A Local’s Guide to the Triberg Waterfalls (2024)– Explore the Heart of Black Forest Cuckoo Clocks and More!
Triberg Waterfall
Tucked into a triangular shaped valley in the Schwarzwald-Baar district in the Black Forest lies the city of Triberg, Germany. Internationally renowned as the Black Forest village of cuckoo clocks and waterfalls, the city offers a little bit of something for every traveler. From excellent hiking and nature activities, rich history, excellent festivals and the Schwarzwald romanticism, Triberg, Germany is the quintessential Black Forest destination.
Are you interested in visiting Triberg, Germany? Check out our local’s guide for the best restaurants, the best places to stay, and the top things to do (and yes, of course the Triberg Waterfalls).
Is the Triberg Waterfall worth visiting?
Okay, first things first - is the Triberg waterfall a top Black Forest destination? We get emailed this question a LOT, and everytime we answer with a resounding YES.
Despite the claim to be Germany’s tallest waterfall (it actually is the second), this waterfall is a LOT more accessible for families and those with limited mobility… plus it is stunning to see in person. The Triberg waterfall is from the Gutach River, which tumbles down a whopping 163m, which is roughly 535 feet. It is a very long and cascading fall with 7 different “drops”; and the multiple viewing platforms and bridges that traverse the falls provide an up-close experience.
We visited in the late summer months when the forest was lush and green, and the roar of the falls was a powerful, yet delightful reminder of the wild beauty in the Black Forest. However, we have also known many who visit the Triberg Waterfall in winter and have absolutely enjoyed it.
The City of Triberg famously illuminates the waterfalls for the Christmas season, and visiting the Triberg Waterfall in tandem with their authentic German Christmas Market is an unforgettable experience. From the 25th through the 30th of December, there is a special Christmas event called the “Triberger Weihnachtszauber“. Enjoy the special Christmas atmosphere created by 1 million lights. This is an especially cool event to attend since many of the Christmas Markets close on Christmas Eve. If you are planning to visit the Black Forest during Christmas, this is a great event to attend after the holidays.
The city itself is also high up on our list of one of the most ‘authentic’ Black Forest towns to visit. Although I don’t think I would consider Triberg remote, it isn’t very close to an Autobahn and tends to be left off of the list of many large tour-bus ventures. During our visit, we found that there were a handful of out-of-town-ers, but they were predominately travelers who were seeking slow-travel in Germany.
GETTING TO TRIBERG GERMANY:
Located in the heart of the Black Forest, Triberg’s location may be “out of the way” of the fast-paced lanes of the autobahn. However, we like to think that its woodland location adds to its charm.
Thankfully, regardless of which mode of transit you like to take, you have many options on how to get to there.
Address: Hauptstraße 85, 78098 Triberg im Schwarzwald
Steam Train in Triberg, Germany
Traveling to Triberg With Deutsche Bahn
Interested in traveling to Triberg via train? Germany is extremely well connected by a high quality public transit system.
Triberg is part of the regional train network run by the Südwestdeutsche Landesverkehrs-AG or SWEG. You can purchase tickets through their site, or directly with the Deutsche Bahn App.
Deutsche Bahn is the national train service and also has an easy to use app which we highly recommend downloading.
KONUS Guest Card
In addition, if your travels have you visiting more sites in the Black Forest, we highly recommend asking your guesthouse or hotel proprietary about the KONUS guest card.
The KONUS guest card is your mobility card and takes you through the Black Forest by bus or train free of charge – from Pforzheim to Basel and from Karlsruhe to Waldshut. You can currently receive the KONUS Black Forest guest card in around 9,000 Black Forest holiday resorts and guesthouses by registering with your host.
The KONUS guest card is valid as a 2nd class ticket as well as on the trams and buses of the cities of Freiburg and Karlsruhe on all buses and trains of the participating transport associations during the specified period of your stay in local transport.
Importantly, the guest card does NOT include ICE, IC, EC and ECE connections and mountain railways (AKA, high speed rail and express trains).
