Destination Guide

Cycling in Black Forest

Cycling in the Black Forest: Schauinsland's forested switchbacks above Freiburg, Feldberg's summit plateau, and Germany's most scenically rewarding road cycling region on the Rhine's eastern edge.

Last updated: 13 March 2026

Terrain: Road, Gravel
Difficulty: Moderate — Challenging
Road Quality: Excellent
Cycling Culture: Strong
Pro Team Presence: The Black Forest region has served as a race venue for the Schwarzwald-Hochstrasse classics and regional German racing for decades. The area around Freiburg has a strong amateur cycling culture reinforced by the university city's young demographic and the university cycling club's deep local knowledge of the road network. Nils Politt and other German professionals have trained in the southern Black Forest region. The proximity to Alsace, with its established cycling culture and the Vosges mountain roads visible across the Rhine, means the local riding community regularly crosses into France for combined touring.
Traffic: Low

Best Time to Cycle in Black Forest

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Best Shoulder Avoid

The Black Forest operates across a longer usable cycling season than the Bavarian Alps, with the lower maximum altitudes — Feldberg at 1,493m is the highest point — meaning fewer weather and snowfall constraints. The core season runs May through September. June and July are the most reliably warm, with valley temperatures of 22-28°C and Feldberg summit temperatures of 12-16°C. May is an outstanding month: the Black Forest's dense spruce and fir canopy takes on its deepest green, the Wiesental valleys are carpeted with wildflowers, and the roads carry almost none of the summer tourist traffic that arrives in July. September delivers the same quality with the added drama of the first autumn colours beginning in the higher forest. April and October are viable shoulder months for the lower climbs (Schauinsland, Kandel) but the Feldberg summit road may carry residual ice in early April or early snowfall in November.

Temperature: -8°C (winter) to 28°C (summer)

Best Cycling Climbs in Black Forest

Schauinsland (from Horben)

12km · 720m · 6% · CAT1

Schauinsland is the Black Forest's definitive climb and Freiburg's local mountain — a 1,284m summit directly above the city that has served as the finishing mountain of the Schauinsland hillclimb race (Giro del Nero) since 1925, making it one of Germany's longest-running cycling events. The ascent from Horben covers 12km at 6.0% average, rising through dense Black Forest spruce with consistent rhythm and no single catastrophic section — the gradient builds steadily to its maximum of 12% on the final exposed hairpins before the cable car station summit. The road surface is superb throughout, and the forest provides shade on hot summer days that the more exposed Feldberg summit road does not. The view from the Schauinsland summit across the Rhine plain to the Vosges mountains in France — on clear days the Alsatian plain stretches visibly westward — is among the finest panoramas in southwest Germany. The extended approach from Freiburg city centre adds a further 8km at 3-4% for riders who do not need a car shuttle to Horben.

Feldberg (from Todtnau)

14.5km · 870m · 6% · CAT1

The Black Forest's highest peak at 1,493m is accessible by road from the valley floor, and the Todtnau approach from the south is the finest cycling ascent to the Feldberg plateau. The 14.5km from Todtnau gains 870m at a sustained 6.0% average — a long, consistent effort through increasingly open spruce forest before the summit plateau emerges above the treeline in the final 3km. The upper road carries sections of 14% on the steeper hairpins as the gradient forces the route up the final exposed slope to the ski station complex. At 1,493m, the Feldberg is the highest point in the Black Forest and the highest in Germany outside Bavaria — on clear days the panorama extends across the Alps from Mont Blanc in the southwest to the Zugspitze in the east, a horizon of 400km of Alpine peaks that makes this one of the great viewpoints in Central Europe. The Feldberg-Thurner ski area at the summit has cafés and facilities open year-round.

Kandel (from Waldkirch)

16km · 870m · 5.4% · CAT1

The Kandel (1,241m) is the Black Forest's most underappreciated climb and, for many local riders, the finest sustained ascent in the central region. The approach from Waldkirch in the Rhine plain covers 16km at 5.4% average — a long, rhythmic climb through quintessential Black Forest landscape: the Elz valley narrowing steadily as altitude increases, beech forest giving way to dark spruce, roadside shrines and farm buildings decreasing until the final open switchbacks above the treeline. The upper section steepens to 13% on the direct approach to the summit plateau where the Kandel telecommunications tower marks the highest point. The descent toward St. Peter and St. Märgen on the eastern side drops through a landscape of Black Forest farmhouses, cherry orchards, and the open meadows of the inner-Black Forest highland — entirely different in character to the dense western forest approach. The contrast between the two sides makes Kandel a more satisfying crossing than a simple out-and-back.

Belchen (from Münstertal)

10.5km · 700m · 6.7% · CAT2

The Belchen (1,414m) is the Black Forest's finest compact summit climb — a 10.5km ascent from the Münstertal valley at 400m to a cable car summit with one of the region's most celebrated panoramas. The gradient of 6.7% average makes this a steeper proposition than the long Schauinsland or Kandel approaches, and the upper section above the Belchen-Schauinsland ridge connection steepens to 13% with exposed hairpins and expansive views over the Rhine plain. The Münstertal approach passes through a valley of extraordinary beauty — the Romanesque Kloster St. Trudpert monastery at the valley entrance, narrow gorge sections, and the gradual opening toward the final climb providing variety across the 10.5km. At the summit, the Belchen restaurant and cable car station offer a natural rest point, and on clear days the four-country panorama — Black Forest, Vosges, Swiss Alps, and the Rhine plain — is the finest in the region.

