The Westweg Schwarzwald
Hiking tours lasting several days are a great holiday experience – if only the heavy backpack didn’t weigh so heavily on your shoulders! For those who prefer climbing the heights in the Black Forest with light luggage we have the perfect solution: “hiking without luggage”. Here are some of our suggestions.
The Westweg – a long distance hiking trail in the western Black Forest leading from the north to the south
Western trail: 279, kilometres, eastern trail: 283 kilometres
Along with the Rennsteig and the new Rothaarsteig hiking trail, the Westweg is one of the most renowned long-distance hiking trails in Germany. This trail offers a unique hiking experience, since the mountains are traversed over their entire north-south range, leaving an unforgettable impression of magnificent natural wonder as well as of a landscape shaped by human hands. The Westweg has been in use since 1900 and is one of the most popular hiking trails in Germany.
The Westweg runs from Pforzheim in the north to Basle in south. After ascending steeply, it adjoins the European watershed between the Rhine and Danube Rivers. Above Lake Titisee, it ascends to the highest summit in the Black Forest, the Feldberg Mountain, which, with an altitude of 1493 metres, is the highest landmark in Germany’s non-alpine mountains. A high-altitude hike with numerous lookout points leads via the Belchen Mountain and through the area of the Markgräflerland the 285 kilometres or so to Basle at the knee of the Rhine River, a city located in the Swiss-German-French three-country triangle.
All-inclusive “hiking without baggage” on the Westweg Pforzheim – Basle, total distance 285 kilometres (also possible in increments)
- Northern option with 7 overnight stays from Pforzheim to Hausach, prices starting from 380 Euros
- Southern option with 7 overnight stays (Western Route) or 8 overnight stays (eastern trail), prices starting from 395 or 450 Euros
- Entire tour with 13 nights, choice between western or eastern trail, prices starting from 750 Euros.
Information and booking:
Schwarzwald Tourismus GmbH
Schwenninger Str. 3
78048 Villingen-Schwenningen
Phone: +49 7721 846415
Fax: +49 7721 846411
service@schwarzwald-tourismus.info
The Schluchtensteig - a hiking trail leading through gorges and canyons in the southern Black Forest
The new Schluchtensteig trail runs 118 kilometres through the southern Black Forest nature park – from Stühlingen through the Wutachschlucht, (in English, the Wutach Gorge), along the shores of Lake Schluchsee and through the wildly romantic Wehra Valley towards the small city of Wehr. Gorges and ravines, waterfalls and lakes, moors, flowery meadows and heaths, bright green primeval forests and dark fir forests line one of Germany’s finest hiking routes
A flat rate “Hike without luggage” on the Schluchtensteig trail includes
- Comfortable option: 6 day stages and 7 overnight stays from 420 Euros per person
- Option for experienced hikers: 5 day stages and 6 overnight stays from 360 Euros per person
Information and booking:
Schwarzwald Tourismus GmbH
Schwenninger Str. 3
78048 Villingen-Schwenningen
Phone: +49 7721 846415
Fax: +49 7721 846411
service@schwarzwald-tourismus.info
The Mittelweg - a hiking trail in the central Black Forest leading from the north to the south
Western trail: 233 kilometres, eastern trail: 228 kilometres. Of similar age to the Westweg in the western Black Forest, the Mittelweg was laid out in 1903 and offers an unforgettable impression of the diverse landscapes of the Black Forest. Having hiked through the northern sections with their dense forests and moors, the hiker traverses the tangents of the Kinzigtal Valley in the lush high plateaus and finally passes south into the high mountains, where impressive views reach all the way to the Alps.
The Ostweg - a hiking trail in the eastern Black Forest leading from the north to the south
238 kilometres - This hiking trail leads from the forests of the northern Black Forest over the high plateau of the Baar Area and then on to Waldshut-Tiengen on the Upper Rhine River (Oberhein). The area provides hikers with an especially impressive view of contrasting landscapes. The eastern trail of the Black Forest is not as steep as the track toward the valley of the Upper Rhine River and its main attractions are the Schwenninger Moos, the origin of the Neckar River, the impressive Wutachschlucht, (or Wutach Gorge in English), and the sensational view from Randen Mountain.
Hike without luggage on the Kinzigtal Jakobusweg Trail
A pilgrim’s route that goes all the way back to the disciple and later apostle James the Elder. When God created Kinzigtal Valley he was in top form. You won’t find a landscape more unspoilt than this anywhere else in the world. The Kinzigtal Jakobusweg Trail runs along the valley with its picturesque little towns. It is an approximately 120 kilometres long passage from the well-known Jakobusweg which ends in Santiago de Compostela in Spain and is over 2.500 kilometres long in total.
The 6 day all-inclusive hiking trip starts in Lossburg, and from there it goes in stages of 15-20 kilometres via the cities Schenkenzell, Wolfach, Haslach and Zell am Harmersbach to the half-timbered little town of Gengenbach. This all-inclusive offer is designed to encourage you to yearn for distant horizons, fill a backpack, lace up your shoes and take the first step.
Services:
- 6 overnight stays in selected pensions or guesthouses
- 6 x breakfast
- Baggage transfer
- Rambler’s guide to the Kinzigtal Jakobusweg Trail
Price: 249 Euros per person in a double room and 299 Euros per person in a single room. Individual stages can be booked on request.
Info and booking:
Gengenbach Kultur- und Tourismus GmbH
Im Winzerhof
77723 Gengenbach
Phone: +49 7803 930143
Fax: +49 7803 930142
tourist-info@stadt-gengenbach.de
www.gengenbach.info