Triberg Steam Train Information
Looking for an unforgettable experience in Triberg? If you or someone you love adores trains as half as much as our son Jack, taking a ride through the Black Forest steam train in Triberg is something you really cannot miss.
The Black Forest Railway connects Offenburg and Singen over a distance of 149 km. The section between Hornberg, Triberg and St. Georgen is particularly beautiful. More than 120 years after its opening, the stretch is still regarded as a great feat of engineering. It is now used both by the Deutsche Bahn for its regular services as well as for special trips with nostalgia trains.
The Black Forest Railway does not offer regular service to Triberg, but do offer tickets during planned events. For example, during the holidays you can make an unforgettable Christmas in the Black Forest by booking a ride.
From December 27th to 30th, tunnel trips are offered daily. The historic special train is always pulled by the mighty, old steam locomotive that you see above. Remarkably, it is still in really good shape and pulls you up the spectacular original route.
For more info, visit: http://www.eisenbahnfreunde-zollernbahn.de/
Other Train Tickets
Other rail tickets of interest to visitors to the Black Forest include the Baden-Württemberg Ticket, a rail pass which allows 24 hours of unlimited travel in the state in second class on regional trains. It costs 24 Euros for one person and increases in 6 Euro increments to a maximum of five people (thus 48 Euros for five people on one ticket).
A similar concept is operated by the Quer-durchs-Land Ticket, which covers the whole of Germany for 44 Euros for one person up to 76 Euros for five people. (This replaces the weekend ticket which had previously been offered by the German railways.)
Traveling to Triberg by Car
Although the public transit system is affordable and easy to use, a car will let you experience more of what Germany’s Black Forest has to offer. We chose to travel here by car simply because the curvy glass-like tarmac through the rolling hills is an experience in itself. Plus, parking is plentiful… but not free.
If you choose to drive to Triberg, you will find parking in the city center at the “Bergsee”, “Scheffelplatz” and the “Adelheid”.
Parking costs vary according to day, time of day, and length of stay. However, the rates are largely very affordable (about 1 euro for an hour).
Traveling to Triberg by Bus
In addition to train and car, you can also arrive to Triberg by bus.
Operated by DB Südbadenbus, their network of highly efficient and cost effective transportation is one of the easiest modes of transportation around the Black Forest.
For example, planning on doing a little bit of skiing in Thurner, but then want to travel to Triberg? Look no further than the Südbadenbus. In as little as 1 hour, their services can get you there for as little as €2,30 per adult.
GETTING AROUND TRIBERG GERMANY:
Because Triberg im Schwarzwald is a small town of just over 5,000 inhabitants, don’t expect to find a large interconnected network of public transit, like you would find in a major city.
While the city is not large, those who are elderly or with a disability might find that getting around the city to be a bit difficult. Because it is situated in a valley, the streets do have an incline and the town is stretched along the valley floor.
If you are not traveling by car and are concerned about the walk, your best bet to get around the city is to take a bus.
WHEN TO VISIT TRIBERG AND WEATHER IN TRIBERG:
Although it may seem contrary to conventional travel, times of heavy rain and snowmelt will offer spectacular views. We visited the waterfall in May surrounding days of heavy rain and it resulted in a significant amount of water crashing over the rocks.
The falls are illuminated at night until approximately 22:00 and offer an impressive and unique site, which would be a wonderful time to visit in the heat of the summer.
Additionally, many would have assumed this exhibit would be closed in the winter, it is still open! The higher altitude in the Black Forest (around 700 meters or 2,300 feet) means it will most likely be snow and ice covered in the winter. This time of year you are almost guaranteed a unique look at the ice and snowy winter of the high Black Forest.
From the 25th through the 30th of December, there is a special Christmas event called the “Triberger Weihnachtszauber“. Enjoy the special Christmas atmosphere created by 1 million lights.
HOW LONG TO STAY IN TRIBERG GERMANY:
Triberg is not a very large town however there are numerous fun things to do. We recommend spending a full day in the town to experience what it has to offer. In our opinion, two days may be a bit much given the other areas in the Black Forest that are also worth seeing.
