Black Forest on a Budget: 15 Tips for an Affordable Holiday at Feldberg

A Black Forest holiday does not have to be expensive

The Black Forest has the reputation of being an affordable alternative to the Alps — and that is true. But here too there are big price differences between high season and low season, between tourist traps and insider tips, between hotel holidays and self-catering. Anyone who knows a few things saves several hundred euros per week — without the quality of the holiday suffering.

We have put together fifteen concrete tips that we use ourselves or have had recommended by guests.

1. Choose the off-season — the biggest single saving

The high season in the Black Forest is summer holidays (July/August), Christmas/New Year, and the carnival week in February. Outside these times, accommodation prices are markedly lower — this is the biggest single lever in the whole budget. How large the gap actually is, each property sets for itself; ask for both periods and compare.

Particularly affordable:

• Mid-May to mid-June — weather often already summery, all hiking trails snow-free, low prices
• Mid-September to early October — best hiking months, almost empty trails, soft autumn prices
• Mid-November to mid-December — lowest prices of the year, before the Christmas boom
• Mid-January to early February (outside carnival holidays) — good ski conditions, empty slopes, fair prices

2. Self-catering instead of restaurants

A family with two children eating out every evening for a week pays a multiple, on dinners alone, of what the same week costs in groceries from the supermarket. In a holiday apartment with a kitchen that item moves almost entirely into the shopping trolley — and what is left over covers one or two really good restaurant visits. We deliberately quote no amounts here: restaurant and grocery prices move constantly.

Practical: Edeka in Titisee-Neustadt is the best supermarket in the region (large, good selection, fair prices). Aldi and Lidl in Lenzkirch are the cheaper alternatives. Farms around Feldberg often sell directly — eggs, cheese, honey, sometimes sausage.

3. Hiking is free

The most expensive part of the Black Forest is the journey and accommodation. What you do once you are there mostly costs little or nothing. Over 280 km of marked hiking trails around Feldberg, all free. Printed walking maps are available at the Haus der Natur at the current price on site, and the Komoot app is free.

Top free hikes:

• Feldsee circular trail (3 km, easy)
• Seebuck summit tour (5 km, moderate)
• Wiesental trail to Todtnau (8 km, moderate)
• Schluchsee promenade loop (18 km, long but flat)

4. KONUS guest card — use public transport for free

With us you automatically receive the free KONUS guest card at check-in. With it you travel free on public transport across the entire region:

• Public transport in the entire region (all buses and the Dreiseenbahn)
• Regional trains within the KONUS region
• Ski bus in winter

Anyone who uses public transport instead of a rental car quickly saves several hundred euros per week.

Separate from this is the paid Hochschwarzwald Card, a separate regional card offering free entry to many attractions (e.g. Badeparadies Schwarzwald, museums, mountain lifts). We do not issue this card — if you are interested, you can purchase it yourself directly in the region.

5. Direct booking instead of Booking.com

Portals like Booking.com take a commission from hosts, and that cost is already built into the price you see. Book directly with the host and you skip the mark-up — the guest pays less, and the host still earns more. Win-win. The commission rate is set by the portal and changed regularly, which is why we quote no percentage here.

At Black Forest Dream there is a 7 percent discount for direct bookings — on a week’s booking, the single most noticeable reduction you can get without compromising on your dates.

6. Longer stays are cheaper per night

Most rentals offer tiered prices: from around four nights the per-night rate drops, and from a full week it drops again. Each property sets its own tiers — they are in that property’s own rate list. An extended weekend therefore often costs more per night than a whole week.

Furthermore: arrival and final cleaning are paid once, regardless of whether 3 or 7 nights. For short stays, these fixed costs make up most of the price.

7. Weekday instead of weekend

If you are flexible, arrive on Sunday or Monday and leave on Friday or Saturday. This avoids weekend surcharges on accommodation and travel (traffic jams, expensive petrol stations).

Bonus: hiking trails, restaurants, and sights are much quieter during the week. Anyone at Titisee on Friday morning has the lake almost to themselves.

8. Public transport instead of rental car

If you do not absolutely need a rental car, take the train to Titisee or Feldberg-Bärental and use the bus locally. The KONUS guest card (point 4) makes public transport free. That removes rental car, petrol and parking fees entirely — over a week, one of the largest single items you can delete.

For families with small children or for very remote tours, a car is still practical — but not mandatory.

9. Farm breakfast instead of hotel buffet

Several farms around Feldberg sell fresh rolls, eggs, and milk directly at the farm in the morning. That is significantly cheaper than a hotel buffet, which is charged per person per day, and usually more honest.

Roll-order bags exist in many rentals — you hang the bag out in the evening and get warm rolls delivered the next morning. Classic, good, cheap.

10. Skip mountain lifts

The Feldbergbahn is charged per person per ride — for a family that adds up with every ascent. But: the climb on foot only takes about 45 minutes and is a pleasant, well-marked path. Anyone who wants to hike anyway saves the full family fare with every ascent they skip. Current fares are on hochschwarzwald.de.

Similar for many other mountain lifts in the region. In the ski area it is different — there the lift is essential.

