Reviews

Thank you!

Hi Simone
Thank you for the suggestion. We used your self guided Not so touristy travel and had wonderful day on Thursday. Arrived back in Freiburg at 10pm.
Great memories.
Many thanks for taking time to offer suggestion.

by An

Thanks Simone!

I’m looking over the towns you mention in the files I received now with the Not So Touristy Tour. This looks like exactly what I was wanting, and most of these towns I would’ve never found on my own, so I’m really excited.

by Abe on Self-Guided Tour

My wife and I planned a visit to Freiburg for several days. We also wished to see and experience some of the surrounding tourist sights. Because of limited time available , we contacted Simone Brixel of Black Forest Tours for advice. We can report that the information provided by Simone was superb. Freiburg was a lovely town, and we thoroughly enjoyed our walk from Hinterzarten to Lake Titisee and lake walk there. The highlight was Simone’s recommendation to take the local Panorama bus from Hinterzarten. The countryside was just beautiful. An outstanding feature of Simone’s information, was the level of detail which proved to be easy to follow for the whole time we were there. I would not hesitate to use Black Forest Tours for any tourist advice in the Frieberg area. Thanks Simone.

by Ray R on Self-Guided Tour

spent a week in black forest area, beautiful, the tours were very helpful because we could use what bits we needed on our days out, very helpful.

by Pjjimeg on Self-Guided Tour

My wife and I used four Black Forest self guided tours to help plan a portion of our driving trip through Germany, Austria and the Alsace region of France. The Black Forest Tours were all very detailed with excellent information that enabled us to have a fantastic self guided tour of this beautiful and fascinating region. The information was accurate and up-to-date and enabled us to tour as if we were locals. Well worth the price!

by Fredk566 on Self-Guided Tour

We went on the advanced self guided tour and loved it. It was just enough information with a bit of history, different options for attractions to see, where to stay, which transport to take, which bakeries to go to, etc. The farmhouse museum was excellent for the kids, we had thought about skipping it but the tour said not to be missed. We travelled on a Saturday which made bus times harder but with the guide we had no problem at all. It had all the right times & bus numbers for us & maps for locations of bus stops. We got the see all the things we wanted to see & without the tour, if we had of tried to do it on our own we would have missed half of it due to bus time train time difficulties. We travelled in a family of 6 which made a very good priced tour & best of all it felt like we were travelling like a local, with the locals, because we knew all the inside information.

by 877joyb on Self-Guided Tour

We found the suggested walks interesting and very enjoyable. The information we were provided was detailed and accurate.

by Merran R on Self-Guided Tour

I found the information was substantial and addressed my needs generally no need to ask tourist questions. It allowed me to customise the things I wanted to see within the time I had available. I had some regrets that I did not have more time.

by DavidfA4956RK on Self-Guided Tour

The suggested tour routes & sights to see in the Black Forest Tours were very helpful. A highlight of our Black Forest trip was the little Cuckoo Clock town of Triberg, and yes we purchased a Cuckoo clock

by Dorskate1 on Self-Guided Tour

Booked a two day tour and the itenary shared by Simone was very helpfull and informative. It helps us to plan each and every hour and activity. Excellent work by Simone.

by Surendran S on Self-Guided Tour

A massive thank you to Simone for a wonderful day touring the sights of the Black Forest. We could not have possibly researched all the activities we saw, it’s a great way to build a bespoke experience that ensures you have a great time. We saw wineries, schnapps distillieries, chocolate producers, farmers stalls, waterfalls, stunning villages & towns and a folk museum ! plus the beauty of the Black Forest itself !! We met Simone in Offenburg after a 20 minute train journey from Baden-Baden, it was so easy to do. Simone has a lifetime of knowledge of the area and gave us great suggestions for the rest of our stay. We crossed the border to Strasbourg in France and saw the wineries there too ! You won’t regret booking Simone, she is a great hostess and the whole day is very relaxed at your own pace.

by Bushboy66 on Self-Guided Tour

We were visiting the area for 6 days as a family on a self-drive holiday. I downloaded the “Top 10 Freiburg” guide which also came with a very useful guide on the local area and a great guide for Freiburg itself. The “Top 10” guide gives a route to follow starting and ending in Freiburg and can be completed, if you hurry, in a day. Because we wanted to spend more time at some of the attractions we devised our own one day “tours” using the information from Simone’s guide. The information given was very informative and absolutely complete as well as giving us the correct “directions” to enter into our satnav – we didn’t get lost once! These guides are very good value for money and excellent quality; the information in the “general” guide is extremely useful if you are a first-time visitor/driver in Germany. Cannot recommend highly enough!