Home in the Kinzig Valley
TOP THINGS TO DO IN TRIBERG GERMANY:
You might be asking, “Is Triberg worth visiting”? And to that we shout a resounding: Yes, yes it is! If you’re touring the Black Forest, make sure to stop at this picturesque example of all things Black Forest. Schinken (a kind of Black Forest ham), waterfalls, cuckoo clocks and Black Forest museums provide a varied and interesting array of things to do in Triberg, Germany.
Here are some of our favorite places to visit in Triberg, Germany.
Drive the German Clock Route
As the title of the blog suggests, you simply cannot miss out on all of the attractions that are centered around the Triberg Germany cuckoo clocks. In fact, Triberg is one of the top destinations on the famous German Clock Route (Deutsche Uhrenstraße).
A roughly 320-kilometre loop starting and ending in Villingen-Schwenningen, passing by Triberg Falls, St. Peter’s Abbey and Lake Titisee along the way, the German clock route offers stunning vistas of the German countryside and opportunities to learn all about the history of timekeeping and clockmaking in the high Black Forest.
While traveling on this route, visitors can follow in the footsteps of the Black Forest’s famous clockmakers, with one extremely interesting museum and stunning must-see sight after the other.
Triberg Waterfall (Triberger Wasserfall)
Visit the Triberg Waterfall
As we mentioned above, The waterfall in Triberg (Triberger Wasserfall) plunges 163 meters (535 ft) down a river named “Gutach”, which is technically the second highest waterfall in Germany. Although the Triberg waterfall is called the tallest, the Röthbach waterfall in Upper Bavaria near Lake Königssee takes the crown with an impressive 470 meters.
That being said, we would still highly recommend visiting Triberg. The falls are much better for public access and honestly more impressive to tour.
Although there are multiple entrances, the main gate is easy to spot as it runs through town and connected to the city center. You can save a map location of the entrance here.
When viewing the falls, the well paved path ascends seven stages (drops of the water) offering multiple unique views.
Visitors can take one of two paths: a steeper ascent for the physically fit and a gentle route for strollers and wheelchairs. For a saved map location of the accessible entrance, click here.
We highly recommend taking the three hiking trails around the waterfalls to get different views and experiences, these are called the “Naturweg” (Nature Path), “Kulturweg” (Culture Path), and “Kaskadenweg” (Cascade Path). A .pdf map of the waterfalls can be found here.
Black Forest Squirrel with Mohawks
Be sure to enjoy the wildlife, which mostly consists of squirrels with dual mohawks (yes, you read that correctly). The squirrels thrive off of peanuts that the tourists feed them. These peanuts can be purchased at the front desk. You can get surprisingly close to the squirrels, they seem to have become accustomed to humans feeding them their meals.
Cost of the Triberg Waterfall:
As you can see above, the Triberg waterfall summer costs are 5EUR for adults, 4.50EUR for children 8-17 and free for children under 8. With a guest card, costs are reduced.
Triberg waterfall winter costs are 3.50EUR for adults, 3.00EUR for children 8-17 and free for children under 8.
Costs as shown above are from the City of Triburg’s website, go here to check latest prices.
Triberg Waterfall Hike
As we mention above, if you are looking for a great family friendly hike, we highly recommend doing one of the three hikes that wind you around the falls and through the forest surrounding Triberg.
We decided to do the Culture Trail. This hike begins at the entrance of the waterfall and ends on the other side of the town. You will walk up the waterfall on the marked trails and then go around it through an open path in the forest.
Although sections of this hike do get pretty steep, the trail is very well taken care of and is not overly technical.
High Ropes Course at Triberg im Schwarzwald
For those looking for a bit more adventure and thrill seeking, there is an exciting high ropes course within the Triberg Waterfall park grounds.
Visitors can experience a variety of technical ropes to traverse between the trees. From balancing on swaying planks or swing through rope loops, the course offers fun for those aged 8 and older.