Notschrei (from Staufen im Breisgau)

20km · 980m · 4.9% · CAT1

The Notschrei pass (1,112m) is the Black Forest's longest and most gradual southern approach — a 20km ascent from the wine town of Staufen im Breisgau at 280m that rises through the Münstertal and Wiedener Eck in long, sweeping curves rather than tight switchbacks, accumulating 980m of elevation with the characteristic patience of a German mountain road. The gradient averages 4.9% but the consistency across 20km means the total effort is comparable to steeper, shorter climbs. The road passes through several distinct landscape zones: the Staufen wine country and cherry orchards below 500m, transitioning to mixed deciduous forest through the Klemmbach valley, and finally the upper open pasture and spruce forest of the Belchen massif. The Notschrei summit connects directly to the inner Black Forest ridge network — the Feldbergstraße and the high-level Schwarzwald-Hochstrasse — making it a natural gateway for longer ridge traversals.

Insider Tips

Freiburg is one of Germany's most cycle-friendly cities with an extensive urban cycling infrastructure. Unlike Garmisch or Berchtesgaden, riding directly from central Freiburg accommodation to the base of Schauinsland (via Günterstal) or to Notschrei (via Staufen, 20km by road) is entirely practicable without a car shuttle. This makes Freiburg unusual among European cycling destination towns — a city where a hotel in the old town genuinely puts you within arm's reach of serious climbing.
The Black Forest's gravel network is substantial and largely unmapped in English-language sources. The inner-Black Forest highland between Titisee, St. Peter, and Furtwangen carries a network of forest tracks (Waldwege) that connect the main tarmac climbs — packed gravel in summer, muddy in autumn. A gravel bike or 32mm+ tyres on a road bike unlocks a second layer of the Black Forest entirely distinct from the tarmac climbing routes.
Black Forest accommodation centres around Gasthöfe and traditional Schwarzwaldhotels rather than specialist cycling hotels. The benefit is an authentic regional experience — dark wood panelling, goose-down duvets, Speckknödel at breakfast — but the downside is that bike storage and wash-down facilities are less systematically available than in Mallorca or Girona. Book hotels explicitly mentioning Fahrradfreundlich (bike-friendly) in their descriptions, which indicates dedicated storage and tool availability.
The B500 Schwarzwald-Hochstrasse ridge road between Baden-Baden and Freudenstadt is not a classified 'climb' in the traditional sense — it runs at 900-1,000m altitude for 60km along the Black Forest's northern ridge — but it constitutes one of Germany's finest sustained ridge rides. Accessed from Baden-Baden to the north or Freudenstadt to the south, the Hochstrasse carries moderate tourist traffic on weekends but delivers unbroken Black Forest canopy and panoramic Rhine valley views in a format unavailable anywhere else in the region.
Kirschwasser — the Black Forest's double-distilled cherry schnapps — is produced throughout the region and served as a digestif in virtually every Gasthof. The correct post-climb protocol in the Black Forest is Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake, specifically Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte) at the summit restaurant, followed by Weizen (wheat beer) and Vesper (cold meat plate) at the return village. This is not negotiable cultural etiquette — it is the most genuinely satisfying café-stop culture in German cycling.

How to Get to Black Forest for Cycling

Nearest Airports

Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg Airport (EuroAirport)(BSL)

Transfer: 45-55 minutes to Freiburg

The primary gateway for the Black Forest and the most convenient airport for this region, serving both the German Black Forest and the French Alsace cycling areas simultaneously. The airport straddles the French-Swiss border with access from all three countries. Direct flights from London (Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, City), Amsterdam, Dublin, and multiple European hubs. EasyJet, Ryanair, and British Airways all serve the airport. The A5 motorway from the airport to Freiburg is 70km and 45 minutes. Car hire essential at the terminal. Cycling bags and boxes accepted by all carriers.

Stuttgart Airport(STR)

Transfer: 90-100 minutes to Freiburg

Alternative hub for riders arriving from northern Europe or combining the Black Forest with cycling in Swabia or the Swabian Alb. Stuttgart has broader intercontinental connectivity than Basel and is Germany's fourth largest airport. The A81 motorway south to Freiburg takes 90 minutes in normal traffic. Useful for riders incorporating northern Black Forest climbing (the Mummelsee, Ruhestein, and Hornisgrinde area around Baden-Baden and Freudenstadt) before moving south to the Feldberg and Schauinsland region.

Strasbourg Airport(SXB)

Transfer: 45-60 minutes to Freiburg

A compact regional airport with Lufthansa connections to Frankfurt and Munich hubs, and select direct services to London and Paris. Strasbourg Airport positions riders excellently for a combined Black Forest and Alsace cycling trip — the Vosges mountains on the French side mirror the Black Forest's profile and the two regions are separated only by the Rhine. The Alsace wine route cycling and the Vosges ballon roads extend the riding programme significantly for riders with a week or more. Transfer to Freiburg via the Pont de l'Europe Rhine bridge is 40km.

Getting around: Car Recommended — Freiburg im Breisgau is the natural base for Black Forest cycling — a vibrant university city of 230,000 at the southwestern edge of the region, with direct road access to Schauinsland and the Notschrei passes from the city itself. A car is useful for reaching the northern climbs (Kandel, Belchen) and the Hochstrasse ridge route across the Black Forest's spine, but riders based in Freiburg can access three of the five signature climbs without any car transport. Freiburg is served by ICE high-speed train from Frankfurt (2 hours) and Stuttgart (1 hour), making car-free arrival practicable for those wanting to ride directly from the city.