In order to make a wonderful holiday in the Black Forest with as few restrictions as possible an experience for everyone, there are a large number of barrier-free accommodations, excursion destinations and sights in the Zwei-Täler-Land and throughout the Black Forest. Accessibility is also important in the Black Forest. In nature, obstacles for people with reduced mobility cannot always be removed. But in order to make the Black Forest experience accessible to everyone, people in the holiday region have given thought. What do you have to pay attention to? Which accommodation is the right one and which sights are barrier-free? A small checklist provides assistance.
Find the right accommodation
Once you have decided on a travel destination in the Black Forest and set your budget, now it's about that suitable accommodation to find. It can happen again and again that individual accommodations are declared as barrier-free, but do not meet personal needs. It is therefore advisable to call the accommodation you have chosen and clarify personal questions.
It is necessary to clarify whether the room and hotel entrance are barrier-free and whether there is one Elevator or stair lifts are. How wide are the doors and hallways, is the shower at ground level? Are there grab bars in the bathroom? How high are the beds and whether the restaurant can be reached without restriction?
In this way you can quickly find out which accommodation is shortlisted and which can be deleted directly. You may not only look for accommodations that are wheelchair accessible, but also look out for vacation homes that are suitable for senior citizens. The Freiburg lift specialist & advisor for accessibility Matthias Korn says: “Holidays for wheelchair users have to be planned well”, because very few residential units are wheelchair accessible.
Select the excursion program before the trip
A large number of excursion options, such as museums, zoos, castles, monuments and others, can now be visited with a wheelchair. Occasionally it is worth calling here, especially at Excursion destinations, for which it cannot be fully clarified whether they are barrier-free. In this way, disappointments can be avoided in advance, because it would be more than annoying to find out on site that there are insurmountable steps or other obstacles that limit accessibility. In the case of the Black Forest, you can also contact the Black Forest Tourism, i.e. the tourist information, in advance. There are maps, city maps and numerous tips for accessible destinations and even walking tours.
Even the highest in the Black Forest can be easily reached with a wheelchair, the Feldberg. The cable car, which is barrier-free, takes you to the Seebuck summit. The mountain station is located at 1.445 m above sea level, in the immediate vicinity of the Bismarck Monument. From here you can have the overwhelming view of the surrounding area Enjoy the Feldsee lake 300 meters below and when the weather is nice, the summit offers a unique panoramic view of the Alps. You can see Mont Blanc on one side and the Zugspitze on the other, which also offers a great view of the Vosges and the Swabian Alb. The area around the Feldberg is also ideal for Winter sports enthusiasts with disabilities. About 2 kilometers away from the mountain station is the summit of the Feldberg, which can be easily reached via a tarred path. The way back can either be on a tarred road that is slightly sloping, or you can choose the cable car for the way back into the valley.
Arrival in the Black Forest
The How to get there Getting to the Black Forest is completely unproblematic and can be done either by car, train or bus.
Getting there with your own car is really easy and you can get to the Black Forest quickly and easily. This is definitely not a problem on federal roads and motorways. The most important and best connection is the A5 Frankfurt – Karlsruhe – Basel and it runs along the Upper Rhine plain, i.e. on the western edge of the Black Forest. In the north the A8 Karlsruhe - Stuttgart - Munich runs and to the east of the Black Forest the A82 Stuttgart - Rottweil - Villingen-Schwenningen runs.
But when it comes to Deutsche Bahn's long-distance transport network, the Black Forest is in a well-covered area. EC, IC and ICE operate on all main routes and enable a comfortable and carefree journey to Freiburg. Local trains run from Freiburg to Hinterzarten respectively Titisee and another stretch direction Titisee-Neustadt, Bärental, Schluchsee.
The vacation and Black Forest holiday region is around 11.000 square kilometers and public transport has long enjoyed a special place in the region. Traveling with the Black Forest ticket is particularly inexpensive, and if you have it, you can of course use the Bahncard and the corresponding rail saver fares. Traveling by long-distance bus is also a pretty good option because it is comfortable, inexpensive and environmentally friendly on top of that.
The largest low mountain range in Germany, the Schwarzwald, has an exceptionally beautiful landscape, many sights and wonderful nature. Those who want to leave the stress of everyday life behind can simply buy a train ticket and go to the Black Forest to relax.
Conclusion
If you travel with a wheelchair, this means a little more effort than usual. If you take a little care and inform yourself and, where necessary, also register in advance, you can have a wonderful and unforgettable experience in the Black Forest. And the Black Forest has a lot to offer especially for wheelchair users. Many things, even hiking tours, are possible with a wheelchair and sights can be enjoyed without barriers.
