The highest waterfalls in Germany in the morning, and the afternoon among big-roofed farmhouses in Gutach.

The centre of the Black Forest is the postcard: waterfalls among firs, cuckoo clocks and farmhouses with roofs that almost reach the ground. From Basel it is an hour and three quarters by car, just right for a Sunday. You climb beside the Triberg waterfalls, the highest in Germany, with the Schwarzwaldmuseum included in the ticket; you eat at the Gasthaus Staude, a family inn in the meadows of Gremmelsbach, and spend the afternoon at the Vogtsbauernhof, the open-air museum in Gutach, among farmhouses brought piece by piece from other districts.

How to get there from Spain

There is a direct flight from several Spanish cities to Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg airport (BSL), on the outskirts of Basel. Hire the car there and sleep the night before in Basel or Freiburg; if you want to split the trip, the Gasthaus Staude has 11 rooms a few minutes from the waterfalls. This plan needs a car: you can reach Triberg and Gutach by train, but with changes and without the inn, which is outside the village.

The day, hour by hour

8:30 · Departure. From Basel north on the A5 to Offenburg and the B33 along the Kinzig valley, or crossing the mountains via Freiburg. A little under two hours by either route.

10:15 · Triberg waterfalls. Main entrance at Hauptstraße 85. The Gutach drops 163 m in seven falls; the path climbs over bridges and viewpoints. With the Triberg-Card, €9 in summer 2027, you also enter the Schwarzwaldmuseum, with cuckoo clocks and regional costumes.

12:30 · Lunch at the Gasthaus Staude. A quarter of an hour by car to the Obertal. Black Forest cooking with fresh trout, game and its three-tier Black Forest gateau, when it is available. Call to book if there are several of you.

14:15 · Vogtsbauernhof museum. About 25 minutes to Gutach on the B33. Around the 1612 farmhouse that gives it its name there are farmhouses and houses brought from other districts, with a mill, a water-powered sawmill and animals of old breeds; on Sundays there is a family workshop from 11:00 to 16:00. Allow two to three hours. Admission, €13; ages 6 to 17, €7. Last entry at 17:00.

17:30 · Journey back. From Gutach to Basel, a good hour and a half.

Is it for me?

If you are travelling with children, yes: waterfalls with an easy path, a clock museum, lunch in the countryside and an afternoon among cows, hens and houses you can walk into. If you are looking for mountains and few tourists, this is not your day: Triberg is the busiest place in the Black Forest.