On the southern edge of Germany’s Black Forest lies Freiburg. A cosy medieval city that definitely warrants a visit when you’re road-tripping around the region.
The Black Forest is best-known for its natural beauty, but don’t overlook charming Freiburg when making your itinerary for this German area. This university town can be a welcome change from the fairytalelike forests that probably will dominate your Black Forest trip. At the same time, Freiburg breathes the atmosphere that is so typical for this region.
Freiburg is rather small, so you can easily discover the city centre by foot. Most must-sees and -dos are located here. We spent one and a half day in Freiburg during our weeklong Black Forest road trip. This is definitely enough time to visit all the highlights summed up in this list.
1. Freiburg Minster
The Minster is without a doubt Freiburg’s most prominent landmark. The cathedral was built over the course of more than 300 years. The first parts of the Minster were constructed in Romanesque style, but after a couple of decades building continued in Baroque style. You can enter the Minster’s interior for free and admire the beautiful stained glass windows.
2. Münsterplatz
The Freiburg Minster stands in the middle of the quaint Münsterplatz. This square is lined with colourful historic buildings. One of the most outstanding is the red Merchants’ Hall, dating back to the 16th century.
Enjoy the views of the beautiful buildings and the Minster while relaxing on one of the many terraces surrounding the square. The Münsterplatz is also the scene for a big market filled with local produce on every day of the week, except Sunday.
3. Freiburg’s Bächles (small canals)
When walking around Freiburg, it’s hard to miss the Bächles or small canals that stream through the streets of the city centre. These canals have been supplying the city with fresh water since at least the 13th century. Legend has it that if you accidentally step into one of the waterways, you’ll marry a citizen of Freiburg.
On a hot day, these canals are perfect to cool your feet down after walking around the city. You’ll see plenty of people having a drink and chatting with friends, while paddling in one of the canals. Join in!
4. Rathausplatz
Another lovely square in Freiburg’s historic centre is the Rathausplatz. This plaza is home to both the old and the new town hall, that neighbour each other. Fun fact: the new town hall is actually a bit older than the old town hall. But the municipality used the ‘old one’ as a town hall first, and only later acquired the new town hall.
Apart from a couple of cafes, you’ll find some shops on the Rathausplatz. In the streets surrounding the square you can find many more stores.
5. Schwabentor and Martinstor
Freiburg once counted five city gates. Nowadays, two of the medieval structures still stand. Both the Martinstor and the Schwabentor date back to the 13th century, but the former is some decades older than the latter. They both form a picturesque sight in the city centre.
6. Haus zum Walfisch (Whale House)
Freiburg’s old town counts plenty of lovely buildings. This one can be found in a quiet street next to one of Freiburg’s main shopping boulevards. The house was once inhabited by the world-famous humanist Erasmus.
7. Markthalle
A bit hidden in Freiburg’s centre, close to Martinstor, is the cosy Markthalle. Here you can find food stalls that prepare Baden-Württemberg’s local cuisine, as well as food from all over the globe. If you’re looking for an original place to eat, that caters dishes to everyone’s tastes, this is the place to be.
8. Schlossberg
Freiburg is surrounded by hills and the Schlossberg is just a short walk away from the centre of town. You can take a cable car to mount the hill. That was our plan as well, but as Google Maps directed us directly towards the summit, instead of the cable car, we just climbed the Schlossberg. Tired from the uphill walk in sweltering summer heat, we only went as high as the top end of the cable car. Unfortunately, the castle was still higher up, so we missed that and the most sweeping views over the city. However, even at this point we had a lovely view of the Minster.
9. Alter Friedhof (Old Cemetery)
A rather peculiar thing to see on this list, Freiburg’s Old Cemetery is a calm place to take a stroll away from the hustle and bustle from the centre. The cemetery was used from the end of the 17th century till deep in the 19th century and is filled with old, stately tombs.
10. Platz der Alten Synagoge
We nearly missed this bustling square on our Freiburg trip, but I’m so happy we passed this place. This plaza close to the city’s university buildings has a great atmosphere. We found this square because it was close to Eiscafe Portofino, that offers the best ice cream in town according to Tripadvisor. And well, I can agree the gelato was great.
When you’re on this square, make sure to check out the remarkable water surface. This monument has the shape of the Old Synagogue’s floorplan. The Synagogue once stood in this exact location, but was destroyed during Kristallnacht in 1938. This mirror of water commemorates the victims of the national-socialism period in Germany.
11. Sacred Heart Church
The Minster isn’t the only beautiful church that graces Freiburg’s skyline. We had a huge picture of this church in our hotel room, but only came across it by accident. It lies a little walk past the Platz der Alten Synagoge.
12. Mundenhof
The Mundenhof might be Freiburg’s most remarkable attraction. It’s a relatively small, but nice animal park somewhat outside of the city centre. It’s a lovely place to take a walk and watch animals like alpacas, monkeys, ostriches and camels. We explored the park for about half a day, which is enough time to see all of it.
Entrance to the park is free, but parking costs 5 euros. The parking money is used to sustain the Mundenhof and its animals. You can order a parking ticket online. Going to the Mundenhof by car is definitely the easiest option, but you can also reach the park by public transport. The bus goes there three times a day. You can also take a tram, but then you’ll have to walk for 20 – 30 minutes to reach the park.
Extra: Europapark and Rulantica
While Europapark and its adjacent waterpark Rulantica aren’t located in Freiburg itself, the city makes for a great base to explore these worlds of amusement. You can also stay in the park itself, but this will probably cost you more than sleeping in Freiburg. By car, the parks are only a 30-minute drive away.
We only visited the new waterpark Rulantica, as I’m more into waterslides than rollercoasters, and had a super fun day here! If you have an extra day to spare, this is where you’ll want to go.
Discover the complete itinerary of my week in the Black Forest.
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