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A road trip through the Black Forest and Heidelberg, Germany

27th January 2025, 13:01 by Ananth Iyer

If you are ever travelling through this route there are few places you must stop over and enjoy the scene such as the stop in Ruhestein.

BHPian Drexler recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Hello BHPians!

Last month, I got the opportunity to drive through the Black Forest, along with a visit to the city of Heidelberg. Let me take you through the journey.

I recently relocated to Stuttgart, and not long after, a friend of mine, who had been in India for a vacation called. He and his newly wedded wife were planning to return to Stuttgart. On the 26th of December, he called me with a favour to ask. He was landing in Frankfurt and asked if I could pick him up on the 29th as this was the first time his wife was coming to Germany and wanted to give her a nice experience. Without a moment's hesitation, I said yes! Of course I wanted to help the friend out but I also like roadtrips and I might as well make some worth of the hefty money I paid for a German License. Being a petrolhead, the exuberant cost of German License was blinded by the foreseeable fun that I could have with it.

There was just one hitch, I don’t have the money to own a car. I decided to rent a car from my regular rental company and add some healthy kilometers into the rental account. This helps me get good deals and better cars every time. Since Frankfurt was about two hours of drive in each direction, I thought I might as well make the most of it and explore some of the nice places around Stuttgart.

Among the places I had foremost in my mind was the Schwarzwald, which is a region in Baden-Württemberg famous for its picturesque landscapes, thick woods, and charming villages, a must see I would say. It's about a 40 minute detour from the route between Stuttgart Frankfurt via the Autobahn, but for all those nature and road-trip lovers, this place is a real catch. Driving on winding roads with tall trees was a treat. I couldn't resist stopping at a few spots to take in the views and capture some memories.

Another stop I was excited about was the beautiful city of Heidelberg. It is known for its stunning old town, the famous Heidelberg Castle, the Old Heidelberg Bridge and the scenic views along the River Neckar.

Planned route: Stuttgart Airport –> Freudenstadt -> Baden-Baden via Schwarzwaldhochstrasse -> Heidelberg -> Frankfurt

Return Route: Frankfurt Airport -> Stuttgart Feuerbach

So here’s how the trip went:

Since 29th December was a Sunday, my usual rental service located inside the city centre was closed, which meant I had to book a car from Stuttgart Airport. I booked a Skoda Octavia Combi Petrol.

On the day itself I left home at 10:00 am and reached the airport in 30 minutes. My pick up time was 11:00 am but I reached early. The guy at the desk thought I had come from outside Germany which is why he was checking all my documents despite me being a preferred member of the rental company. I gave him my debit card and he straight away rejected it saying I need a different card, and it won’t be accepted. (For reference I use a German Giro + Debit card, and he was unaware and not willing to look at my card. He thought I have a Giro card only). After asking him to check the entered card details and showing him my previous bookings with the same card he was finally convinced! After getting the paperwork and the keys I headed to the rental parking lot. Generally, I book the most basic car and they upgrade me to a higher class car, but not this time. It was a regular Octavia.

Left Stuttgart Airport at 11:00 am for Freudenstadt. The road was mostly uneventful.

As I started my drive on the Schwarzwaldhochstrasse the scenery quickly transformed into heaven. The winding roads encouraged me to drive like a Formula 1 racecar driver by hitting the apex every corner and then accelerating into the Kemmel straight! I swear I could hear David Croft screaming out my name saying here comes Drexler in his rented Skoda and is neck and neck with a Peugeot! Snap! I am doing 50 kmph obeying the speed limit. But cheers to Germany, they have added few sections with higher speed limit where you can drive sportingly. Pictures won’t do a justice here but nevertheless here are few.

Disclaimer: The pictures were only taken when the conditions were safe.

Here are few pictures of the car and the surrounding as I stopped at a rest place.

If you are ever travelling through this route there are few places you must stop over and enjoy the scene such as the stop in Ruhestein. I could not stop here as there were no parking spots available and I had limited time. Try not to visit this place on a weekend.

As I left for Heidelberg, it had started to turn dark. I reached Heidelberg at 17:00 and it was pitch black. Could not explore the city too much but nevertheless managed to walk around the city centre.

Here are few snaps:

Heidelberg Castle

At the Karl-Theodor Brucke also known as the Old Heidelberg Bridge

After exploring the city for 2 two hours got a call from my friend saying they have landed. So left the place and reached Frankfurt Arrivals terminal in an hour. Picked up the friend and then headed back to Stuttgart via Autobahn. The drive back was fairly uneventful but was filled with the beautiful stories of India and Mumbai. God I missed my home and my family and friends and the beautiful memories that I cherish.

Extras:

Speed on an unrestricted section on the Autobahn: