Gengenbach Travel Guides (Updated September 2026)

The tour guide, Simone, was wonderful! We were picked up right at the hotel, visited a sandwich shop, and planned our agenda before we headed out for the day. It is customized to your interests and Simone knows all the best spots!

Simone was a fantastic guide. She was so incredibly friendly and never rushed us. As she got to know me and my daughter, she tailored our trip based on our interests, making for a great time that we both enjoyed immensely. She took the time to explain much about the Black Forest and history of the area along the way. Her preparation and attention to our needs was also very impressive; our tour was during a heatwave, so she had plenty of drink options to keep us hydrated. She also steered us towards things to do during our time in Freiburg, and the recommendations we were able to take were absolutely fantastic. It felt more like being shown around by a friend than by a guide, and the experience was priceless.

Simone Brixel at the black-forest-com helped us arranged the 6-hour tour by car in a last minute, we were able to visit several highlights (water falls, Titisee lake, the Cuckoo clock tower, etc). The private driver was professional, friendly. We had a great time and are grateful for Simone's help.

We were travelling around western and south-western Germany by train as a group of friends, two couples. We decided to book a private tour of the Black Forest for an opportunity to see a bit more than would be possible by train. The autumn colours were beautiful and we knew October could be rainy and/or cold there but we all come from places (London and Minnesota) where we are used to dressing for the weather... Simone was a friendly tour guide and it ended up being our favourite day of the trip. She is expert on the area and at planning - her pre-tour questionnaire helped her devise a trip tailored just for us. She also recommended a wonderful hotel for us to stay in Freiburg, which was centrally located for our exploration of the town too.On the day, the weather was indeed cloudy and rainy, and after meeting with us that morning she was able to completely change plans and suggest another route that took in our interest in a little walking, lots of stops for scenic views, some quirky history, and a little shopping and a wonderful meal of traditional food. We all felt privileged to have experienced a little of the real Black Forest and not just a touristy approximation. Simone was great about checking in with us throughout the day to make sure we were happy with the options she was proposing.The pace was just right, and never felt rushed, but we still managed to pack in so much: some Black Forest farms selling their own produce and baked goods; a little walk near Lake Titisee; Triberg and its town hall with a wonderful carved wood interior; a cuckoo clock shop and waterfall on the edge of town; and beautiful scenery of valleys and towns.

We were travelling around western and south-western Germany by train as a group of friends, two couples. We decided to book a private tour of the Black Forest for an opportunity to see a bit more than would be possible by train. The autumn colours were beautiful and we knew October could be rainy and/or cold there but we all come from places (London and Minnesota) where we are used to dressing for the weather... Simone was a friendly tour guide and it ended up being our favourite day of the trip. She is expert on the area and at planning - her pre-tour questionnaire helped her devise a trip tailored just for us. She also recommended a wonderful hotel for us to stay in Freiburg, which was centrally located for our exploration of the town too.On the day, the weather was indeed cloudy and rainy, and after meeting with us that morning she was able to completely change plans and suggest another route that took in our interest in a little walking, lots of stops for scenic views, some quirky history, a little shopping and a hearty lunch at a beautiful & traditional guesthouse in the mountains. We all felt privileged to have experienced a little of the real Black Forest and not just a touristy approximation. Simone was great about checking in with us throughout the day to make sure we were happy with the options she was proposing.The pace was just right, and never felt rushed, but we still managed to pack in so much: a former war bunker now repurposed as a site for growing mushrooms; some Black Forest farms selling their own produce and baked goods; a little walk near Lake Titisee and a woodcarver's miniature re-creation of the Black Forest; Triberg and its town hall with a wonderful carved wood interior, cuckoo clock shop and waterfall on the edge of town; castle ruins looking down over the picturesque Hornberg in a valley.

This was a highlight of my Germany trip. Simone communicated with me clearly and promptly throughout the booking process and helped me select the most appropriate trip configuration based on my interests. After a private introductory tour to Freiburg (guided by the extraordinarily knowledgeable Barbel), I spent the day wandering on my own. On the second day, I was lucky enough to have Simone herself as my driver/guide and together we explored the highlights of the Black Forest, including the Open Air Museum, Triberg, and cuckoo clocks galore. She even gifted me with a local handicraft that had caught my eye. By the end of our time together (a full day yet too short!), Simone felt more like a dear companion then a guide. I can't recommend her services enough.

If you’re looking for a five star tour guide to see the Black Forest in Germany look no further…Simone provides a first rate customer centric experience! She knows both the Black Forest and how to custom fit an experience to your requirements. Thank You Simone!