11. Picnic instead of mountain hut

A mountain hut charges per person per meal. A picnic from the supermarket costs the whole family roughly what a single hut meal costs. Across a week with lunch on the trail every day, that is the difference between a minor budget item and a major one.

Tip: a thermos with tea, sandwiches, fruit, and a bar per person. Enough for a whole day’s hike. On the way home, coffee in a mountain hut — you have earned that, and it stays a fraction of what a hut lunch for the whole family would cost.

12. Check entry fees in advance

Some sights are worth the money (Badeparadies, Steinwasen Park, Vogtsbauernhof). Others are classic tourist traps (House of 1000 Clocks, some show mines). Before arrival invest half an hour and read online reviews — it saves the family the entry fee for at least one wrong call.

13. Fuel stop in France or Switzerland

Arriving from the north: fuel in Alsace is frequently cheaper than in Germany, and even a small difference per litre is noticeable across a full tank. Fuel prices move daily, and especially so near the border — check them in a fuel-price app shortly before you set off rather than relying on a figure from a blog post.

Anyone coming from the south refuels in Switzerland — there fuel is surprisingly affordable (as of 2026), and the route via the A98 leads directly past.

14. Free Walking Tours in Freiburg

Freiburg is 45 minutes from Feldberg and costs nothing for walking. The old town with the cathedral, the Bächle, and the Augustinerplatz can be explored well on foot. Several providers offer free walking tours (voluntary tips at the end).

Bonus tip: The Markthalle on Münstermarkt is cheaper than the restaurants around it — international food at street-food rather than restaurant prices.

15. Toy stash instead of souvenir shops

A single visit to a souvenir shop in Titisee or Triberg adds up surprisingly fast for a family — for some plastic and a cuckoo-clock magnet figure. Take a small box of toys or craft material from home — and the real souvenir becomes a piece of Black Forest honey, a jar of mirabelle jam, or a good Black Forest ham.

What a week’s costs are actually made of

An example: family with two children, one week in May (low season). Rather than quoting amounts that are stale by the time you read them, here are the items and their weight — largest first:

• Apartment Feldberg accommodation — by far the largest item, and markedly lower in May than in the summer holidays
• Self-catering groceries — second largest, but it replaces the daily restaurant bills
• Fuel for the journey and on-site — depends on how far you are coming, not on the holiday itself
• Two restaurant visits — deliberate exceptions rather than routine
• Entries (Badeparadies, Vogtsbauernhof) — plannable, because you decide in advance which ones you actually want
• Public transport with the KONUS guest card — drops out entirely, the card acts as your ticket

The rule behind it: accommodation and food decide the week’s budget, everything else is fine-tuning. A hotel holiday with full board sits well above it for the same number of people — because both of those large items are charged per person there.

Frequently asked questions about a cheap Black Forest holiday

How do I make a Black Forest holiday cheaper?

Two decisions determine almost the entire week’s budget: when you travel and where you eat. Off-season instead of high season cuts the largest item, the accommodation; a holiday apartment with a kitchen cuts the second largest, the food. Everything else is fine-tuning — booking direct instead of through a portal, a longer stay instead of an extended weekend, public transport with the KONUS guest card instead of a rental car, and hiking trails that cost nothing anyway.

When is the Black Forest cheapest?

Outside high season, and high season is easy to predict: the summer school holidays, Christmas and New Year, and carnival week in February. Mid-May to mid-June, mid-September to early October, mid-November to mid-December, and mid-January to early February outside the carnival holidays are all quiet and affordable. How large the gap to high season actually is depends on the property — ask for both periods and compare.

What does a week in the Black Forest cost for a family?

We deliberately quote no total here: accommodation, grocery and fuel prices all move constantly, and a figure in a blog post is out of date by the time you read it. The structure is more useful — accommodation is by far the largest item, food the second largest, fuel depends on how far you are coming, entry fees are plannable because you decide in advance, and public transport disappears entirely with the KONUS guest card. Get the first two items down and the budget takes care of itself. Ask for current rates for your dates directly.

Is booking direct really cheaper than Booking.com?

Usually yes, for a structural reason: portals take a commission from the host, and that commission is already built into the price you see. Book direct and the mark-up disappears — the guest pays less and the host still earns more. The commission rate is set by the portal and changed regularly, which is why we quote no percentage here. At Black Forest Dream, direct bookings get 7 percent off.

What can you do in the Black Forest for free?

Most of what people come for. Over 280 km of marked hiking trails around Feldberg are freely accessible, including the Feldsee circular trail, the summit tour up the Seebuck, the Wiesental trail to Todtnau and the Schluchsee promenade loop. Freiburg’s old town is best explored on foot, and with the KONUS guest card buses and regional trains across the area are free.

Do you need a car in the Upper Black Forest, or is public transport enough?

For most stays public transport is enough. Take the train to Titisee or Feldberg-Bärental and use the bus locally; the KONUS guest card acts as your ticket, so rental car, fuel and parking fees drop out of the budget entirely — one of the largest single items you can delete. A car stays practical for families with very small children and for remote tours, but it is not required.

Stay with us

Planning a stay at Feldberg? Our holiday apartments are located right in the High Black Forest — self check-in, mountain panorama, infrared sauna, and 7% cheaper than Booking.com.

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