Freiburg im Breisgau, 7-9 January 2026
When our daughter was finishing her last year of High School and we were planning an end of year celebratory trip to the UK and Europe, we asked if there was somewhere she would particularly like to visit. She said “The Black Forest!” Why? I have no idea. Having never been there myself, I set about researching.
After some googling and new experimentation with ChatGPT, I chose Freiburg im Breisgau as our destination. It was described as the gateway to the Black Forest, a vibrant city on the edge of the Forest, with an old medieval town and gothic cathedral.
Getting to Freiburg im Breisgau
There are several options:
- Air – The nearest airport is EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg (BSL), located about 50–70 km away (approx. 50–60 minutes by car);
- Train – the main station, Freiburg Hauptbahnhof, is well connected to other major cities such as Frankfurt, Munich, Basel and Milan; and it’s only a 15 minute walk from the Old Town;
- Bus – International and regional buses (e.g., FlixBus) offer affordable, direct routes to the city, including a shuttle bus from the airport;
- Car – there’s direct access to Freiburg via the A5 autobahn, and although parking is limited in Freiburg, there are Park&Ride options on the outskirts of the city.
As we were staying in Poole, in the UK, over Christmas, it made sense for us to fly across. I soon found lots of options of flights and airlines from all the London airports. Factoring in our 2 hour drive from Poole to Heathrow, for convenience I chose a British Airways flight from Heathrow to BSL, which departed at 12:20pm. Our flight was less than 2 hours and we were scheduled to arrive in BSL at 3:05pm (there’s a one hour time difference between the UK and the Continent).
The BSL EuroAirport is interesting. While this international airport is located on French soil, it’s virtually on the French/Swiss border, only 2 miles from Basel in Switzerland, and services three countries: France, Switzerland and Germany.
Upon landing at BSL, there are a few ways of getting from the airport to Freiburg: by car (taxi or private transport), bus or a combination of bus and train. Since there were three of us travelling together (hubby, daughter and myself) and it was winter, I decided initially on the taxi option as it wasn’t much more expensive than the shuttle bus/train for 3 pax, was slightly quicker, and seemed generally more convenient. As I researched pre-booked taxi options 10 weeks before our trip I came across a private transport company, through EuroAirport Transfer Services, which was very reasonably priced, even less than the prices listed on the internet for taxis, so I went ahead and booked it. The one way total cost for 3pax sedan car was EUR 127.92 (paid in advance).
As we exited immigration, there were two exits: the Swiss exit or France/Germany exit. The instructions given to us by our airport taxi driver were very clear and easy to follow. Our driver met us near the France/Germany exit, exactly where he said he’d be, and soon we were loading our hand luggage into his lovely car, a newish Skoda, which was clean and roomy.
As we drove along the motorway towards Freiburg and crossed the Rhine at the German border, we admired scenery as our driver offered a few insights. Around 4pm we arrived in Freiburg im Breisgau and were dropped off on a street (Gerberau) in the Old Town where our apartment was located. Immediately we took a liking to the cobbled street, with decorative lights strung across it, and aligned with rows of cute stores either side.
Leaving Freiburg after our 2 night stay, we would be taking the train rather than flying. We were heading to Italy next and I had planned to take the train to Milan. I’d booked a direct route, which meant not having to change trains along the way; a 5 hour journey at speeds of up to 300 kmph, promising a pass through the world’s longest railway tunnel (the Gotthard base tunnel) and a plethora of scenic views through Switzerland and Italy, of Swiss meadows, snow capped mountains and beautiful lakes. It was an unforgettable journey, delivering on all its promises – I’d thoroughly recommend this to anyone thinking of heading to Italy after visiting Freiburg, or do it in reverse if going to Italy first.
Where to stay
I’d chosen a 2 bedroom apartment on ‘Gerberau’ (Street) in the Old Town, through Booking.com, based on its central location and excellent reviews. We found our apartment building, navigated the easy instructions to access the key from the lock-box and then climbed the seemingly never-ending stairs to our apartment which was on the 3rd and top floor. Once we caught our breaths, we were all very pleased about the amount of space and amenities inside, as well as the styling and decor. There were two spacious double bedrooms, a living room with lounge and dining table, plus a well-equipped kitchen, bathroom (with shower and bathtub) and, conveniently, a second toilet in a small laundry room. There was even a coffee machine, although it was a brand I was unfamiliar with – but I had no problems googling instructions how to use it. We quickly settled in, had a short rest needed from our travelling that day, and we admired the views out of our windows over the charming street beneath us.
