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Enjoy the Black Forest in a motorhome like you have never enjoyed a route with your house on wheels.

An article that is part of our guide to travel to the Black Forest at Christmas that if you want you can complete with the Complete guide to travel to Alsace at Christmas, to make a route through Alsace and the Black Forest in a motorhome at Christmas that you will love.

We are the Kucavana family, we traveled with our two children of 7 and 10 years old and our 2 adopted dogs. We usually travel in our motorhome called Kucavana, but we also like to travel by plane and backpacking. We enjoy each learning process as a family and we hope to help you as well so that you enjoy traveling as much as we do.

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With this article we want to explain our Christmas experience touring the Black Forest, learning at the destination and thus help you prepare your next trip through the Black Forest in a motorhome or camper.

Hold on, we start the route!

Oh and if you don't have your own motorhome, here's some advice. Rent directly in Germany or France, which is much cheaper than in Spain and you can save more than 50%.

Our personalized motorhome route assembly service for your trip to the Black Forest by motorhome

If you want to save time and rely on our experience of two trips through the Black Forest by motorhome, we remind you that we have a personalized motorhome route assembly and organization service.

With our service you will have a fully interactive Click & Go roadmap, so that you only click and the GPS will take you to each of the essential places without losing any setbacks. Access the service by clicking and filling in the following form:

The Black Forest by motorhome: roads, parking, camping and overnight in a motorhome in Germany

Regulations on parking and spending the night in a motorhome in France freely

The regulations in Germany regulate that you can park and spend the night anywhere that a vehicle can, as long as you do not camp (leave the perimeter of your vehicle, that is, take out tables, chairs, etc.), just like in Spain , although with particularities, which we will see later. This is the general rule, you can park and stay overnight if there is no explicit ban anywhere in Germany.

Now, the reality is that in the Black Forest there are sometimes some that are prohibited for motorhomes that we must know to avoid them.

Regulations on motorhome camping in Germany and the Black Forest

Camping in Germany is carefully regulated.

As a general rule, the law tells us that Wild camping (remove table chairs, open windows, awning…) throughout Germany is prohibited in any public place.

Therefore, in the Black Forest we can only camp in campsites, private motorhome areas that allow it or other places authorized for this purpose.

Services and motorhome areas in Germany and in the Black Forest by motorhome

Germany by motorhome is very easy since has the second largest network of motorhome areas in Europe with more than 4000 motorhome areas. Motorhome areas with all the services of emptying and filling with water and many with electricity. 

Most of the overnight areas for motorhomes or campers are municipal or private but almost always paid between 10 and 20 €uros. There are few free motorhome areas in Germany, compared to paid ones.

In addition, another thing that you will see on your Black Forest route in a motorhome characteristic of motorhome areas is that Water and electricity filling services are normally paid separately.

In practically all points of interest or tourist towns you will find a motorhome area, and generally always central or well connected to the center of towns. And if there is no area there will surely be some parking reserved for motorhomes, which in these you will see that since they do not have Services, most of them are free.

If the French have a doctorate in camping and the world of caravanning, the Germans have a master's degree, and it shows.

Something important to know about water in motorhome areas in winter

You should know that with temperatures below 0 in Germany, as in all countries, They shut off the water in the fountains. That will make you have to save a lot of water in your tank and to refuel you look for campsites open in winter, which are few. Also, think about taking a long water hose with you to be able to reach the enabled point that the campsite will have inside one of its buildings, usually the bathrooms.

Carreteras

In general, the roads are good in the Black Forest. The national roads usually have a hard shoulder and are usually fine, they are quite easy, although with quite a few curves and sometimes changes in level.

All the highways are very good and best of all free, but they are very slow despite the fact that there is no speed limit in many sections in Germany. The Germans in what they do have doctorate is in road infrastructure works, and that sometimes does kilometric queues on the highways and highways.

Finally, you should know that in winter in Germany if it has snowed or there is a forecast of snow, it is mandatory to drive with winter tires or 4 seasons approved for snow, and here it is not worth wearing chains.

If you want to see an article about what chains and / or winter tires are better for motorhomes, here We leave you an article that we talk about from our experience in our motorhome. I also leave you this video that we made about traveling in a motorhome with snow that will surely be great for you to see possible problems and solutions in the snow.

Summary of our trip through the Black Forest by motorhome at Christmas

Our journey through the Black Forest is a journey of 5 days during the Purísima and Constitución bridge in December.

A trip, which as always, we do as a family. With our two children, ages 10 and 7, and this time with our motorhome by road.

In total there are 10 hours of driving and about 1000 km is what separates Barcelona from the Black Forest on our route. Although it can be accessed by plane from Stuttgart and from there rent a motorhome or camper.

In addition, renting a motorhome in Germany is much cheaper than in Spain. And a piece of advice: through the Yescapa platform, between individuals, such as an AirB&B, it is the best option to rent a motorhome in Germany. Rent at this link and you will also help us to maintain this blog and continue writing.

Our route through the Black Forest in a motorhome in reality it is part of a larger journey. A 10-day trip that we do for Alsace at Christmas and the Black Forest in Germany at Christmas, in the 10 days of the December macro aqueduct.

We have loved this route, so much so that It is the second time that we repeat it, with that we tell you everything.

It's like walking into a Christmas story. With its decorated towns, all full of lights, its endearing Christmas market stalls, its “gluhwein” (spiced hot wine with a thousand flavors) and beautiful towns and cities with a lot of Christmas magic.

Costs of our trip: the Black Forest at Christmas

On our 10-day trip to Alsace at Christmas and the Black Forest we have spent a total of 1710 € uros for the 4 of us traveling.

If you want a breakdown and more information on each of the costs, we have made a more detailed post. In it you can see the cost of Alsace Christmas Price, which is what it will cost you for the same Black Forest or for the two mixed destinations, since our costs are for the same trip to the two sites in 10 days.

What we liked the most and what we liked the least about traveling by motorhome through the Black Forest at Christmas

The best thing about traveling to the Black Forest by motorhome at Christmas on our trip has been…

• Undoubtedly the market that we liked the most and had the most Christmas magic was the one in the Ravenna gorge, the Ravennaschlucht. A beautiful pass under the aqueduct surrounded by nature, although I'll tell you about access later and it's not as easy as parking and that's it.
• Sleep next to the Pforheim Wildpark, an impressive and large animal park with beautiful free access where you can feed the animals with food that is sold there. Very cool to be able to feed him and be so close to all the animals.

14 Things you should know and tips for traveling to the Black Forest by motorhome

Before advancing on the route and on the essentials of what to see in the Black Forest at Christmas, we give you Some tips to keep in mind before going.

1 In the Black Forest at Christmas it is cold and it often snows: Mandatory winter tires

That said, if you are going to travel to the Black Forest in a camper or motorhome at Christmas, keep in mind that in Germany it is mandatory to wear winter tires when there is a forecast of snow or it has snowed. Therefore, take winter tires on your trip to the Black Forest with a motorhome at Christmas.  

And another tip, the chains can also get you out of trouble if there is ice. Even if you have winter tires, take chains.

In the video above this post we explain the problems that you can have in the snow in a motorhome and the possible solutions that you will have to apply, pay attention.

2 Documents needed to travel to the Black Forest at Christmas

For this trip do not forget to bring both for adults and for children your Valid ID or passport.

In addition, for any health problem, take the European sanitary card. You can do it on the social security website and receive it at home comfortably.

In addition, we have used to hire the travel insurance of Iati Getaways. Due to its cost, we are calmer with the children and we know that later we can avoid the co-payments that health care has in Germany. I leave here the link with a discount. If you hire him through this link, you help us to continue writing on the blog.

3 When it's cold the fountains are cut off, so rationalize the water and take a long hose if you travel by motorhome or camper

If you travel by motorhome or camper, you should know that if the temperatures are below 0, all external sources will not have water. Neither in motorhome areas nor on the street you will be able to refuel water. The best solution, apart from saving water, is to look for campsites that are open in winter. These are few, but you will find some.