Every visitor receives a safety equipment consisting of a climbing harness and helmet.
Cost of admission to the high ropes course are:
Adults (18+): 15,00 Euro for 2 Hours, 18,00 EUR for 3 Hours
Children (under 16 years): 12,00 Euro for 2 Hours, 15,00 Euro for 3 Hours
Family (2 adults, 2 children): 47,00 Euro for 2 Hours, 58,00 Euro for 3 Hours
Family (2 adults, 3 Children): 56,00 Euro for 2 Hours, 68,00 Euro for 3 Hours
For more information, you can take a look at the Triberg village website at this link here.
World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock
Technically, another Cuckoo Clock in Ohio also claims this world famous distinction. However, we’d like to think that the location in the Black Forest makes the World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock in Triberg extra special. The Guiness Book of World Records has yet to weigh in on the title.
The cuckoo bird alone is 14 feet long and weighs 330 pounds. And the entire clock is based on a much smaller cuckoo clock that is about 100 years old— but the Triberg cuckoo clock is simply scaled up sixty times.
But we’d like to think that the Triberg clock’s location in the Black Forest makes it extra special.
Find more information here.
World’s Smallest Cuckoo Clock
Now, we couldn’t mention the largest cuckoo clock in the world without also recognizing another world famous version. Hubert Herr’s showroom in Triberg, has been crafting ornate cuckoo clocks since the 1800s, and features the world’s smallest cuckoo clock which is tiny enough to fit into your hand!
This adorable timepiece is 5.12 inches tall, 5.51 inches wide, 4.72 inches thick and weighs 6.6 lb (3 Kg).
Find more information here.
For those looking for an authentic German-made cuckoo clock, your trip would not be complete without a visit to the shop of the world-renowned Hubert Herr in Triberg Germany.
While there are a LOT of manufacturers claiming to be authentic Schwarzwald cuckoo clocks, Huberg Herr is the only manufacturer making carvings and cases and uses only genuine wood, linden and pine, the natural material for our clocks. All Hubert Herr cuckoo-clocks are guaranteed hand carved.
Triberg Gallows
Ever since we moved to the Black Forest, I’ve been dying to go to this place….okay so not “literally”. But you get the idea.
Records indicate that this spot has been the site of public hangings since at least the 16th century. In total we know that officially 15 executions were recorded, twelve of them were women who were accused of witchcraft.
The stone pillars which stand at the site today were added in the 1700s – and today the site has become a little known, but hugely interesting site to visit in Triberg, Germany.
Technically the gallows are not in the town itself, but just a short drive away down a country road just east of the city center. We highly recommend adding it to your list of places to visit in Triberg, Germany.
Try Triberger Fichtenschinken (Triberg spruce ham)
Don’t leave town before trying Triberger Fichtenschinken, Triberg’s version of the famous Black Forest ham.
You can taste or purchase this delicious, juicy ham at several places in Triberg (for example, at Restaurant Bergseestüble, Clemens-Maria-Hofbauer-Str. 19 ).
The locals are so proud of their ham that every September, Triberg holds the Triberger Schinkenfest (Triberg Ham Fest), marked by parades, costumes and rows of stalls selling this delicacy.
Yum!
WHERE TO STAY IN TRIBERG GERMANY:
Triberg has numerous accommodations for guests. From local guesthouses to luxurious hotels, you’re sure to find an accommodation that fits your budget while still celebrating Black Forest culture.
Here are a couple of our recommendations.
Best Wester Plus Schwarzwald Residenz (€ 165 /night)
Bürgermeister-De-Pellegrini-Strasse 20, 78098 Triberg, Germany
This 3-star hotel is located in the Black Forest, a 5-minute walk from Triberg town centre.
We love that the Schwarzwald Residenz’s spa area includes a Finnish sauna and massage service. Plus, use of the indoor swimming pool is free for guests.
Each morning you will find a rich, German breakfast buffet. And for those looking for a traditional Black Forest meal, you should stick around for an evening 3-course meal at their local restaurant.
