Unwind / Germany
A Slow Week in the Black Forest
Black Forest · 7 min read
The Black Forest is exactly what it sounds like: a large, dark, hilly forest in southwest Germany, threaded with thousands of kilometres of marked paths and dotted with spa towns.
It is one of the easiest restful weeks in Europe, and almost nobody outside Germany thinks of it.
Walking
The trail network is signposted to an almost comical standard, with distances, times and colour coded routes at every junction. You do not need a map, though you should carry one.
The Westweg is the long distance classic. For a gentler week, base in Schluchsee, Triberg or the Murg valley and do five hour loops with a Gasthaus lunch in the middle.
Thermal baths
Baden-Baden is the grand option, with the Friedrichsbad's nineteenth century Roman Irish circuit and the more modern Caracalla next door. Bad Wildbad and Badenweiler are smaller and cheaper.
German spa culture is textile free in most sauna areas. It is entirely matter of fact once you get over it.
Food, cake and wine
Yes, the cake is real and yes, you should have it. Kaffee und Kuchen at four is a functioning national institution.
The region also has an unexpected concentration of very good restaurants, and the Baden wine region to the west produces excellent pinot noir that rarely leaves the country.
The case for doing nothing
Forest, water and cake is a very old formula and it still works.
Ask about the Konus guest card. In many towns it makes all regional transport free.
