The Black Forest
Next to the 13th-century Riettor gate tower and occupying a former Franciscan monastery, the Franziskaner Museum skips merrily through Villingen’s history and heritage. Standouts include Celtic artefacts unearthed at Magdalenenberg, 30 minutes’ walk south of Villingen’s centre.
Dating to 616 BC, the mystery-enshrouded site is one of the largest Hallstatt burial chambers ever discovered in Central Europe, and is shaded by a 1000-year-old oak tree.
28.33 MILES
With its lacy spires, cheeky gargoyles and intricate entrance portal, Freiburg’s 11th-century minster cuts an impressive figure above the central market…
27.38 MILES
Ensnared in wispy spray, the thunderous Rheinfall might not give Niagara much competition in height (23m), width (150m) or even flow of water (700 cu…
18.9 MILES
The Schwarzwälder Freilichtmuseum spirals around the Vogtsbauernhof, a self-contained early-17th-century farmstead. Farmhouses shifted from their original…
22.54 MILES
Embracing the global craft gin craze, Monkey 47 has scooped awards for its batch-distilled, handcrafted dry gin, with piney, peppery notes. Distillery…
11.39 MILES
Sticking out above Rottweil like a sore thumb, the futuristic, environmentally progressive Testturm is the brainchild of steel-engineering giant…
26.48 MILES
Completed in 1103, Schaffhausen’s cathedral is a rare, largely intact specimen of the Romanesque style in Switzerland. It opens to a beautifully simple…
11.57 MILES
Niagara they ain’t but Germany’s highest waterfalls do exude their own wild romanticism. The Gutach River feeds the seven-tiered falls, which drop a total…
26.43 MILES
Steps lead up through terraced vineyards to this fine specimen of a 16th-century fortress. The unusual circular battlements were built with forced labour…
0.1 MILES
Tucked behind the Franziskaner is the Spitalgarten, a park flanked by the original city walls. Here your gaze will be drawn to Romäusturm, a lofty 13th…
0.13 MILES
The Münsterplatz is presided over by the step-gabled Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) and Klaus Ringwald’s Münsterbrunnen, a bronze fountain and a tongue-in…
0.14 MILES
The main crowd-puller in Villingen's Altstadt is the red-sandstone, 12th-century Münster with its disparate spires: one overlaid with coloured tiles, the…
9.71 MILES
A steady and attractive 6.5km walk through spruce forest and pastures from Triberg's waterfall brings you to this 1070m-high 19th-century lookout tower,…
10.78 MILES
The sturdy 13th-century Schwarzes Tor is the gateway to Hauptstrasse and the well-preserved Altstadt, a cluster of red-roofed, pastel-painted houses. The…
10.85 MILES
Standing proud on Münsterplatz, the late-Romanesque, three-aisled Münster-Heiliges-Kreuz features some striking Gothic stonework and cross-ribbed vaulting…
11.05 MILES
Imagine the surprise when this Roman bath was unearthed in the late 19th century. The 45m-by-42m complex served as a public bath for the Roman legion in…
11.39 MILES
Sticking out above Rottweil like a sore thumb, the futuristic, environmentally progressive Testturm is the brainchild of steel-engineering giant…