Things to Do in the Black Forest

The Black Forest is a cross-border excursion into Germany, and Freiburg im Breisgau is the natural base: a university town with a compact old town and small canals (Bächle) running along its streets. Titisee, the forest's best-known lake, is pleasant but touristy, lined with shops selling cuckoo clocks and kirschwasser rather than offering much beyond the water itself. Triberg has Germany's highest waterfall and the region's original cuckoo-clock workshops, a better stop than Titisee if you only have time for one. The whole trip means crossing into the Eurozone, so bring euros rather than relying on Swiss francs everywhere. From Zurich it takes roughly two hours to Freiburg by train, usually with a change in Basel, making the Black Forest a full-day rather than half-day excursion.