Hotel Garni Central (€ 98 /night)
Hauptstraße 64, 78098 Triberg, Germany
An unbeatable location This hotel in the centre of Triberg is a 5-minute walk from the Triberger Wasserfalle.
However, we have to highlight that this hotel offers rooms with cable TV and a private bathroom. Something that is increasingly difficult to find at this price point in the Black Forest.
Hotel Zum Ochsen (€ 150 /night)
Ludwig-Uhland-Straße 18, 78141 Schönwald, Germany
Located in the neighboring town of Schönwald, if you’re looking for quintessential Black Forest – this is it!
Despite the hotel being housed in a building dating from the 18th century, Hotel Zum Ochsen offers rooms with free WiFi. Among the various facilities of this property are a garden, sauna and a terrace. Plus, the in-house restaurant serves European cuisine.
This hotel would also be a great option for those visiting during winter in Germany. Schönwald offers excellent skiing and snow-shoeing. Plus you can visit one of the iconic German Christmas Markets.
Gästehaus Zur Lilie (€ 98 /night)
Wallfahrtstraße Gästehaus Kreuzstraße, 78098 Triberg, Germany
Guests at this local hotel continuously provide it with high reviews and rave about it’s location. The property is set just 200 m from the entrance to Triberg Waterfalls. The architecture of this hotel is beautiful and historic – but you still get all of the modern amenities like free wifi included!
Berggasthof & Hotel Brend (€ 98 /night)
Auf dem Brend 7, 78120 Furtwangen, Germany
Located at the foot of Brend Mountain in the neighboring town of Furtwangen, this hotel is a cross-country skiers paradise. Guests can enjoy breakfast buffets and regional cuisine in the Panorama-Stube, or in the Vogt-Stube with cosy fireplace. In warm weather, guests can eat on the terrace overlooking the Black Forest.
Some rooms include a balcony or terrace, which on a clear day allow you to see the Swiss Alps!
Black Forest Family Tip
Planning on exploring more of the Black Forest and are looking for a one-of-a-kind place to stay?
Check out our post on the 10 Most Unique Places to Stay in the Black Forest.
WHERE TO EAT IN TRIBERG
Now any trip to the Black Forest is not complete without a proper Schwarzwald meal. As we mentioned earlier in this post- Triberg is known for its Fichtenschinken, a kind of Black Forest Spruce Ham.
If you’re interested in giving it a try, or simply want to indulge in regional delicacies, here are the best places to eat in Triberg.
La Cascata (€€)
Hauptstraße 83, 78098 Triberg im Schwarzwald
Fine Italian cuisine in the heart of the Black Forest? Yep! You bet!.
La Cascata offers up an array of pizza flavors, pasta and even vegan options. Plus it has really quick and friendly service. So if you find yourself hungry after a long day of hiking the waterfalls, be sure to make this your stop.
Nurhak Imbiss (€)
Wallfahrtstraße 9, 78098 Triberg im Schwarzwald
Need something quick, cheap and tasty? Look no further than Nurhak Imbiss. Those familiar with the concept will know that an Imbiss is a kind of quick take-away food. Nurhak Imbiss is located just steps away from the main entrance on the waterfall and offers up tasty kebabs and other turkish foods.
Restaurant Tresor (€€)
Hauptstraße 63, 78098 Triberg im Schwarzwald
For those looking for traditional German food, Restaurant Tresor should be your choice. Located on the main street running through Triberg, the restaurant offers up elevated German delicacies at a reasonable price.
Bäckerei Kienzler (€)
Untertalstraße 21, 78136 Schonach im Schwarzwald
For those willing to make the trek, Bäckerei Kienzler delivers with delicious pastries and other baked goods.
Although the establishment is quaint, their entire menu is very fresh and very cheap. We recommend picking out your favorite sweet or savory treat and taking it outside. The area just outside of the shop has incredible views of the surrounding valley and forest.
For more places to eat in Triberg, Go here to view a complete list of all restaurants and cafes.
