Black Forest / The verdict

Where should you stay in the Black Forest?

Stay in Gengenbach for most first visits: it sits on the Black Forest Railway, and its hosts issue the free KONUS card for regional trains and buses. Pick Hinterzarten or Schluchsee for lakes and hiking, and Freiburg if you want a city and will pay for day tickets or drive.

By The Real Traveler Experiences team. We earn a commission if you book through our links. It never changes a verdict.

Photo: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)

The Black Forest story

The Black Forest is Germany's most mythologized region: cuckoo clocks, Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte, dark spruce ridges and half-timbered valleys in the country's southwest corner. The reality mostly delivers on the folklore, with the caveat that this is a spread-out region of small towns rather than a single place, so the trip lives or dies on base choice.

The verdict in 30 seconds

Our pick: Gengenbach (runner-up: Hinterzarten or Schluchsee)

Go if

You want one base for three or more nights with day trips by train
You want free regional transport from your host's KONUS card
You prefer a small historic town to a city in the evenings

Skip if

You want city nightlife, a big food scene and a university-town feel every evening
Your plans center on the southern lakes and the Feldberg, which sit closer to Hinterzarten and Schluchsee
You are driving a loop and would rather split your nights between north and south

KONUS towns A to Z Hochschwarzwald Card Freiburg area Welcomekarte Compare hotelspartner site

The options

Gengenbach Go

First-time visitors who want a pretty small town on the railway and free day trips by train.

Good

Hosts issue the free KONUS card from the first night, covering regional trains and buses.
It sits on the Black Forest Railway toward Triberg and the Kinzig Valley villages.
Forum regulars describe a charming old town with the station close by.

Watch out

Quieter evenings and fewer restaurants than Freiburg.
The southern lakes and the Feldberg are a longer trip away.

Compare hotelspartner site

Hinterzarten or Schluchsee Go

Hikers and lake lovers staying two or more nights in the southern Black Forest.

Good

Hosts give both the KONUS card and, from the second night, the Hochschwarzwald Card with about 100 free entries.
Close to the Titisee, the Feldberg and hiking trails.
Writers describe both as calmer than Titisee.

Watch out

Fewer evening options than a city.
The northern and central Black Forest towns are far away.

Freiburg It depends

Travelers who want city life, a big food scene and a car or a few paid day trips to the south.

Good

Writers call it their favorite base for its center, food and prices.
Rail and tram links reach Titisee and Schauinsland.
The 3-day Welcomekarte at 27 EUR adds the Schauinslandbahn and the museums.

Watch out

Travelers report Freiburg hotels do not issue the free KONUS card.
City hotels cost more than small-town lodging, per one writer.

Triberg Skip

Only travelers who want to be at the waterfalls at opening and do not mind quiet evenings.

Good

The waterfalls and cuckoo clock shops are on the doorstep.
One family with a baby found it a workable base by car.

Watch out

One writer found a night there boring, and another describes the town as heavily touristed.
A little remote, with limited dining.

Criterion	Gengenbach	Hinterzarten or Schluchsee	Freiburg	Triberg
Free guest cards	KONUS	KONUS plus Hochschwarzwald Card from night 2	None; Welcomekarte 27 EUR for 3 days	Ask your host
Best for	Villages and the railway	Lakes, Feldberg and hiking	City life and food	Waterfalls at opening
Evenings travelers report	Quiet, charming old town	Calm	Lively	Quiet, a bit boring
Crowds travelers report	Not raised in reports	Calmer than Titisee	City bustle	Heavy by day
Car needed	No	No for the lake towns; useful for remote spots	No for the city; useful for rural day trips	Useful

What it costs

KONUS guest card (regional buses and trains, 2nd class): €0 (Issued free by hosts to overnight guests in Gengenbach and other KONUS towns; funded through the local tourist tax). Official source, checked Sep 2026.
Hochschwarzwald Card (about 100 attractions, one free entry each): €0 (Free from the second night at participating hosts in the Hochschwarzwald, such as Titisee-Neustadt, Hinterzarten and Schluchsee; transport comes separately through KONUS). Official source, checked Sep 2026.
RVF Welcomekarte, 3 days (adult): €27 (The transport option for Freiburg guests: buses and trains in the Freiburg area, the Schauinslandbahn and the Freiburg museums; 16 EUR for children up to 14). Official source, checked Sep 2026.

What travelers report

Based on 13 traveler reports (Oct 2024 to Sep 2026) and the official sources linked on this page. 0 were negative.