by Simon H on Self-Guided Tour

I ordered the self-guided tour as we had a rental car. I couldn’t believe how thorough Simone’s guide was and how easy to follow! She was spot on with all of her recommendations, steering us away from the tourist traps and helping us find hidden gems like private waterfalls and where to buy the best cuckoo clock. Driving through the Black Forest without Simone’s tour would have been a waste of time, but with it we were really able to experience everything.

by Sarah G on Self-Guided Tour

We had limited time in the Freiburg area, and very little idea of what we should be looking at. With this in mind, we purchased the Panoramic One Day self guided tour. We used our own rental car. We loaded the tour on our tablet and found this guided tour extremely helpful in providing a route to follow and giving us a heads up on what to see. In the end we actually took the short cut back to our hotel. If you spend much time in Triberg this trip could easily be made a two day trip. There was a lot of road construction on the main street in Triberg which slowed us up a bit as well. However, we greatly appreciated all the insights on places to stay as well as places to eat in this area. We would recommend this to anyone looking for a self guided tour of the Freiburg/Triberg area.

by Lewe10 on Self-Guided Tour

Very Detailed Self Guided Tour

We purchased a 2 day tour starting in Freiburg, driving ourselves through the Black Forest to the clock area and then on to Baden Baden. The tour directions are very detailed which is great and also give you GPS reference points which were very helpful. There is a lot of information and some really good suggested stops along the way as well as walking maps for the major towns/cities. I would recommend reading through it before you travel to enable you to highlight which areas and attractions you want to stop at. The suggested timings for driving from point to point were accurate. We stayed overnight in a small medieval town which was stunning. Simone’s knowledge of the area is very good.

by GKD60 on Self-Guided Tour

My husband and I bought three different tours and loved them. We used our GPS to get around the Black Forest. We loved the tips about where to buy lunch and each lunch on the mountains. We can’t wait to go again and hope there are more trips available to use.

by Snzygirl on Self-Guided Tour

We did the self guided tour thought the black forest from Freiburg to Baden-Baden. The information provided was very thorough. It provided very detailed information and optional side trips. At some point it almost became too much info, but overall was extremely helpful!! The tips for local hotels and restaurants was spot on!

by Dkozee on Self-Guided Tour

The Black Forest Local Tour Guides where excellent. Loads of information, clear directions and great suggestions, most comprehensive. An excellent resource for anyone visiting the Black Forest area.

by Janne L on Self-Guided Tour

Information was great. But needed more time. Thought each one would take a day But both of the ones I got needed 2 days each. Was very helpful and glad I purchased them.

by Henry384 on Self-Guided Tour

We are a family of four, with grown children, living in Maryland, US. We took three tours including: Escape from Neuschwanstein, Top 10 Baden-Baden Tour, and Top 10 Strasbourg Tour. All three were amazing! You see all of the main attractions, as well as must see places that are barely listed in the travel guides (and aren’t crowded with a bunch of tourists). You know where to park your car, where to go, what to look for and where to eat. The tours told us about small family-owned restaurants that had truly authentic German cuisine, and since there weren’t too many tourists there, everything was very reasonably priced and everything was delicious. All of the attractions have explanations that inform you how long it’ll take to see everything, and whether it’s family-friendly. Thank you Simone!

by Evgeny A on Self-Guided Tour

The Black Forest is really touristy. If you are easily saturated by crowds and cuckoo clock shops then this guide is a good antidote. We were taken to some out of the way spots that were interesting, memorable and relatively quiet. We had our best stay in a hotel in a Black Forest town that was recommended in the guide. We used the downloaded guide and did our own thing in our own car.

by Andrew I on Self-Guided Tour

We had a great time in the Black Forest. The tour we received from Simone was very detailed and we could pick a chose what we wanted to do from it. We had a wonderful day hike. Simone was always available by email when we had questions. We did not need to call her, but that was available also. I also found her Germany 101 and driving in Germany very helpful as we rented a car.

