Where to Go in Southwest Germany?
Every year I try to get together with my mom for a week somewhere. This year we met up in Lindau, in Southern Germany, and explored a few highlights of Southwest Germany.
Here is a quick summary – with lots of photos – of places covered over 5 days.
Lindau
A pretty little town on Lake Constance. The geography all around is beautiful, with Switzerland right across the lake. The mountains seem to change constantly depending on the light and clouds. Lindau has a fairytale old town and a lakefront promenade lined with cafes. Have a look at the New Lighthouse (Neuer Leucht turm), the pretty Altes Rathous and visit the Peterskirche and Haus zum Cavazzen (a baroque palace which is probably the most beautiful building in town). Lindau was my favorite place on this holiday as you can probably figure out by all the photos I took of this lovely town.
Accommodation: We stayed at the Hotel Gasthaus zum Zecher. Charming, comfortable, good location and good value.
Sigmaringen
It’s a small town dominated by the huge Sigmaringen Castle which was the seat of government for the House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. English tours on Saturdays only – but the castle is still worth taking in German. You get to see so many rooms and many are very impressive (my highlight was the room of weapons).
The river cutting through town is the Danube River which might surprise many. The origins of the Danube actually start in the middle of the Black Forest where two smaller rivers converge about 75 km away from Sigmaringen (near the town of Donaueschingen). From there it flows east all the way to Ukraine and the Black Sea (it’s the 2nd longest river in Europe).
Across the river are a few paths with gorgeous views of the castle. We had a few hours of sun – then the crappy weather started and basically didn’t let up the rest of the week.
Freiburg im Breisgau
A university city in the Black forest which is quite popular with tourists. Surrounded by hills, it also has a small river (the Dreisam) cutting through the city. They’ve done a good job preserving the façade of historic buildings around a modern core. The Münster (church) is the highlight of the city and I climbed to the top for the fabulous views. On the square there’s a daily farmer’s market where you can get a beer and sausage (as we did. The local specialty is “Lange Rote” Bratwurst). The city is also known for its Medieval city gates (see the Martinstor and Schwabentor towers).
Freiburg im Bresigau is a pretty city with a young, lively feel.
Accommodation. We stayed at the Alleehaus which I recommend. Really charming place and centrally located in the old town.
Breisach
Breisach (full name Breisach am Rhein) is cute little town on the Rhine that’s had a tumultuous history with control shifting back and forth between Germany and France over the centuries (France is just across the river). Why? The town has a strategic location being one of the most accessible crossing spots along the Rhine river. The Romans had realized this centuries ago and had built a fortress on this spot.
The highlight of Breisach is St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansmünster) which is up on a hill overlooking the town. Unfortunately it was undergoing restoration and was covered in scaffolding while we were there (hence no photo). Other highlights include the Franciscan Monastery Garden (Franziskaner Klostergarten) and the Radbrunnen Tower in the upper town as well as the Museum im Rheintor, a museum covering the town’s history. It is located at the magnificent Rhine gate, the last remains of the fortress built by the Marquis de Vauban (who served under French king Louis XIV).
Breisach is charming and, although not swamped by tourists, it has a good tourist infrastructure. A good place to rent a bike and do some cycling along the river (which a lot of people seem to do).
Accommodation: We stayed at the Breisach City-Appartements. Very nice.
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Neuf-Brisach
Neuf-Brisach is in France 
, 4 km across the river from Breisach. The Marquis de Vauban (who I mentioned above) built the fortifications after the French lost Brisach in 1697, the purpose being to guard the border against the Germans/the Holy Roman Empire. Vauban was the best known military engineer of his time and Neuf-Brisach would be his final project. Aerial photos of Neuf-Brisach, with its octagonal fortifications surrounding the town, are incredibly impressive. In fact, Neuf-Brisach is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
We took the bus to Neuf-Brisach. After a nice ride in green countryside, the bus went through a brick gate (impressive we thought), into a town unlike any other. Deserted streets barren of people, no storefronts, no trees, a concrete landscape of non-descript 1 and 2 storey houses. Every street looked the same, until we reached a square in the middle of the town where we were dropped off. We were right in front of the tourist office. It was Saturday and it was closed. It was the ugliest town square I’ve ever seen. The fountain looked like it hadn’t functioned in years and it was surrounded by cars. Yes, they were using the square as a parking lot.
We walked down deserted streets half expecting to be attacked by a pack of stray dogs. Neuf-Brisach is an ugly and utterly depressing town devoid of life. Things only changed when we got out of the town gates and walked along the outside walls of the town. The fortifications are amazing. We circled the town, seeing nothing but these huge brick walls (below).
We got back to town, making sure to get back in time for the bus to get us out of Neuf-Brisach. The place has so much potential, the fortifications are incredibly, incredibly impressive – but honestly, the town is an armpit. I can’t believe the terrible job the French have done here.
The highlight of our trip through Southwest Germany? Ignoring Neuf-Brisach (which isn’t in Germany anyway), this is a very interesting region. My absolute hightlight? It was no doubt Lindau and Lake Constance which are geographically stunning. But the whole region was different than others we’ve visited in Germany and I would recommend a trip here to anyone.
Related: Guide on Bacharach (our favorite German town)
Related: What’s Heidelberg (Germany) like?
Related: 10 things to see and do in Dresden
Beautiful pictures. We haven’t been to this region; actually, we haven’t spent a lot of time in Germany at all. But I love the landscapes, small towns and, of course, the sausages, beers and pretzels! 😉 I think we would really enjoy the Black Forest region.