Kia ora from New Zealand. We had a great day with Simone exploring and learning about the geography, history, sights, highlights and issues of a beautiful and fascinating area of Germany. Simone showed us so many interesting, quirky and delightful aspects, parts and features of the Black Forest area we journeyed around. Only a local well versed in the area would know of these. We really enjoyed discussing many things with her and appreciated her insights and overview. It helped us get a very interesting local perspective and context. It was tumeke! ('awesome' in te reo Maori)

Simone is amazing! She curated the entire trip to ensure we enjoyed the tour. She was probably more worried about us having a good time than we were! We learned a lot about the culture of Freiburg. She took us to such unique spots and experienced a pretzel bun for the first time because of her. A great driver and always willing to make us laugh. We loved it so much that we think Freiburg was our favourite part of our entire vacation! Until next time - tschüss!

This was an absolutely incredible experience! Simone is so knowledgeable about the Black Forest area and truly takes the time to figure out an itinerary that best suits you! I am so horrible at responding to emails in a timely manner, but Simone was so patient throughout all of our conversations back and forth and was so quick to respond to all of my inquiries. My husband and I love to explore new areas and especially enjoy anything that has to do with adventure, but we didn't want to spend an entire day on just one hike. We were only going to spend two days in the Baden region of Germany, (I know, this is absolutely not enough time) so we wanted to find someone who could guide us in a way that allowed us to see the most beauty possible in Schwarzwald. We told Simone that we would be interested in short hikes, adventure activities, beautiful landscapes, and region-specific food items. This experience far exceeded my expectations! We learned so much about specific aspects of Baden culture, had some delicious Ham sandwiches and cake, admired some Cuckoo clocks (I wasn't able to purchase one of my own - but maybe one day!), walked across a long cable bridge and hiked down past a beautiful waterfall, watched the German long jump ski team practice, and sped down the Hasenhorn mountain coaster! We joked throughout the day about the weather, but really could not get over the fact that this "rainy" day turned around for us at every turn and the sun shone whenever we were ready to start the next adventure. Simone is so personable and entertaining, which truly made the day extra special. Besides catering the entire day towards our desires and wishes, she made us laugh and feel like we have been friends for years. Even though I only know about my specific trip and cannot speak to any other tour options offered through Simone's website, I heard so much about how carefully and thoughtfully Simone runs her company, that I do feel like there is an option for everyone - you can't go wrong! I could not recommend booking a tour with Simone more highly! I hope to be able to tour with her again one day!

Simone is an amazing guide! She was very thoughtful and thorough both before and during our tour, ensuring that our group was able to see everything we were interested in. She is so knowledgeable about the area and also gave us great recommendations of other things to see while we were in Germany. We thoroughly enjoyed our day with her and would 100% recommend any of her experiences. We will be booking with Simone again!

Our Black Forest Tour with Simone was everything my brother and I could ask for. With the Black Forest region being so large it was daunting to figure out all the highlights we wanted to see, but Simone was able to give us well-informed guidance and created an itinerary that incorporated everything we wanted to see and more. There was a good blend of main attractions we wanted to see such as the Triberg Waterfalls and hidden gems that Simone suggested, which we would have never known about. The experience was great, and Simone was very fun to talk to and hear her perspective and knowledge of the area. We would highly recommend planning your tour with Simone and Black Forest Tours.

We had a great day! We saw the beauty of the forest and the countryside with the farms. We went into some small villages, did some shopping and had some black forest cherry cake (yummm!!!) Simone is a very knowledgeable guide and a very pleasant person to talk with. She also arranged for us to have a private chauffeur to take us to Rothenburg the following day, so we could avoid the stress of train travel!!! We so appreciated that.

We didn’t know much about the Black Forest before coming to Germany, but Simone did an incredible job showing us the Black Forest and sharing all of the hidden gems along the way! Highly recommend! She took the time to make the experience personal. She’s absolutely fantastic!

We booked a private tour with Black Forest Tours as part of a weeklong trip to the Black Forest. I have to admit I was a bit weary as private guides are expensive and you never know quite what you're going to get. However, we really need not have worried.After completing a form asking what kind of experience we were after, our guide, Simone, delivered a perfect day out. She took us to places we would never have thought of going, patiently answered endless questions about the Black Forest and Germany, and recommended a fantastic walk for us to do the next day (and even sent us detailed instructions on how to get there and back). To top it all off, the weather was absolutely superb.I would recommend thinking through what you really want to get out of the tour in advance and being honest with the guide as possible (for us that was more 'normal' life and scenery, less cuckoo clocks and historic dates). In the end, we got a fantastic insight into life in the Black Forest and a tour which felt more like a friend was showing us around a place that she loves and wants to share with visitors than a standard tour. Thank you Simone!

Simone did a great job at putting the package together for my sister and I. A walking tour of Frieburg was great. It was such a nice cozy town. The next day Simone drove my sister and I around the Black Forest, showing us all of the treasures of the forest, and she even show us the back roads that she only just discovered that day. We finished the tour in Baden-baden, finishing the day in the baths and a nice dinner. I hope to come back in the future to explore more of the Black Forest and the towns.