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Black Forest with Kids

The Black Forest is a wooded upland region in Germany's south-west corner, roughly 160 kilometres long, and for families it has one anchor and one character. The anchor is Europa-Park at Rust, Germany's largest theme park, which is a destination in its own right. The character is everything around it: lakes with pedal boats, waterfalls on stepped paths, barefoot trails, an open-air farm museum and a cable car onto an upland plateau. The trade-off is distance. The region is spread out, bus services in the side valleys are thin, and the valley roads are relentlessly winding, which is a real problem for anyone in the car prone to travel sickness.

Best for ages
2+
Suggested stay
3–6 days
Best months
May–Oct
Daily budget
€250

Mid-range, family of four

Why Black Forest works with children

  • A theme park that spans the whole family

    Europa-Park mixes toddler areas with coasters gated at 1.30 to 1.40 metres, so a wide age spread can spend the same day there.

  • Short walks with a payoff at the end

    Waterfalls, gorges and lake circuits are mostly under two kilometres, which is the format that works with small legs.

  • The guest card covers regional transport

    Most overnight stays in the participating towns include a KONUS guest card giving free travel on regional trains and buses in the area.

  • Cooler than the Rhine plain in summer

    The upland valleys stay several degrees below Freiburg, which makes August afternoons workable rather than punishing.

Where to stay

Best areas in Black Forest for families

4 areas cover most trips here; the difference is mainly a theme-park trip versus waterfalls and the open-air museum.

  • Rust

    Best for a theme-park trip

    The village at the park gates, with resort accommodation and a shuttle bus from Ringsheim station on the Freiburg to Offenburg line. There is essentially nothing else in Rust, so it suits two park days and little more.

  • Freiburg

    Best for a base without a car

    A university city with trams, a large choice of apartments and forest starting at the edge of the tram network. Further from the northern Black Forest sights, and the busiest place to stay in summer.

  • Titisee and Hinterzarten

    Best for lakes and central touring

    Central for the southern forest, with a lake promenade, pedal boats and short circular walks. The Titisee lakefront is heavily commercialised and fills with coach parties by mid-morning.

  • Triberg and the Gutach valley

    Best for waterfalls and the open-air museum

    The cluster of set-piece attractions in the central forest, walkable from the towns. Quiet in the evening, and a longer drive from Rust.

Family hotel picks in Black Forest

  • Themed resort hotel at the park gates
    RustHigher-end

    Themed resort hotel at the park gates

    A theme-park day is long at both ends, and staying at the gates removes the drive or the train-plus-shuttle when everyone is tired. The park-gate hotels also carry the early-entry arrangements that put a family on the first coasters before the day queues form.

    • Walking distance or a resort shuttle to the entrance
    • Early park entry on some room rates
    • Family rooms built for four as standard
    • Pools and evening entertainment on site

    Fitting a family in

    Four-person rooms with bunk or separate children's sleeping areas are the standard product here rather than an exception, which is unusual in Germany.

    Watch out. Rates at the gates rise sharply in the school holidays and the season peaks, and sell out months ahead. Rust itself has almost nothing besides the park, so a stay longer than two nights needs a car to reach the rest of the region.

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  • Farm apartment in the upland valleys
    Titisee-Neustadt / HinterzartenBudget

    Farm apartment in the upland valleys

    A Ferienwohnung on a working farm is the cheapest way to house a family in the region, gives a kitchen for the days when restaurant hours do not line up with children, and usually comes with animals that occupy the first hour of every morning.

    • Self-catering kitchen and space to spread out
    • KONUS guest card covering regional trains and buses
    • Animals and outdoor space on site
    • Walking trails starting at the door

    Fitting a family in

    Apartments are typically two rooms plus a living area sleeping four to six, and are priced per unit rather than per person, which makes them cheaper the larger the family.

    Watch out. Many farm apartments only take Saturday-to-Saturday bookings in high summer, and a car is effectively required because the nearest bus may run a few times a day. Access lanes are steep and awkward in snow.

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All family stays in Germany

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Things to do in Black Forest with kids

  • Europa-Park
    Theme parkBook ahead

    Europa-Park

    Black Forest

    Germany's largest theme park, at Rust on the western edge of the Black Forest, with more than a hundred attractions arranged across themed areas representing European countries, plus its own resort hotels and an adjoining water park.