What people like

Forum regulars call Gengenbach a charming, walkable base with the station close to the old town.
Freiburg wins praise for its food scene, walkable center and rail links south.
Hinterzarten and Schluchsee give the lake and hiking scenery with a calmer feel than Titisee.
Free guest cards from hosts make day trips and attractions cheaper.

What people complain about

Titisee's lakeside strip feels crowded and commercial by day.
Travelers report that Freiburg hotels do not issue the free KONUS card.
Triberg feels quiet and a bit boring after the waterfalls for an overnight stay.
Small bases have fewer evening dining options than Freiburg.

How to do it right

Decide what you will do most days: villages and the railway point to Gengenbach, lakes and hiking to Hinterzarten or Schluchsee, city life to Freiburg.
Before booking, confirm with the host that they issue the KONUS card, and in the Hochschwarzwald also the Hochschwarzwald Card.
Book at least two nights in the Hochschwarzwald, since the Hochschwarzwald Card starts from the second night.
Pick lodging within walking distance of the train station if you will not have a car.
If you stay in Freiburg, budget for the 3-day Welcomekarte or day tickets.

The trap to avoid

Booking Freiburg for its looks and assuming free transport: the Freiburg region's own tourism site offers Freiburg guests the paid Welcomekarte and names the surrounding valleys as the places that issue KONUS.

What to do instead

Why this verdict

The reports split between forum regulars who travel by train and bloggers who mostly drive. The train travelers are close to unanimous: in a 2025 thread every regular who replied named Gengenbach, and a family planning a 2026 trip picked it over Freiburg once they learned Freiburg hotels do not issue the KONUS card. The bloggers lean toward Freiburg for its food scene and evenings, usually with a car or paid day trips.

Gengenbach gets the pick because it answers both groups’ main needs for a first visit. It is on the Black Forest Railway, its hosts issue KONUS from the first night, and reports describe an old town that is pleasant after the day-trippers leave. The cost is quieter evenings and a longer trip to the southern lakes.

The runner-up is the Hochschwarzwald around Hinterzarten and Schluchsee. Hosts there issue KONUS for transport and, from the second night, the Hochschwarzwald Card with one free entry at about 100 attractions. That makes it the better base for hiking, the Feldberg and lake days. Travelers who stayed nearby describe Hinterzarten and Schluchsee as calmer than Titisee, whose lakeside strip draws the most complaints about crowds and souvenir shops. Titisee still works for some: one writer found it a cute overnight base.

Freiburg is a strong choice with conditions. The Freiburg region’s tourism site points Freiburg guests to the paid Welcomekarte, 27 EUR for three days, which covers the Freiburg area but not Triberg or the north. With a car, or for travelers who value a lively city every evening, it can beat a village.

Triberg is the one to skip for sleeping. Most reports that discuss it as a base describe a touristed, slightly remote town with little to do after the waterfalls, though one family traveling by car with a baby found it workable. It is an easy train ride from Gengenbach for a day visit.

Book or check times

KONUS towns A to Z Hochschwarzwald Card Freiburg area Welcomekarte

We earn a commission if you book through our links. It never changes a verdict. How this works

Compare hotelspartner site

Questions

Do Freiburg hotels give you the KONUS card?

Travelers report they do not. The Freiburg region's tourism site offers Freiburg guests the 3-day Welcomekarte, at 27 EUR for adults, and lists the Dreisamtal, Glottertal, Horben, Münstertal and Staufen, Kaiserstuhl and ZweiTälerLand as areas whose hosts issue KONUS.

What is the Hochschwarzwald Card?

A free guest card from participating hosts in the Hochschwarzwald from the second night. The official site lists about 100 attractions with one free entry each, including the Feldbergbahn and boat trips on the Titisee, and says it works on arrival and departure days. Transport is covered by the separate KONUS card.

Is Titisee a good place to stay?

Reports split. One writer found it a cute overnight base for a multi-stop trip, while others call the lakeside the most touristy place in the area. Travelers who want the same lakes with fewer crowds point to Hinterzarten or Schluchsee.

Should you stay in Triberg?

Most reports treat it as a day trip. Writers describe the town as heavily touristed and a little remote, and one found a night there boring once he had seen the waterfalls. Triberg is a stop on the Black Forest Railway, so it is easy to reach from Gengenbach.

Can you stay in one place for the whole trip?

Yes, if you stay three or more nights and use the trains. Forum regulars describe week-long stays in Gengenbach with day trips along the railway. Drivers covering north and south in a short trip often split nights, for example Freiburg and Baden-Baden.

Pack for it

Gear verdicts from our sister site, Real Buyer Experiences: