Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [395]
SLEEPING
Pick up the Hüttenverzeichnis, listing good-value huts and guesthouses, at the tourist office.
DJH hostel ( 07676-221; www.jugendherberge-feldberg.de; Passhöhe 14; dm 1st/subsequent night €20.60/17.50) This rustic chalet near the slopes in Feldberg-Ort offers spick-and-span dorms, a ski room and volleyball court. It’s served by bus 7300 from Bärental train station to Hebelhof (10 minutes, hourly).
Landhotel Sonneck ( 211; www.sonneck-feldberg.de, in German; Schwarzenbachweg 5, Altglashütten; d €76-80; ) Immaculate, light-filled rooms with pine furnishings and balconies are the deal at this hotel opposite the tourist office. The quaint restaurant (mains €8 to €15) rolls out hearty local fare.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Bärental and Altglashütten are stops on the Dreiseenbahn, linking Titisee with Seebrugg (Schluchsee). From the train station in Bärental, bus 7300 makes trips at least hourly to Feldberg-Ort (€2, 10 minutes).
From late December until the end of the season shuttle buses, run by Feldberg SBG, link Feldberg and Titisee with the ski lifts (free with a lift ticket or Gästekarte).
If you’re driving, take the B31 (Freiburg–Donaueschingen) to Titisee, then the B317. To get to Altglashütten, head down the B500 from Bärental.
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Schluchsee
07656 / pop 2600
Photogenically poised above its namesake petrol-blue lake (the Black Forest’s largest) and rimmed by thick fir forest, Schluchsee tempts outdoorsy types with pursuits including swimming, windsurfing, hiking, cycling and, ahem, skinny-dipping from the western shore’s secluded bays. The placid resort leaps to life with sun-seekers in summer and cross-country skiers in winter.
Popular with families, the lakefront lido, Aqua Fun Strandbad (Fischbacherstrasse 8; adult/6-16yr/concession €3.80/2.20/2.20; 9am-7pm late May-Sep) has a heated pool, a sandy beach, a volleyball court and waterslides.
T Toth ( 92 30; www.seerundfahrten.de, in German; hourly 10am-5pm May-Oct) runs boat tours around Schluchsee, with stops in Aha, Seebrugg and the Strandbad. An hour-long round trip costs €6 (less for single stops). You can hire rowing boats and pedalos for the same price.
ORIENTATION & INFORMATION
The railway tracks and the B500 shadow the lake’s eastern shore between the lakefront and the Schluchsee’s town centre. The lake’s western shore is accessible only by bike or on foot.
Tourist office ( 7732; www.schluchsee.de; Haus des Gastes, Fischbacher Strasse 7; 8am-6pm Mon-Thu, 9am-6pm Fri, also 10am-noon Sat & Sun mid-Jul–late Sep) Situated 150m uphill from the church, with maps, info on activities and accommodation, and free wi-fi.
SLEEPING & EATING
Decent beds are alas pretty slim in Schluchsee, though there are a few good-value pensions – ask the tourist office for a list.
DJH hostel ( 329; www.jugendherberge-schluchsee-wolfsgrund.de; Im Wolfsgrund 28; dm 1st/subsequent night €19.10/15.90) Right by the lake, this wood-tiled hostel has well-kept dorms and a barbecue area. It’s a 10-minute walk west of the train station.
Hotel Schiff ( 975 70; www.hotel-schiff-schluchsee.de; Kirchplatz 7; s €37-40, d €56-106; ) Some of the more dated rooms are begging for a makeover, but for location and friendliness this hotel next to the church knows no rival. Guests can rent bikes, sledges and Nordic walking poles.
Pizzeria Seehof ( 1261; Kirchsteige 4; pizza €7-11) Chirpy Italian staff keep the good vibes, crisp pizza and ice cream coming at this unpretentious pizzeria, with a fine terrace overlooking the lake.
GETTING THERE & AROUND
The hourly Dreiseenbahn train goes to Feldberg (€2, 10 minutes) and Titisee (€2, 22 minutes). Bus 7257 links Schluchsee three or four times daily with the Neustadt and Titisee train stations (€2, 37 minutes).
Bikes can be rented from Hotel Schiff (above) for €5/9 per half-/full day.
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Wutachschlucht
The swift, serpentine Wutach (literally ‘angry river’) has carved this wild gorge of jagged, near-vertical