Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [392]
Tucked behind the Franziskaner is the Spitalgarten, a park flanked by the original city walls. Here your gaze will be drawn to Romäusturm, a lofty 13th-century thieves’ tower named after fabled local leviathan Remigius Mans (Romäus for short).
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CELEBRATE THE FIFTH SEASON
Boisterous and totally bonkers, the Swabian-Alemannic Fasnacht or Fasnet (not to be confused with Carnival) is a 500-year-old rite to banish winter and indulge in pre-Lenten feasting, parades, flirting and all-night drinkathons. Starting on Epiphany, festivities reach a crescendo the week before Ash Wednesday. Dress up to join the party and memorise a few sayings to dodge the witches and catch the flying sausages – anything’s possible, we swear. For Fasnacht at its traditional best, try the following:
Elzach (www.schuttig.com, in German) Trallaho! Wearing a hand-carved mask and a tricorn hat adorned with snail shells, Schuttige dash through Elzach’s streets cracking Saublodere (pig bladders) – dodge them unless you wish for many children! Sunday’s torchlit parade and Shrove Tuesday’s afternoon Schuttigumzug are the must-sees.
Rottweil (www.narrenzunft.rottweil.de, in German) At Monday’s 8am Narrensprung, thousands of jester-like Narros in baroque masques ring through Baden-Württemberg’s oldest town. Look out for the devil-like Federhannes and the Guller riding a cockerel.
Schramberg (www.narrenzunft-schramberg.de, in German) Protagonists include the hoorige Katz (hairy cat), the hopping Hans.
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If the sun’s out, take a 3km walk northwest of the Altstadt to the tree-fringed Kneippbad (Lido; 534 41; Am Kneippbad 1, adult/concession €3.70/2.50; 6.30am-8pm Mon-Fri, 8am-8pm Sat & Sun May-Sep), a family magnet with its outdoor pools, slides and volleyball courts.
To extend your ramble, follow the woodland trail shadowing the copper-coloured Brigach River upstream from the Kneippbad, passing Feldner Mühle watermill with its playground and ponies. Continue northwest through the forest to reach Salvest, a beloved picnic spot with a deer enclosure, and Ackerloch Grillschopf in Unterkirnach.
Villingen-Schwenningen is the southern terminus of the Neckartal-Radweg (Click here), one of Baden-Württemberg’s premier bike trails.
SLEEPING & EATING
The Altstadt is dotted with restaurants and cafes, but the best sleeping options are northwest of the centre around the Kurgarten. Villingen’s bar mile, Färberstrasse, gets pretty lively at the weekend.
Haus Bächle ( 597 29; Am Kneippbad 5; s/d €15/30; ) Set in a half-timbered house beside the flower-strewn Kurgarten, the lovingly kept rooms here are a steal. It’s right next to the Kneippbad, so ideal for early-morning dips.
Rindenmühle ( 886 80; www.rindenmuehle.de; Am Kneippbad 9; s €72, d €89-104; ) Next to the Brigach and the Kneippbad, this converted watermill houses one of Villingen’s top hotels, with spacious, countrified rooms with wi-fi. Downstairs, award-winning chef Martin Weisser cooks with finesse, using home-grown produce such as herbs, free-range rabbits and geese plucked fresh from his garden.
Zampolli ( 328 65; Rietstrasse 33; 9.30am-11pm Mon-Sat, 10.30am-11pm Sun Feb–mid-Nov) For an espresso or creamy gelati (wild berries is superb), make for this Italian-run cafe. By night, the pavement terrace facing Riettor is a laid-back spot for a drink.
Don Antonio ( 506 084; Färberstrasse 18; mains €10.50-14.50; 6pm-midnight) Flamenco plays as a jovial crowd tucks into paella and tapas in cave-like, candlelit alcoves at this vibrant Spanish haunt.
GETTING THERE & AROUND
Villingen’s Bahnhof is on the scenic Schwarzwaldbahn railway line from Konstanz (€16.70, 70 minutes) to Triberg (€7, 25 minutes) and Offenburg (€15.20, 70 minutes). Trains to Stuttgart (€23.60, two hours) involve a change in Rottweil, and to Freiburg (€16.70, 1¾ hours) a change in Donaueschingen.
From Villingen, buses 7265 and 7270 make regular trips north to Triberg. Frequent buses (for example line 1) link Villingen with Schwenningen.
Villingen-Schwenningen is just west of the A81 Stuttgart–Singen