As always, I was keen to get out and explore, plus we needed some milk so we could enjoy some coffee in the morning. I used my iphone maps to work out where the nearest supermarket was, finding a small one a couple of streets away. After finding my way there, I bought some milk, realising I couldn’t speak or remember any German, not surprising since I hadn’t spoken German since learning it in school some 40 years ago! I headed back to the apartment, happily snapping photos on my way, and discovering that one of the restaurants I’d planned for us to visit, was literally a few doors down from our apartment.
I also noticed a few cafes, bars and restaurants close to our apartment and planned to drag the others back out for some dinner after a brief rest.
Places to eat
When doing my research about where to eat, two restaurants caught my eye: Feierling and Martinsbrau, both described as breweries offering traditional German cuisine, and just a few minutes walk from our apartment.
I selected Feierling for dinner on our first night. As we stepped outside our apartment building, it was freezing cold but we didn’t mind as we were pleasantly surprised to see a light dusting of snow starting. Snow is a real novelty for us as Australians, we hoped we were in for a treat!
Feierling was at the end of our street, a brewery complex with a beer garden across the road. Bookings were highly recommended, however, it was winter, and since their popular beer garden was closed, I thought we’d be safe to risk turning up without a booking. As we entered, it looked reasonably busy in the bar at ground level but then when we moved upstairs to the restaurant area, we were relieved to see a few empty tables. The young waitress who greeted us, said we could sit wherever we liked.
To our amusement the menu was completely in German. Thank goodness for Google Translate on my iPhone! Sat by a window watching the snow coming down more heavily now, we relaxed and enjoyed a traditional German meal with their own brewed beer and local wine. I chose a glazed roast pork steak in beer sauce with homemade noodles, followed by chocolate cream with berry sauce and caramelised nuts. It was delicious!
After devouring our meals and a few drinks, perhaps a bit too much wine for me, judged by the fact I managed to knock over my glass, we ventured back outside into the street. There was now a white blanket of snow over everything, very picturesque, and we strolled the short walk back to our apartment, pausing along the way for a quick snowball fight.
Martinsbrau was my chosen restaurant for our second night, a little further to walk, not more than 5 minutes, near Martinstor gate tower and down a little alley. It’s described as a brewpub, with a selection of craft beers on tap. As we walked inside, down the stairs, it seemed moderately busy, though we saw a number of vacant tables. Like the prior evening, we were told we could sit anywhere, and this time we were offered two menus, with one helpfully in English.
We chose a selection of items from the menu: Steve had Baden Beef with bread dumplings while I chose Baden style pork shoulder with potato salad, and we added a side order of chips with beer sauce. Of course I couldn’t resist trying some Black Forest cake for dessert afterwards. The beer options here were interesting. Aside from their beer calendar, which has a different speciality brew each month, they had a wide selection of other beers. After enjoying a glass of local white wine, I decided to venture boldly and try their Bananenweizen (banana nectar beer), which I found surprisingly nice, although Steve didn’t take much liking to it!
Cafe August was another option I planned to visit, for a light bite to eat and drink. It was directly across the road from our apartment. It didn’t open until 10am and their menu looked to be mainly sweet items like pastries, as well as offering hot and cold drinks; it also appeared to be a bar in the evening. On our afternoon of sightseeing we attempted to drop in for a coffee /afternoon tea but it was absolutely packed (evidently popular) and we didn’t want to wait for a vacant table.
Instead we dropped into an Italian cafe we spotted a couple of doors down – they were super busy too with a constant flow of people coming in and out, but we luckily scored a little table which had just been vacated, so we enjoyed a really good Italian coffee and shared a delicious piece of cake.
Sights to see
After a good night’s sleep on our first night, the next morning we awoke to see snow had continued overnight, turning the street into a pretty, white picture postcard. I had a full day planned for sightseeing, but with our tummies still full from the night before, we decided to skip breakfast, and instead satisfied ourselves with a cuppa in our apartment, and took our time getting ready to go outside. Once we left the building, it was still quite cold, with the blanket of white snow still on the ground but a light drizzle had started, which was starting to slowly wash the snow away.
Schwabentor was our first destination – a famous sight in Freiburg, known for being one of the gates in the city wall during medieval times. We headed that direction, passing one of Freiburg’s little creeks on our way. Soon we found the gate, originally built around 1250, with some modifications and extensions over the centuries. We paused so I could take some photos, then walked past and down a nearby street checking out some shop windows either side of the street.
