Find Adventure in the Black Forest with the Schwarzwald Card!
When you think about the Black Forest in Germany you might envision cuckoo clocks, or gummy bears or maybe even remember that it was the location of the famous Hansel and Gretel story. But if you’re heading to the Black Forest you should also know that with the Schwarzwald Card the area is full of possibilities for family fun!
The Schwarzwald Card, or Black Forest Card, works at over 100 sites. It will you get free admission, free rides and discounts. You can purchase the card, but before you do check with your hotel. We’ve stayed in the region twice in the past few years and both hotels gave us the card for FREE as part of our stay! Also note, that if you’re looking for a good location to stay, we found Lake Titisee to be it. It’s a lovely town set on picturesque Lake Titisee, offering a wide range of shops and restaurants. This article will focus on the The Schwarzwald Card.
Of the many offerings on the The Schwarzwald Card there are several attractions that should not be missed! First, is a lovely little amusement park, Steinwasen Park. It is located in the center of forested mountains. Not only is it a gorgeous location, the rides are really fun! And the Schwarzwald Card gets you in for FREE!
As a family who frequents Disneyworld, Disneyland, Tokyo Disney, and Paris Disney, we are used to the best of the best. This park is not Disney, but it has a charm that is all its own. And we found that we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! They have a nice alpine coaster, a super cool (and very high) suspension bridge, a river splash ride, a train coaster, live animals and more. But our son’s favorite ride (and ours) was the Space Runner.
When our son found out we were returning to the Black Forest after being there two years before, it’s all he could talk about. It’s a bob slide type ride in which you find yourself flying through an ice-world complete with a yeti. The rider controls his or her own speed, and though it’s not particularly high tech, it’s very cool.
Also, as you walk into the park you will see a ride just beyond the food counter. It’s called Schwarzwaldbahn and is one of the oddest rides we’ve encountered in our travels. It’s just a little car that takes you through various scenes, and well, you kind of have to do it to understand. We found it oddly-interesting and quirky. For more information on Steinwasen Park you can go to their website.
Another attraction that the card gets you into is the Hasenhorn Alpine Coaster. It’s considered Germany’s most spectacular mountain coaster and is located approximately 20 minutes from Lake Titisee in Todtnau. This was another family favorite! You ride a ski lift to the top of the mountain and then ride down on the coaster. There are sharp bends, hills and 360° spins! But no worries, you are in control of the breaks so you don’t have to go fast.
However, be aware that if you’re there at a busy time, there will be people coming down behind you who may not be too happy if you go slow. Most folks prefer to go down the mountain full throttle, with an exception of maybe the turns. It’s a lovely location and a thrilling ride. The Schwarzwald Card gets you one ride per day for FREE. You can purchase additional rides if you prefer, but we found that it was enough to do the free one, then return on subsequent days as it was so close and such a beautiful drive.
If you like water parks they have a really nice one in Lake Titisee called Badeparadies Schwarzwald. It’s not as large as some we’ve been to, but there are plenty of fun slides at every level for the whole family to enjoy. There is also an adult only area for relaxing. It has a nice pool and is inside, but there are trees and foliage that lend to a tropical feel. This place makes for an excellent outing especially if you find yourself looking for something to do on a rainy day. The Schwarzwald Card gets you an hour and a half (last time we were there) for free and you can pay to add more time if you’d like to spend longer.
Those were the highlights for us, but the The Schwarzwald Card has many other offers. You can find more information at http://www.blackforest-tourism.com/info/blackforest-card. Happy Travels!