by Anne A on Self-Guided Tour

the tour was amazing, I must if heading to the black forest. we would have missed so much if we did it on our own. The tour was one of the highlights to our trip. The restaurants that you recommended were great , we went back for a second dinner. Thank you

by Sherry L on Self-Guided Tour

Took two self drive tours ‘ the local tour ‘ from Baden Baden and another from Freiburg to France ( Colmar and small villages ) . If i need to describe them in one word … ‘ simply Outstanding ‘ . I must say Simone has put in a lot of hard work on piecing up all the information starting from the route to places to visit , eating out and going of the beaten path … simply superb . The day trips can easily be stretched to two days at a more leisurely pace … more so considering the amount of detailed information provided in each tour . … will definitely come back and try more of these tours . Thanks … Simone

by NirajIndia on Self-Guided Tour

I join the plenty in giving Simone and her team We did the self guided tour, and we had so much fun, thanks to Simone’s very informative and easy instructions to follow. She was also very helpful when we had a problem downloading the guide, and replied to queries very fast. Highlight of the tour was the Lake Titisee visit, and thanks to Simone, we found the real Black Forest Cake. Thank you!

by Tsetseflyer on Self-Guided Tour

Staying in Freiburg on business, a colleague and I had an open day last minute. Simone of Black Forest Tours was awesome! She was already booked for a guided tour so she offered one of her self guided driving tours. Basically, a wealth of information (for various tours, take your pick!) available for download online. The website was a little hard to figure out (just the purchase part, there’s a small (+) sign you have to find and click on to pay. I sent her an email (late at night) the night before I wanted to go to ask how to pay, she was so responsive! She emailed me back right away and clarified it for me. The Tour: we chose the Freiburg Top 10 tour. The tour is a driving loop through the Black Forest hitting amazing spots, some with tourists others with very few people. Everything along the way was clearly described with tips for what to do. Addresses for GPS but also maps and great directions in case GPS fails. We went at our own pace and only stopped where we wanted to, leaving a few things to do on a future trip (this was a business friend, hope to come back with family sometime, now I have the info I need for future trips too!).

by Dearborn_dan on Self-Guided Tour

My husband and I vacationed in Germany this summer and we knew we wanted to see the Black Forest as part of the trip. After doing some research online, we found Simone’s driving tours. I exchanged several emails with Simone before deciding on the “Neuschwanstein to the Black Forest” and “2 Day Black Forest” driving tours. She was very helpful and responded quickly to my many questions before the trip. Once I received the tours in my email, I was blown away by the amount of information that was provided. There is a section at the beginning of the tours that outlines driving signs and rules, as well as a briefing on German culture, which is very helpful. The tours themselves are very detailed including addresses, pictures of the roads and signs you’ll encounter, and details on the towns you’ll visit. We spent four days following the two tours and they were some of my favorite days out of the entire vacation. Simone provides addresses to put into your GPS to keep you on the right route and includes very unique destinations that you wouldn’t find otherwise. Although I was a little nervous about driving in a foreign country, the detail provided in the tours was perfect. Having a GPS in the rental car was crucial if you’re driving yourself, especially when a road we were supposed to go on was closed and we had to detour through Austria. Just make sure you give yourself plenty of time because Simone puts a lot of options into each of her tours. We could have spent another few days visiting the sites we didn’t get to while we were there. Overall, I would highly recommend Simone’s tours, whether you’re driving yourself or hiring a driver. You will have a great time experiencing places that are off the typical bus tour itinerary. We had countless unique experiences, including meeting some friendly locals who were amazed to see Americans in their small town and sharing some Schnaps with them. If you’re planning to go to the Black Forest, you should definitely contact Simone!

by Lauren K on Self-Guided Tour

Insight Into The Black Forest For A Self Driving Tour

We used the Black Forest guide for a self driving tour of the forest. The guide was very informative, full of insight of where to go, what to see, and were to eat and rest. The guide is a bit choppy in sequence, but well worth the purchase price.

by 6 Speed Automatic on Self-Guided Tour

Simone has provided a lot of great information in her tours. We had a great time, bought a fabulous clock and would highly recommend her tours to others!

by Michelle H on Self-Guided Tour

The information sent for this self guided tour was excellent. It provided us with all the necessary times to enable us to see everything we wanted to.

by WendymB3944SO on Self-Guided Tour

We were very pleased with the tour. Simone was very friendly, helpful and accommodating. She offered interesting insights along the way.