Augustiner Museum was our next stop. As we arrived, we realised it was virtually across the road from our apartment. The Museum is a great place for art enthusiasts and history buffs. Their collection of artworks and sculptures spanning from the Middle Ages to the 19th century is housed within a beautifully restored former monastery church. There are several floors offering different perspectives of the collection, finishing with a small collection of paintings on the top floor within the roof beams.
Historical Merchants’ Hall was our next stop, only a short walk across the road and down a side alley, located adjacent to Freiburg Cathedral. It is quite a distinctive building from the 14th-century – a crimson Renaissance building consisting of grand halls, a courtyard for open-air events, beautiful bay windows, glazed patterned tiles, and crow-stepped gables. Unfortunately we couldn’t go inside the building, as it seems you can only enter if you are attending an event there.
Münstermarkt is only a few steps away – a vibrant and lively market located in the square of Munsterplatz, around the Cathedral. I read that the market takes place between 07:30am and 1:30pm, Monday to Saturday, featuring over one hundred stalls offering a variety of goods including fresh flowers, sizzling sausages, freshly baked goods, meats (hot and cold), cheeses, fruits and vegetables, honey, hot and cold drinks as well as wine and handicrafts. I was hoping to get there in time to buy some lunch. When we arrived around 12 noon it looked like some stalls were closing up, there were only a few stalls open, perhaps because it was a winter’s weekday.
Half a dozen food stalls were open, selling hot food, like sausages, and drinks, as well as a couple selling fruit and vegetables, and one selling flowers. Our stroll that morning around town and the museum had worked up a small appetite, and the delicious smell from the sausages cooking was very enticing. We bought freshly cooked sausages with curry sauce and devoured them while standing in the square, as there was nowhere to sit among the hustle and bustle.
Fortunately, the light rain drizzle had stopped while we’d been walking around the square and eating. We hoped it would stay away a bit longer, however, just as we finished eating, the drizzle returned. Scanning around the square for somewhere to find shelter and perhaps a drink and place to sit, I saw a few colourful buildings that looked like restaurants. Then I spotted a sign by the door of a nearby department store opposite the cathedral, advertising a rooftop bar.
Rooftop Bar powered by Breuninger x Geldermann. We decided to go and check it out, and after climbing a few escalators inside the department store, we found ourselves on the 4th floor. At first it wasn’t obvious where the rooftop bar was but then I saw another sign indicating it might be through some doors on a terrace outside. We headed out and found some tables and seats overlooking the cathedral. Not surprisingly, given the weather, we found it empty, and at first we thought it might be closed. Although it was cold, the rain drizzle had stopped again and there were patio heaters on, as well as large umbrellas, so once we established it was indeed open, we claimed a table, and a waitress quickly came over with some menus. We ordered some hot drinks, a mulled wine for hubby and two hot chocolates, mine loaded with Baileys, with optional whipped cream on the side. We had the place all to ourselves, apart from the two people working there, and we enjoyed resting our feet for a while, in between admiring the views across the top of the cathedral (Freiburger Munster) and across the nearby Black Forest a short distance away.
The Freiburg Cathedral, also known as Freiburger Munster, or the Cathedral of Our Lady, is a stunning example of Gothic architecture located in the heart of Freiburg’s old town, in Munsterplatz, the only gothic church tower within Germany that was completed in the Middle Ages (1330). The cathedral holds 19 bells, with 16 in the tower. After our visit to the rooftop bar we headed there next. We approached the front doors which looked closed, so I was unsure if it was open. I moved the heavy curtains aside and entered inside, to find a beautiful interior, with a few people milling around, some sitting in the pews praying and others browsing. Hubby found a spot in the pews to sit and contemplate, while my daughter and I wandered separately around the interior, admiring the beautiful stained glass windows and alters at our own pace.
I read later that Freiburg was heavily bombed during WWII, with a large portion of the city destroyed requiring many landmarks to be rebuilt on the city’s medieval plan. The notable exception was this Cathedral, which was largely untouched. Although the tower suffered some vibration from the bombings nearby, the windows had been taken out of the spire before the attack, so they suffered no damage.
Once exiting the cathedral we continued on, looking for some more landmarks I had read about which were nearby. We stumbled upon a shopping area, including a large Lindt store which temporarily distracted us, and we bought way too many chocolates. We also paused to check out a window display in a nearby cheese store, before we turned into a main road which was busy with many more shops, trams and people.
