Black Forest & Lake Constance

Every part can be changed to suit your group.

1. Day 1 Baden-Baden

   Our driver collects you in Frankfurt or Stuttgart and brings you to Baden-Baden, the elegant spa town at the edge of the Black Forest. In the afternoon stroll along the Lichtentaler Allee, a park avenue beside the little Oos river, and see the Kurhaus with its famous casino, which Dostoevsky once played in. If you like, end the day in the Caracalla thermal baths with warm mineral water pools and saunas.

   
2. Day 2 The heart of the Black Forest

   Today the coach follows the Black Forest High Road, one of Germany's oldest scenic routes, past dark fir forests to the round Mummelsee lake. At the Vogtsbauernhof open-air museum you step inside 400-year-old farmhouses with huge hip roofs. In the afternoon walk up beside the Triberg Waterfalls, the highest in Germany, then visit a cuckoo clock maker and see the world's largest cuckoo clock. A slice of genuine Black Forest cake with cherries and kirsch is included.

   
3. Day 3 Freiburg and Titisee

   In the morning your guide shows you Freiburg, a sunny university town with a red sandstone Minster and the Bächle, small water channels running through the streets; legend says whoever steps into one will marry a local. Taste a long red sausage at the market on the Minster square. In the afternoon drive up to Lake Titisee for a walk along the shore or a short boat ride with views of the Feldberg, the highest mountain of the Black Forest.

   
4. Day 4 Lake Constance

   The coach brings you south to Lake Constance, the largest lake in Germany, shared with Austria and Switzerland. A ferry takes you to Mainau, the flower island, with a baroque palace, palm trees, a butterfly house and gardens that bloom from spring tulips to autumn dahlias. In the afternoon visit Meersburg, a steep little town with the oldest inhabited castle in Germany, vineyards and a lakeside promenade, and taste a glass of local Müller-Thurgau wine. Overnight in a hotel with views over the water.

   
5. Day 5 Lindau and departure

   In the morning you walk across the bridge onto Lindau island and through the old town, with its painted Old Town Hall and narrow lanes, to the harbour. It is guarded by a stone Bavarian lion and a lighthouse, with the Swiss and Austrian Alps rising across the lake. After a coffee and a slice of cake by the water, our driver takes you to Zurich or Munich Airport, about two hours away. From spa town to forest and lake in five days: our team stays in touch after the trip.