a replica of a Roman galley, for a short cruise on the crystal-clear glacial waters of one of Germany's prettiest lakes. Afterwards, enjoy some free time exploring this small town, home to a model train museum, restaurants, and a host of cafes before returning to our hotel.

Today, we head first to Schiltach; found in the very heart of the Black Forest and full of half-timbered houses straight out of a storybook, the town centre, or 'Städtle', offers a chance to see how this small town looked centuries in the past. Later, we travel to our second stop, the pretty Gengenbach, where you can wander along the Kinzig River or through the old town, which boasts romantic half-timbered houses and charming winding streets.

After breakfast, we bid our German hosts farewell, travel along the famous Black Forest High Road, one of the world's most spectacular forest roads and head to the pretty spa town of Baden-Baden. Built on thermal springs, Baden-Baden has been a popular spa retreat for centuries, boasting plenty to see and do! From here, we continue to our overnight hotel.

We return home today, crossing the Channel before continuing north to the East Midlands.