Along the same main road we came across Bertoldsbrunnen. Still in the historic old town, Bertoldsbrunnen is an abstract equestrian monument that was unveiled in 1965 to replace a 19th-century statue destroyed during World War II. The statue is named after Bertold III, who founded Freiburg as a free city in 1120.
We continued on down the road past more shops, towards our next destination.
Martinstor is a reconstructed gate tower originally built for defense in the early 13th century, featuring a large clock. It is one of the surviving gates of the former city fortifications in Freiburg. The oldest part of a 66-meter-high tower, Martinstor was rebuilt at the end of the 19th century to accommodate traffic flow. The McDonalds next door looked a bit bizarre being situated next to such an old landmark. At least it didn’t have the large yellow arches though!
Markthalle is an indoor food court located a few steps away from Martinstor. It offers a variety of culinary options ranging from Italian, Middle Eastern, and Asian cuisines to French, Indian, Brazilian, and German specialties. Situated in the halls of a former printing press, this hub features around 20 stalls and apparently in the evening, comes alive with live music. I only ducked in very briefly in the afternoon to have a quick look and thought it was a little disappointing compared to the huge food courts we enjoy back home. Perhaps this was not the best time of day to visit.
I planned to visit Kanonenplatz, also known as Schlossberg, described as a picturesque observation deck located in Freiburg. It is claimed to offer stunning panoramic views of the city, including the historic Old Town and the Vosges Mountains. I read the site can be reached by a scenic uphill walk and is situated 180 meters above the Old Town. Sadly, we ran out of time, daylight and stamina to do the full walk uphill. However, I walked up a few stairs to the foot of the hill at Schlossbergsteg to see a view over the Old Town, and the edge of the Forest. The view was lovely, but I’m sure would have been better from higher up.
On our route that day, starting and ending at our apartment on Gerberau where the red icon is shown, we had basically walked a big loop around the Old Town. With hindsight, I realised the landmarks were a lot closer together than I’d thought; we could have spent longer in some places; it was easy to view them all in one day.
Getting around
Walking really is the best way to get around the Old Town, especially as it’s not a huge area, and being on foot allows an opportunity to browse and explore at your own pace. Also, parking isn’t easy in the Old Town. In fact, some streets are ‘no go’ areas for cars without a permit during certain times of the day, hence our driver from the airport had dropped us down the road from our apartment and we had to walk the rest of the cobbled street for a short distance.
We saw trams on some streets, which may be convenient if you are venturing a bit further, perhaps outside the Old Town. We didn’t need to use a tram during our short stay but I read you could easily buy a ticket either on a VAG mobile app or at stations or on board.
The train station was around a 15 minute walk from our accommodation in the Old Town, or a 6 minute drive. It was a good hub for intercity travel, with a little grocery store, a cafe and takeaway foot outlet to buy supplies for your journey, if needed. We opted for a taxi to get us there, since we wanted to avoid dragging our small cabin bags on wheels over the cobbled streets.
Taxi and Uber – There seemed to be a few taxis driving around which could surely be flagged down when needed, however, as we had a train booked the morning we were leaving and didn’t want to be late, I didn’t want to risk not finding one. I read you can easily book a taxi using your Uber app so we walked to our nearest main street near Martinstor and from there I summoned a taxi via my Uber app. It arrived quickly, within a minute or two, and cost EUR 12,70.
It would be remiss of me not to mention bicycles as an option of getting around, judging by the amount we saw. It’s a very bike friendly city and certainly seems to be a preferred mode of transport for locals. Visitors can rent one using Frelo bike sharing app.
Tips and Regrets
- I regret not staying longer. We could have done with another day and night at least, as I would have liked to enjoy a walk or hike in the Black Forest (despite the cold weather), plus there were loads more options of places to eat which looked very enticing.
- Also, I regret not doing some research about entertainment in the evenings as it would have been nice to time our visit when there was something on. I saw a sign at the Merchants Hall advertising a violinist playing there and there was a poster near our accommodation advertising a jazz cafe. Perhaps staying longer and /or during warmer months would provide more opportunities to enjoy some musical entertainment.
- I definitely recommend checking out the Rooftop Bar overlooking the cathedral, this was a highlight for me. It didn’t hurt having the place all to ourselves!
- I’d encourage trying new styles of cuisine and drinks. The beer sauce was a new experience for me, and as a non-beer drinker I thoroughly enjoyed the banana nectar beer.
- You can get by without knowing or speaking any German, but it’s considerate to at least try to say a few pleasantries in German. “Guten Morgen” (good morning), “Auf wiedersehen” (goodbye) and “Danke” (thank you) are some easy phrases you can use.