Freiburg (also known as Freiburg im Breisgau), Germany is a small university city in southwest Germany located in the Black Forest. Known for its medieval old town and picturesque bildings, Freiburg was a great stop on our Germany tour on our way to Munich to celebrate Oktoberfest. 

This was our first time visiting Freiburg and it did not disappoint!

We opted to stay at a Holiday Inn outside of Old Town because it was within walking distance from the train station (we came in from Zurich, Switzerland) and wanted a hotel that we knew would be clean and had air conditioning. This hotel was a great spot because it was just outside of Old Town, making it within walking distance to everything and right into the city center. Old Town has two old city gates (Schwabentor and Martinstor) and is absolutely breathtaking. I know I have said this about these Bavarian towns before, but I felt like I was in a real-life fairytale. The colored buildings and cobblestone streets are so pretty!

 We decided to walk around a bit and settled on a café located right in the middle of the street. It was so nice out, so many people were sitting in the middle of the street enjoying the sites, the weather and the beer (😉) This area is the Münsterplatz and is definitely worth stopping to see. Unfortunately, we visited on a Sunday, so the market that usually takes place was not open, but there were still plenty of cafes and some shops are open for tourists. The majority of major stores were closed because it was Sunday, so keep that in mind if you plan to visit in the future.

This cafe was a great location to stop and enjoy our surroundings outside. The waitress was attentive and if you decided to eat inside, their inside area was really nice as well!

We stopped into the Freiburger Münster which is a Gothic cathedral right in the middle of Old Town. You can walk in and tour it during the day (including Sundays!)

After our visit in the Münsterplatz, we saw an awesome rooftop bar that I wanted to check out (I love a good rooftop bar!) so we headed to Skajo Rooftop bar for a drink and gorgeous views that overlooked Münsterplatz. And yes, I did have a mojito in Germany. ;)

After our drinks, it was nearing dinner time. First, we stopped at the Feierling Beer Garden with outdoor seating underneath the trees which was so nice. This place is one of the most popular locations to get beer in the city, especially when it’s nice out in the beer garden, so make sure to get there early! If you’re looking for a beer to try, the Feierling Inselhopf beer is a great light beer. Make sure to have cash with you because they do not take card payments outside in the garden. From there, we headed inside the brewery/restaurant for dinner. Their menu offers food including German specialties along with other great seasonal dishes to choose from. Martinsbräu is a microbrewery in Freiburg, and the beer is great! The food is great as well!

Getting to Freiburg:

Freiburg was the first stop on our tour of Germany. Since we flew into Zurich, we took a train to Freiburg and spent one day and night in Freiburg. You can also drive, but many trains stop at this destination, making it very easy to get to.

Tips:

Be careful of Freiburg’s canals! Freiburg is known for its canals, and while they aren’t major like Italy’s canals, they line most streets in the city. These “canals” are actually narrow gutters, but be careful when walking because they are so easy to mistake for the road. I may or may not have almost fallen in a couple!

Other Things to do in Freiburg:

Since we only had one day to spend in Freiburg, we only scratched the surface and saw the highlights. There is so much I would have liked to have done, but just ran out of time.

Visit the Black Forest: Freiburg is the location many tourists visit when coming to the Black Forest.

Explore Old Town: This is where we spent the majority of our time

 Gewerbekanal Canal: You will find the “crocodile” that swims!

Alte Wache: Built in 1733 as part of military reinforcements, this is now a wine house serving local wines from the region.

Fussen, Germany is another cute town within driving distance and is a great place to stop if you are driving towards Munich.

 

Have any questions on how to see everything in a short amount of time or need help putting together a Germany itinerary? Feel free to contact me! I would be happy to help!

Love and Travel Dust,

Molly