Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis: Waterfalls, Trails and Fasnet

The Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis can be explored through a variety of nature and cultural themes. At Kirnbergsee, a 2.5-kilometre circular trail goes around the oval lake and crosses the dam. The lake is near Bräunlingen-Unterbränd and is part of a Flora-Fauna Habitat area; rare plants grow near its shores. The circular trail, dam and rare shore plants give the lake several facets as a destination for a day trip.

Trails and waterfalls

The WasserWeltenSteig offers a different scale: this 109-kilometre cross-border premium hiking trail starts at Germany’s highest waterfalls in Triberg and leads to the Rhine Falls near Neuhausen in Switzerland. On the German side, it runs entirely through the region. The comparison with Kirnbergsee is clear: the circular trail there is 2.5 kilometres long, while the WasserWeltenSteig covers 109 kilometres. A loop around a lake and a cross-border hiking trail thus differ considerably in length.

An admission ticket to Germany’s highest waterfalls also entitles visitors to enter the Black Forest Museum, Triberg-Fantasy and Triberg-Land. If you include these named attractions in your travel plans, you can take the additional ticket access into account.

Fasnet in the Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis

The Swabian-Alemannic Fasnet in the Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis is another cultural highlight. In December 2014, it was added to the nationwide UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage register. The carnival lasts six days, from Schmotziger Dunnschtig to Ash Wednesday. Its inclusion in the UNESCO register and its six-day duration describe two different aspects of the same tradition: its cultural heritage status and its timeframe.

Getting around by rail and local public transport

Regional transport information also provides practical guidance for planning your arrival and getting around. The Wutachtalbahn runs between Lauchringen and Hintschingen; in the Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis, it serves the section between Blumberg-Zollhaus and Riedöschingen. The Move fare applies to all local public transport buses and trains in the districts of Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis, Tuttlingen and Rottweil. The railway line and fare answer different questions: the route is defined by its endpoints and the section within the district, while the fare is defined by its validity across three districts. As fare conditions can change, it is worth checking them before your journey.

Baden-Württemberg in a broader context

The wider travel destination of Baden-Württemberg offers another perspective on its landscape and visitor attractions. Large contiguous forest areas, including the Black Forest, the Swabian Forest and the Odenwald, shape the state; around 40 percent of its area is forested. At 1,493 metres, Feldberg in the southern Black Forest is Baden-Württemberg’s highest elevation. The seven nature parks cover around one third of the state. Baden-Württemberg’s National Natural Landscapes also include the Black Forest National Park, two biosphere areas and seven nature parks.

Baden-Württemberg’s cultural heritage also includes the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Caves and Ice Age Art in the Swabian Jura,” added to the World Heritage List in 2017. Finds from the caves include the Venus of Hohle Fels, the Lion Man of Hohlenstein-Stadel and the oldest flutes known to date anywhere in the world. Baden-Württemberg’s official tourism concept groups visitor attractions under the themes of nature, culture, enjoyment and health. There are around 1,300 museums across the state, about 660 of them in rural areas.

Discover more destinations

Unterkirnach, Donaueschingen, Villingen-Schwenningen, Königsfeld im Schwarzwald, Triberg im Schwarzwald, Schönwald im Schwarzwald, Schonach im Schwarzwald, Sankt Georgen im Schwarzwald, Niedereschach, Hüfingen, Furtwangen im Schwarzwald, Bräunlingen, Bad Dürrheim, Brigachtal, Vöhrenbach, Kappel, Blumberg, Gütenbach, Neukirch, Gremmelsbach, Nußbach, Dauchingen, Mönchweiler, Tuningen

For the broader travel overview: Baden-Württemberg.