The Black Forest, about 145km (90 miles) long and 40km (25 miles) wide, runs parallel to the Rhine, which serves as a boundary with Switzerland to the south and France to the west. The Bodensee (Lake Constance) adjoins the forest to the east. For the Germans the mountainous, legend-filled, pine- and spruce-filled forest is a favorite place to escape into nature. The name “Black Forest”comes from the Romans, who thought the dark swaths of trees sweeping across the mountainus landscapes looked black.

Here are two ways to explore the Black Forest from Freiburg, a drive and an excursion by train or bus to the nice little woodsy town of Triberg.