Having lived in Freiburg in Baden-Württemberg, south-west Germany for a year on a relatively tight budget, day-trips rather than long expensive trips away became a passion of mine. Here were the top 10 places to visit in Baden-Württemberg.
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Where to stay:
I highly recommend staying in Freiburg. It’s my favourite city in Baden-Württemberg. Below are some great accommodation options in Freiburg.
| Price Range | Accommodation | Why Stay Here? |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | Black Forest Hostel | Perfect dorms, on-site kitchen and no bunk-beds. |
| Mid-Range | City Hotel Freiburg | Clean and basic hotel rooms in Freiburg’s city centre |
| Luxury | Novotel Freiburg Am Konzerthaus | A fitness centre and pool onsite. Luxury rooms and suites with buffet breakfast included. |
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Places to visit in Baden-Württemberg
1 Europa Park
This theme park is known as Germany’s answer to Disneyland, it’s full of different lands and characters, enough to make a child’s (or an adult’s!) dream come true. There are many rollercoasters, crazy water rides and family friendly fun options, suitable for all ages. It’s my favourite place in Baden-Württemberg.
Cost: €52 (£45/$58).
How to get there: By public transport from Freiburg, take the train to Ringsheim followed by bus 7231 outside the station to Europa Park. Alternatively, you can take a direct flixbus. Or car parking is available on site.
2 Burg Lichtenstein
This fairy-tale castle nestled on a cliff-edge is my all-time favourite, only taking half a day to visit. You will face a 30-minute climb up the cliff when you arrive. We only just made it before it closed – having misjudged our timings (notice how red I am in the picture). This is my favourite castle in Baden-Württemberg.
Cost: €2 (£2/$2).
How to get there: be aware, it takes many buses/trains to visit from Freiburg . It’s best to travel by car if you have access to one.
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3 Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional German town featuring gorgeous colourful buildings with narrow picturesque streets. The houses that line the river make it a great place for photography. Tubingen is easily visited on public transport from Freiburg or by car.
How to get there: Tubingen is easily visited on public transport from Freiburg or by car. By public transport take a flixbus or a train from Freiburg or Stuttgart.
4 Lake Constance
This beautiful lake spans three countries; Germany, Austria and Switzerland. I visited it from Constance in Germany. This is a beautiful lakeside town, but consider taking a ferry out onto the lake for the real sights. It is a gorgeous option for a family summer trip. This is a great place to visit in Baden-Württemberg in summer.
How to get there: Flixbus will take you straight to constance from Freiburg or Basel. Many car parks are available in the city.
5 Heidelberg
Heidelberg is a small town nestled at the bottom of a hill alongside the river Neckar. The castle on the hill, gives these beautiful views. With quaint cafes and ice cream shops, it’s the perfect daytrip or overnight base in Baden-Wurttemberg.
How to get there: Flixbus or train from Freiburg or Stuttgart. Alternatively, many car parks are available in the city.
6 Burg Hohenzollern
This stunning castle is perched on-top of a mountain in Germany and takes around half a day to see thoroughly. If you like history, this castle has many exhibitions inside setting it apart from Burg Lichtenstein. Although it’s not such a great place to visit in Baden-Württemberg as others, I still recommend a visit – especially if you’re a castle-lover.
Cost: €12 (£11/$13).
How to get there: Doable by public transport, but I recommend visiting by car due to the viewpoints of it on the way up. Once you arrive it is a 5-minute walk uphill from the car park, if needed there is a shuttle bus to avoid this.
7 Freiburg
Freiburg, the gateway to the black forest, is a beautiful city with a cathedral, daily markets and nearby mountains. I am slightly biased to Freiburg having lived here for a year, and have a strong passion for the city.
The city can be visited in a day but I’d recommend a weekend. Read more here for things to do in Freiburg.
How to get there: the public transport network is very good in this area. Train from Stuttgart or Basel or many car parks are available.
8 The Black Forest
This mountainous region full of thick forest, is easily accessible from Freiburg. In winter, it becomes a popular cheap skiing region and in summer, the high temperatures draw people in for the lakes, outdoor swimming pools, and beautiful hiking trails. The perfect outdoorsy place come sun or snow!
I recommend titisee or Schluchsee for lake views. Feldberg mountain is great to delve deeper into the black forest. This is a great place to visit in Baden-Württemberg.
How to get there: Take the train to Titisee. Various buses are available from here to Feldburg and Schluschsee. There are car parks at all major attractions.
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9 Waterfalls
There are two main waterfalls that I’d recommend visiting in Baden-Württemberg.
Triberg Waterfalls
Only accessible by car, Triberg waterfalls are Germanys highest. From the car park walk downhill to the waterfalls – you’ll feel the burn on the way back!
Cost: €4 (£3/$5).
How to get there: These are only accessible by car.
Todtnau Waterfalls
The second is the Todtnau waterfalls which are larger and easily accessible from Freiburg. They are my personal favourite; you can see how small I look in the picture.
Cost: Free
How to get there: Take a train to Kirchzarten, followed by bus 7215 to the waterfalls.
10 Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the largest city in Baden-Württemberg. During Christmas, it is packed with German markets and an ice rink. However, I have heard that outside of Christmas it’s only worth a visit if you’re interested in cars (the Mercedes-Benz and Porsche museums are found here!). It’s a good base for many places to visit in Baden-wurttemberg.
How to get there: It’s easily accessible by train and flixbus from Freiburg and Frankfurt.
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How to get to Baden-Württemberg
- By air: There are many airports serving Baden-Württemberg. These include Baden-Baden, Stuttgart and Basel-Freiburg-Mulhouse Airport. Stuttgart is the most connected and has the cheapest flights generally.
- By rail: Trains serve most of Baden-Württemberg. They also connect the major cities Stuttgart and Freiburg within Baden-Württemberg.
- By bus: Flixbus also serves most of Baden-Württemberg.
- By car: It is easy to drive to Baden-Württemberg from neighbouring provinces or from France, Switzerland or Luxemburg.
How to get around Baden-Württemberg
- By rail: Trains run between most places within Baden-Württemberg. However, to visit some attractions such as the castles is not possible by train.
- By bus: The local buses run from some towns to attractions.
- By car: This is the best way to travel around the region, as it offers flexibility and freedom.
Money saving tips in Baden-Württemberg
- Avoid entrance fees: Choose to visit free attractions to keep costs down.
- Avoid parking charges: Park a walk away from attractions and avoid the parking charge.
- Travel by car for families: If you are buying multiple bus/train tickets, you will be much cheaper travelling by car.
See more budget travel tips here.
When to visit Baden-Württemberg
During winter, Baden-Württemberg’s weather is freezing cold. Expect snow in the mountains and come prepared! While it may be cold, it is one of the most beautiful times of year to visit.
Summer is very hot in Baden-Württemberg, with temperatures often hitting 30 degrees Celcius or higher. It’s a great time to laze around in the parks and lakes, but not so good for heavy sight-seeing.
Spring and Autumn offer the best of both worlds
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Get insured
Whenever you are travelling abroad, you should always purchase travel insurance to keep you covered. I recommend World Nomads if you have no pre-existing health conditions.
If you do have pre-existing health conditions, I recommend True Traveller. They cover most mental health conditions also.
Get connected
It’s easy to purchase a SIM card in Germany. Simply visit your nearest Aldi to get a cheap SIM card. Alternatively you can buy one online here before you visit.
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I hope this has been an helpful guide to finding new places to visit in Baden-Württemberg! Let me know if you feel I’ve missed anywhere, or have any new places for me to visit when I go back!
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