Discover the Schwarzwald-Baar District

At Lake Kirnberg in Bräunlingen-Unterbränd, a waterside path meets a protected shoreline landscape: the 2.5-kilometre circular trail goes around the oval lake and over the dam. In the Schwarzwald-Baar District, the options also extend to cross-border hiking routes, local traditions and waterfall destinations in Triberg. This lets you plan your trip around nature, outdoor activities or culture, and then look for a suitable base.

At Lake Kirnberg and on the WasserWeltenSteig

Lake Kirnberg is part of a Fauna-Flora-Habitat area, and rare plants grow near the shore. The protected-area designation and the plants along the shore give the lake a distinctive natural character in addition to its circular trail. The trail itself is clearly defined at 2.5 kilometres and also crosses the dam.

The WasserWeltenSteig is on a different scale: this 109-kilometre cross-border premium hiking trail runs entirely through the region on the German side, from Germany’s highest waterfalls in Triberg to the Rhine Falls near Neuhausen. The two distances represent different planning scales: 2.5 kilometres is the loop around the lake, while 109 kilometres is the full route. This lets you compare a single, clearly defined trail with a long-distance hiking route without treating them as equivalent outings.

Fasnet and places to visit in Triberg

Swabian-Alemannic Fasnet is a cultural touchstone in the Schwarzwald-Baar District. In December 2014, it was added to Germany’s nationwide UNESCO Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The carnival season lasts six days, from Shrove Thursday to Ash Wednesday. This gives the tradition a clearly defined timeframe and helps you distinguish cultural travel plans from trips focused on nature or hiking.

In Triberg, an admission ticket to Germany’s highest waterfalls also includes entry to other named attractions: it entitles you to visit the Black Forest Museum, Triberg-Fantasy and Triberg-Land as well. If you include a waterfall visit in your plans, you can take these three attractions into account when choosing your activities.

Getting here and getting around

Two different pieces of information are useful for getting here and travelling around the district. The Wutach Valley Railway runs between Lauchringen and Hintschingen and serves the Schwarzwald-Baar District between Blumberg-Zollhaus and Riedöschingen. The Move fare applies to all local buses and trains in the districts of Schwarzwald-Baar, Tuttlingen and Rottweil. Its area of validity therefore also includes the two other districts named here. Check the Move fare conditions before travelling.

The wider Baden-Württemberg region

In the broader travel destination of Baden-Württemberg, large contiguous forest areas such as the Black Forest, the Swabian Forest and the Odenwald shape the landscape. Around 40 percent of the state is forested. At 1,493 metres, Feldberg in the southern Black Forest is the state’s highest elevation. These details describe Baden-Württemberg as a whole and provide context for the Schwarzwald-Baar District.

Accommodation and planning your trip

When looking for accommodation, it is worth deciding on your priorities first: will your trip focus on Lake Kirnberg, the WasserWeltenSteig, Fasnet or the waterfalls in Triberg? The Wutach Valley Railway and the area covered by the Move fare can also factor into your plans. If your family has different interests, it is best to choose based on the experiences you have planned: nature by the lake, a longer hiking route, local traditions or the other attractions in Triberg each offer a different focus. This makes choosing a base part of planning your trip, rather than relying solely on the destination’s name.

More places in the Schwarzwald-Baar District

Discover the places in the Schwarzwald-Baar District, too: Bad Dürrheim, Bräunlingen, Furtwangen in the Black Forest, Hüfingen, Niedereschach, Sankt Georgen in the Black Forest, Schonach in the Black Forest, Schönwald in the Black Forest, Triberg in the Black Forest, Königsfeld in the Black Forest, Villingen-Schwenningen, Donaueschingen, Unterkirnach, Vöhrenbach, Kappel, Blumberg, Gütenbach, Neukirch, Gremmelsbach, Nußbach, Dauchingen, Brigachtal, Mönchweiler and Tuningen.

For the broader travel overview: Baden-Württemberg.