Freiburg

Start your trip in sunny Freiburg, today a cheerful “little big city” with southern flair and a charming mix of tradition and progress. It’s a German city with an almost Mediterranean climate and certainly the attending ambiance and joie de vivre. France, after all, is just 25 kilometers (15 miles) away. During the holidays, though, its attitude is a bit more North Pole than Mediterranean.  

Set in the heart of the historic Old Town, Freiburg’s charming Christmas Market offers the magnificent fragrance of mulled wine and bratwurst, gingerbread and hot chestnuts as well as plenty of gift ideas, such as jewelry, puppets, pottery, candles, Christmas tree decorations and much more. Gerberau, one of Freiburg’s idyllic streets, becomes the illuminated setting of a number of festive events, such as the popular Feierling-Biergarten Advent Market one night each year.

There are several Christmas Markets in nearby country house gardens, including Schloss Ebnet and Schloss Reinach.  At the Konzerthaus Freiburg (Concert Hall) and Historisches Kaufhaus (Historic Merchant’s Hall), you can indulge in classical concerts or chamber concerts by the region’s renowned orchestras and musicians throughout the season.

In Freiburg, you encounter historic sights at every corner. The Cathedral Square is surrounded by impressive buildings, the tallest of which is the steep-roofed Historisches Kaufhaus with its colorfully adorned bartizans. Sights worth visiting include the Old and New Town Halls, the Haus zum Walfisch (House of the Whale) with its superb late Gothic portal, the Basler Hof (Basle Court) and the two medieval city gates (Martinstor and Schwabentor) still standing today.

Picturesquely encircling the magnificent Gothic Cathedral, the medieval Old Quarter features architectural treasures including a colorful marketplace, twisting, narrow lanes, and miniature streams flowing through the streets and alleyways. The cathedral’s 381-foot tower ranks among the masterworks of Gothic architecture, distinguishing Freiburg’s incomparable silhouette.

If you attempt the Cathedral tower, you’ll be rewarded at the pinnacle of your climb with a breathtaking view. And even at such lofty heights, the enchanting ambiance of this old university town is palpable. The old city center’s numerous historical monuments, museums, theaters, cozy restaurants and quaint bars all make this city so popular among students and visitors alike.

Visitors to Freiburg will quickly note a unique city feature, the so-called Bächle—or little streams—built nearly 600 years ago as a water supply and to fight fires. The water flows down to the Rhine, providing a way for tired backpackers to cool their feet and a race course for kids with rubber ducks. These babbling little streams offer a charming and often whimsical air to the Old Town.

A popular day trip within the city limits is the Schauinsland, Freiburg’s 4,213-foot “hometown” mountain. The scenery viewed from the cable car running to the summit spans far out over the Rhine plain, past vineyard hills toward the gray-silhouetted backdrop of the French Vosges mountain range. From the summit, the view extends deep into the Black Forest and south to the Alps. Tiny villages, with their red roofs and narrow steeples, and ivy-draped castle ruins perfect this idealistically quaint setting.