Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [388]
Boat excursions along the Rhine are run by BFS ( 942 010; www.bfs-info.de, in German; Rheinuferstrasse; Apr-Sep); the dock is 500m southwest of the tourist office.
The tourist office ( 940 155; www.breisach.de; Marktplatz 16; 9am-12.30pm & 1.30-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat Apr-Dec, 9am-12.30pm & 1.30-5pm Mon-Fri Jan-Mar) can advise on wine tasting in the area and arrange well-stuffed picnic hampers for €15.
SLEEPING & EATING
You’ll find a handful of so-so dining options between Gutgesellentor and the tourist office, plus a supermarket on Bahnhofstrasse opposite the train station.
DJH hostel ( 7665; www.jugendherberge-breisach.de; Rheinuferstrasse 12; dm 1st/subsequent night €21.90/18.60) On the banks of the Rhine, this hostel has first-rate facilities, including a barbecue hut, volleyball court and access to the swimming pool next door.
Kapuzinergarten ( 9300; www.kapuzinergarten.de; Kapuzinergasse 26; s €61-79, d €77-110; ) Even standard ‘monk cell’ rooms sport oak-parquet floors, natural lime walls and restored monastic furnishings at this hilltop hotel. An upgrade buys you luxuries like a four-poster bed and balcony. Chef Paul Demarche puts his own stamp on regional cuisine using organic, home-grown ingredients in the rustic restaurant (mains €19.50 to €28.50). The terrace is inviting in summer.
GETTING THERE & AROUND
Breisach’s train station, 500m southeast of Marktplatz, serves Freiburg (€4.80, 25 minutes, at least hourly) and towns in the Kaiserstuhl. Buses go to Colmar, 22km west.
Breisach is a terrific base for free-wheeling over borders. Great rides include crossing the Rhine to the delightful French town of Colmar, or pedalling through terraced vineyards to Freiburg. Hire your own set of wheels from Funbike ( 7733; Metzgergasse 1; 1/3 days €10/25; 9am-noon or on request) opposite the tourist office.
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Kaiserstuhl
Squeezed between the Black Forest and French Vosges, these low-lying volcanic hills in the Upper Rhine Valley yield some highly quaffable wines including fruity Spätburgunder (Pinot noir) and Grauburgunder (Pinot gris) varieties.
The grapes owe their quality to a unique microclimate, hailed as Germany’s warmest and sunniest, and fertile loess (clay and silt) soil that retains heat during the night. Nature enthusiasts should keep their peepers open for rarities like sand lizards, praying mantis and European bee-eaters.
The Breisach tourist office can advise on cellar tours, wine tastings, bike paths like the 55km Kaiserstuhltour circuit, and trails such as the Winzerweg (Wine Growers’ Trail), an intoxicating 15km hike from Achkarren to Riegel.
The Kaiserstuhlbahn does a loop around the Kaiserstuhl. Stops (where you may have to change trains) include Sasbach, Endingen, Riegel and Gottenheim.
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Europa-Park
Germany’s largest theme park ( 01805-776 688; www.europapark.de; adult/4-14yr €34/30; 9am-6pm early Apr-early Nov & early Dec-early Jan, later in peak season), 35km north of Freiburg near Rust, is Europe in miniature. Get soaked fjord-rafting in Scandinavia before nipping across to Atlantis in Greece. Thrill-seekers are hurtled from zero to 100km in 2.5 seconds on the new adrenalin-loaded Blue Fire roller-coaster in Iceland, while Welt der Kinder pleases tots with gentle rides. Europa-Park even has its own mousy mascot, Euromaus.
Shuttle buses (hourly in the morning) link Ringsheim train station, on the Freiburg-Offenburg line, with the park. By car, take the A5 to Herbolzheim (exit 58).
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Vitra Design Museum
Sharp angles contrast with graceful swoops and swirls on Frank Gehry’s strikingly post-modern Vitra Design Museum ( 07621-702 3200; www.design-museum.de; Charles-Eames-Strasse 1; adult/concession €8/6.50; 10am-6pm, to 8pm Wed). The blindingly white edifice hosts thought-provoking contemporary design exhibitions. Buildings on the nearby Vitra campus, designed by prominent architects like Nicholas Grimshaw, Zaha Hadid and Alvaro Siza, can be visited on a two-hour architectural