by B5311FSbillc on Self-Guided Tour

We had a great time touring the small villages and countryside of the Black Forest. The points of interest listed in the tour were indeed interesting and worth the visit. We loved the towns of Freiburg and Baden Baden. Only word of caution would be visiting the Berg Ban (Mountain Train). We are not used to city bus systems and got on the bus going in the wrong direction. By the time we got back to where we started we gave up on going to see it. We found most of the things we were looking for, but frankly ran out of time to see everything. We spent 2 days/2 nights between Freiburg and Baden Baden. We could have easily spent two more days to fit in all the things we wanted to do.

by Karen M on Self-Guided Tour

The packaged documents were full of information and really showed us the hidden side of the area. There were hidden waterfalls that would’ve been hard to spot

by Thomas L on Self-Guided Tour

We had a great time – there was a lot of information but I was able to scan through and pick and choose the places that we went to! there was enough information in the two day tour to last a week! Thank you so much

by Lara D on Self-Guided Tour

As a lone backpacker the self guided tour was a great option and I truly enjoyed my journey! It lead me through many of the areas that I planned on going to, but sadly didn’t know how to get to. I got plenty of great pictures and even got to see the coo-coo clock go off! Though during my journey my phone died and I lost my directions since they were on it, I was able to make my way back all the way back to the train station and back to Freiburg without any problems. Thanks to the good direction I received earlier in the tour guide I was able to use my little knowledge of the trail system to navigate.

by Justin_a_shultz on Self-Guided Tour

The day we were at the Black Forest the temperature was unusually warm (near 95) so the tour through the cool forest was particularly nice.Nice stream runs along the path and a beautiful waterfall. There was an interesting clock display and glass blowing factory. Don’t miss the bakery – OMG. Mouth watering cakes and pastries.

by JohnF023 on Self-Guided Tour

My wife and I wanted to end our 10 day vacation in Germany with a 2 day tour of the Black Forest. We contacted and consulted Simone and decided that her Panorama Clocks Tour and Locals Tour would be the best route. With her guidance we had a memorable 2 days. We would have missed a lot things (as well as gotten lost) without her insights and GPS coordinates. One of her key tips is to rent a car with a GPS system vs relying on Google maps on your phone – please heed that advice. We utilized both formats for a while and there were several instances when our phone would have taken us in the wrong direction. Simone provides so much information and points of interest that you need to spend time planning your day because you can’t see it all – it’s a great problem to have. If you stay in Freiburg we had excellent accommodations at The Park Hotel at the edge of Old Town and near the train station. The next night we stayed in Gengenbach at The Sonne Hotel which was another very nice hotel right in the center of Old Town. Thanks to Simone and her planning guide we had a outstanding trip through the Black Forest. I highly recommend her guides if you are planning to drive the Black Forest

by Duffer89 on Self-Guided Tour

Black forest can be overwhelming for some to plan. This tour gives you the flexibility to pick and choose per your preference and makes it easier to plan.

by Suhail S on Self-Guided Tour

We visited the southern part of Germany this summer, driving from Freiburg to Munich via the Black Forest (Triberg, Lake Titisee), Lake Constanz and all the beautiful villages (Meerburg, Lindau, etc), Neuschwanstein castle in Schwangau. It as a real delight. Beautiful sceneries all along, nice cottages and villages, nature at its best.

by Arvind D on Self-Guided Tour

I’m travelling Germany with two friends and have had 3 night stopovers in Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Berlin and the Black forest. We always DIY it and use trip advisor for the best things to do … We don’t like the guided tours and being stuck with someone else’s timetable for the day. We bought one of Simone’s self guided tours of the Black Forest by train for €38 and it was absolutely excellent. Brilliant tips and hints and planned out our full two days in Freiburg and two trips into the Black Forest. It was so easy to follow. We bought the group travel pass and did the cable cars, luge ride, waterfall trek, gondola trip, scooter ride down the mountain (real highlight but for the fit and adventurous type) & the walking tour of Freiburg. Loved every minute, thanks Simone

by Claire K on Self-Guided Tour

Black Forest Panoramic Tour Self Drive We had a brilliant day, there was so much information and Simone was incredibly helpful when we were deciding which tour to do. We were easily able to find all the places she suggested so didn’t miss any gems and as we stopped for a while in a couple of places we barely got through half the tour, we intend to go back one year and finish it. Bought a cuckoo clock and had a huge piece of Black Forest Cake. Lots of extra info was provided too such as general info on the Black Forest and driving in Germany. Would definitely recommend, in fact we may go to Bavaria next year and if so will be buying a tour there too.

Covid-19: Self-guided tours are the safest way to travel!