Also, remember to take a long water hose to refuel at the water refill points provided by the campsites, usually inside the bathrooms.

Our map of visits and plans we made to travel to the Black Forest at Christmas

Next, we leave you the interactive map that we made for our route with the most emblematic Christmas markets in the area and places of interest in the Black Forest by motorhome at Christmas.

The 20 essential things to do and see in the Black Forest by motorhome at Christmas

In this post you can read the 20 essential plans to do and what to see in the Black Forest by motorhome at Christmas. Most are plans that you can also do in summer.

It is the compilation of our favorite plans from the two trips we have made through the Black Forest.

Our route through the Black Forest in a motorhome at Christmas of 5 days for some of these 20 essentials

Below, we briefly explain our last route through the Black Forest in a motorhome at Christmas. A route through one of the 20 essentials that we have detailed above.

And remember that we can organize and set up your personalized route through the Black Forest in a motorhome with our exclusive route assembly service. Access here and we will begin to help you in no time!

The entrance gate and dream forests of the Black Forest camper van at Christmas

Our route in the Black Forest began at its gateway from Alsace, in Freiburg. A beautiful university city where its Christmas market with 5 spaces and more than 120 stalls wrapped us in the magic of German Christmas. Here, we discover that Christmas in Germany is a gathering of friends and family around the cold nights in their markets.

From Freiburg we went to Felberg, its highest mountain, but before we stopped in Titisee to enjoy your badeparadise spa full of slides for our little ones and their lake. From there, we took a shuttle bus to the Christmas market in the Ravenna Gorge, the Christmas market that we have liked the most so far in both Germany and France. Super nice and special in the middle of nature and under the viaduct. Of course, you have to buy a ticket before also reserving the shuttle bus from Titisee, where we find a motorhome area with all services 5 minutes from where the bus leaves.

In the post of the 20 essential plans of the Black Forest at Christmas tYou have all the details of where and how to reserve the entrance to the Ravenna flea market as well as everything you need to know about it.

Along the cuckoo clock road

From the area of ​​Titisee and Felberg, where we did not find snow this time for skiing, we head towards the north of the Black Forest taking the road of the cuckoo clocks. Here the essential where we stop is Triberg. In Triberg we visit the highest waterfall in Germany and its Black Forest museum, included at the entrance to the waterfalls.

From Triberg we continue uphill, stopping at different points. Just after Triberg you can see the largest cuckoo clock in the world, the blown glass museum or some of the mines that can be visited in this area.

At the end we arrive at another milestone on the route, the town of Charly and the Chocolate Factory: Gengenbach. Where, in addition, we find the largest Advent calendar in the world in its Town Hall, where every day at 18:XNUMX p.m. they put on a small show and open the window for the next day. Every year the windows tell a story and the show is the representation of that scene from the story. This year he played the Little Prince, precious.

To the north of the Black Forest by motorhome

From Gengenbach we go to the most luxurious spa town in Germany. Baden-Baden It has a motorhome area, although a bit far from the center, but you can easily get there with the nearby bus. There we have two spas to dive into and a Christmas market to drink mulled wine again.

From Baden-Baden we went up to Pforzheim, a city on the way to Esslingen am Neckar, the city called the Black Forest gold for its jewelery tradition. Esslingen is worth a visit for its pretty medieval market and its pretty old town with half-timbered houses.

Neither in Pforzheim nor in Esslingen did we find a motorhome area with services, although both have free parking without services reserved for motorhomes. In Pforheim, but we advise against going there. Instead, we can tell you that we slept in the most beautiful place on our entire route here, right next to the Wildlife Park, a fairly large free-access park with animals where you can feed them and sleep next to them.

So far our route this year and the second time in the area, although we encourage you to go to other places and Christmas markets that we point out in our article on the 20 best plans.

We hope you liked this post and it was useful. Remember to follow us on the networks and leave us a comment below if you want to support us to continue writing.

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See you on the road, say hello!

Continue reading our guide to travel to the Black Forest Germany at Christmas

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