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Around Villingen-Schwenningen

ROTTWEIL

0741 / pop 25,500

Baden-Württemberg’s oldest town is the strapline of Roman-rooted Rottweil, founded in AD 73. Yet a torrent of bad press about the woofer with a nasty nip means that most folk readily associate it with the Rottweiler, which was indeed bred here as a hardy butchers’ dog until recently. Fear not, the Rottweiler locals are much tamer.

The sturdy 13th-century Schwarzes Tor is the gateway to Hauptstrasse and the well-preserved Altstadt, a cluster of red-roofed, pastel-painted houses. Nearby at No 6, the curvaceous Hübschen Winkel will make you look twice with its 45-degree kink. Just west on Münsterplatz, the late Romanesque Münster-Heiliges-Kreuz features some striking Gothic stonework and ribbed vaulting. Equally worth a peek about 1km south is the Roman bath (Hölderstrasse; admission free; daylight hours), a 45m-by-42m bathing complex unearthed in 1967.

The tourist office ( 494 280; www.rottweil.de; Hauptstrasse 21; 9.30am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-12.30pm Sat Apr-Sep, 9.30am-12.30pm & 2-5pm Mon-Fri Oct-Mar) can advise on accommodation, tours and biking the Neckartal-Radweg.

Rottweil is just off the A81 Stuttgart–Singen motorway, Trains run roughly hourly to Villingen (€2.80, 25 minutes), situated 25km north.

UNTERKIRNACH

07721 / pop 2819

Nestled among velvety green hills, low-key Unterkirnach appeals to families and outdoorsy types. Kids can slide and climb to their heart’s content at the all-weather Spielscheune ( 800 855; Schlossbergweg 4; admission €3; 1-7pm Mon-Fri, 11am-7pm Sat & Sun), or toddle uphill to the farm to meet inquisitive goats and Highland cattle (feeding time is 3pm). In summer, the village is a great starting point for forest walks, while in winter there are 50km of Loipen (cross-country trails) to ski and some terrific slopes to sledge.

Perched above Unterkirnach and a wide valley, Ackerloch Grillschopf ( 544 21; Unteres Ackerloch; snacks €3-8; 11.30am-midnight Thu-Tue) is a rickety barn that doubles as a butchers selling home-smoked Black Forest ham. The smell of suckling pig roasting on a spit or sausages might lure you in for meaty snacks, which you can grill yourself on the barbecue.

Bus 16 runs roughly hourly between Unterkirnach and Villingen (€2.80, 16 minutes).

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SOUTHEAST OF FREIBURG

Titisee-Neustadt

07651 / pop 12,000

Titisee is a cheerful summertime playground with a name that makes English-speaking travellers giggle and a shimmering blue-green glacial lake, ringed by forest, which has them diving for their cameras.

Sure, the village is touristy, but tiptoe south along the flowery Seestrasse promenade and you’ll soon leave the crowds and made-in-China cuckoo clocks behind to find secluded bays ideal for swimming and picnicking. For giddy views, head up to 1192m Hochfirst tower, which overlooks Titisee from the east.

A laid-back way to appreciate the lake’s soothing beauty is to hire a rowing boat or pedalo at one of the set-ups along the lakefront; expect to pay around €6 per hour.

The forest trails around Titisee are hugely popular for Nordic walking which, for the uninitiated, is walking briskly with poles to simultaneously exercise the upper body and legs.

Set to make a €30-million splash in autumn 2010 is the Schwarzwald Badeparadies, a 600-sq-metre leisure and wellness complex, comprising lagoons, slides, a wave pool and a sauna area, sheltered in a gigantic conservatory with a retractable roof.

Snow transforms Titisee into a winter wonderland and a cross-country skiing magnet, with Loipen (tracks) threading through the hills and woods, including a 3km floodlit track for a starlit skate. The tourist office map pinpoints cross-country and Nordic walking trails in the area.

The tourist office ( 980 40; www.titisee-neustadt.de; Strandbadstrasse 4; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat & Sun May-Oct, 9am-noon & 1.30-5pm Mon-Fri Nov-Apr) in the Kurhaus, 500m southwest of the train station,