    Ages
    3–17
    Time
    10h
    Adult, from
    €65

    Good to know. In the July and August peak the headline coasters hold queues well beyond an hour, and the walking distances between themed areas are substantial. Several of the big rides are gated at 1.30 to 1.40 metres, which is the measurement that decides whether a ticket is worth full price for a younger child. Most families need two days rather than one.

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  • Triberg Waterfalls
    Nature

    Triberg Waterfalls

    Black Forest

    The highest waterfalls in Germany, dropping around 160 metres in a series of cascades through a wooded gorge, on a ticketed path with viewing platforms at several levels.

    Ages
    3–14
    Time
    1h 30m
    Adult, from
    €9

    Good to know. The route is stepped and steadily uphill, roughly 1.5 kilometres to the top and back, and the timber walkways are slippery after rain. The lower platforms are reachable with a pushchair, the upper ones are not. Entry is charged even though it is a forest path.

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  • Titisee
    Water

    Titisee

    Black Forest

    A glacial lake in the southern Black Forest with a promenade, pedal and electric boat hire, swimming areas and a flat circular path of about seven kilometres around the shore.

    Ages
    2–14
    Time
    3h
    Adult, from
    Free

    Good to know. The lakefront is heavily commercialised and fills with coach parties from mid-morning, so early or late is calmer. The water stays cold well into summer, and the full shore circuit is longer than it looks on the map with young children.

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Getting around Black Forest

Overnight guests in participating towns receive the KONUS guest card with the room, which covers regional trains and buses across the Black Forest at no extra cost, so a car-free stay in Freiburg, Titisee or Triberg is genuinely workable. Away from the main valley lines, buses can run only a few times a day and stop early in the evening, which is where a car starts to pay. Europa-Park is reached by rail to Ringsheim and a short shuttle bus rather than by a direct line.

Black Forest tips for families

  • When to go

    Plan two days at Europa-Park, not one

    The park runs to more than a hundred attractions across fifteen themed areas, and in the July and August peak the headline coasters hold queues well over an hour. A two-day ticket with an afternoon break costs less per hour than one exhausting day, and the second day is the one where the queues get ridden.

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  • Money & costs

    Ask for the KONUS card at check-in

    The visitor tax charged per person per night buys the card, but it is not always handed over unprompted. It covers regional trains and buses for every person named on it, which for a family of four removes most of the transport budget.

  • Health & safety

    Take the travel sickness seriously

    The valley roads and the upland route across the forest are continuous tight bends for forty minutes at a time. Front seats, an open window, no screens in the car and a stop halfway make the difference between a scenic drive and a ruined morning.

  • Packing

    Hold an indoor day in reserve

    This is one of the wetter regions of Germany and a wet day rules out the waterfall paths and the lake. Waterproofs rather than umbrellas, and a museum or a thermal bath kept back as the alternative, prevent a washed-out day becoming a lost one.

Black Forest with kids: common questions

How many days do you need at Europa-Park?
Two for most families. One day covers the toddler areas or the coasters, not both, and the walking distances across fifteen themed areas are substantial. Families with only one day should arrive at opening and pick a single half of the park.
Do you need a car in the Black Forest?
Not if the base is Freiburg, Titisee or Triberg and the guest card is used, because those sit on the regional lines. A car becomes close to essential for the side valleys, farm accommodation and linking Rust with the central forest in the same trip.
Is the Black Forest good with toddlers?
Yes, better than most German regions. The lakes, pedal boats, barefoot trails and farm museum all suit under-fives, and Europa-Park has a substantial toddler section. The constraint is the driving rather than the attractions.
When is Europa-Park least busy?
Outside the German school holidays, and mid-week rather than at a weekend. Late spring and the second half of September are the quietest parts of the main season; the winter season is shorter, colder and runs a reduced set of rides.
Can Europa-Park be reached without a car?
Yes. Regional trains run to Ringsheim, from where a shuttle bus goes to the park entrance in a few minutes. It adds a change at each end of a long day, which is why park-gate accommodation is popular with families.

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