Things To Do in Triberg

It’s easy to find Wasserfälle Gutach (Gutach Falls), also known as Triberg Falls, in which the Gutach River spills some some 160m (525 ft.) downhill in seven misty and poetically evocative stages: Signs all over town point to deutschland’s hochste wasserfälle (Germany’s Highest Waterfalls). The falls are accessible only on foot, and only between April and late October. (The rest of the year, snow makes trails dangerously slippery, and access to the falls is closed.) It takes no more than half an hour of moderate climbing to reach the falls, and you can replenish your reserves in a cafe and restaurant at the bottom that serves bracing, rib-sticking German food and big portions of Black Forest cake. You might be disappointed to discover the falls are more of a tourist attraction than a pristine natural wonder: They’re illuminated at night, and at any time a kiosk collects an entrance charge of 3.50€ for adults, 2€ for students and children ages 8 to 17, free for children under 8.

Schwarzwald-Museum Triberg, Wallfahrtstrasse 4 (📞 07722/4434; www.schwarzwaldmuseum.com), pays homage to Black Forest traditions with displays of handicrafts, furnishings, and, of course, clocks and clock making. A working model of the famed Schwarzwaldbahn railway chugs across the Black Forest, through spectacular scenery; parts of the electrified route, completed in 1873, still cover 150km (90 miles), passing through 39 tunnels and over 2 viaducts. The museum is open daily May to September 10am to 6pm, and October to April 10am to 5pm. Admission is 5€ adults and 3€ students and children ages 5 to 17; it’s free for children 4 and under enter free.