Hochschwarzwald Card and KONUS Guest Card Explained

These are two separate cards. The Hochschwarzwald Card is free, but you only receive it through participating hosts for stays of two or more consecutive nights. The KONUS guest card is also free and covers buses and regional trains; it comes from hosts that levy the Kurtaxe. Black Forest Dream issues the KONUS guest card, not the Hochschwarzwald Card.

At a glance

Hochschwarzwald Card: Free, only through participating hosts
Condition: At least 2 consecutive nights with a participating host
Card benefits: Around 100 attractions once each free, plus advantage prices
KONUS guest card: Free for buses and regional trains, no mountain railways
At Black Forest Dream: KONUS guest card with your registration, no Hochschwarzwald Card

Hochschwarzwald Card and KONUS guest card: the difference

In the Upper Black Forest there are two guest cards that are often lumped together. They do different jobs and reach you in different ways.

Hochschwarzwald Card: a free digital guest card of the Hochschwarzwald holiday region for leisure activities. According to the region, it opens around 100 attractions that you can each visit once free of charge. It is issued only by hosts that take part in the Card programme.
KONUS guest card: a free guest card for public transport. It is valid on buses and regional trains in 2nd class and is issued by hosts that levy the Kurtaxe, the local visitor tax.

So one card is meant for admissions, the other for buses and trains. Which of the two you get is decided by your accommodation: it issues one, both or neither of the cards. That is why it pays to know what a host offers before you book.

Who gets the Hochschwarzwald Card

The Hochschwarzwald Card is tied to your stay. Under the region’s terms of use, the people entitled to it are those who have booked at least two consecutive nights with a participating host. On its Card page the region puts it this way: from the second night, you receive the Card free of charge from all participating hosts.

This is how it works:

You book at least two consecutive nights with a host that takes part in the Card programme.
Your host sends you an e-mail to activate the Card.
You log in at mein.hochschwarzwald.de and retrieve your Card there.
Every traveller receives a personal QR code. The QR codes may not be transferred to other people.

The Card is valid on the arrival day and on the departure day too, so you can fit in an attraction on the way to your accommodation or after checking out. The Card itself costs you nothing.

What the Hochschwarzwald Card covers

The region names around 100 attractions that you can each visit once free of charge with the Card. Card advantage prices apply to further offers. The region maintains the exact list itself and adjusts it over time. We therefore deliberately do not list individual providers or discounts here, because details like these go out of date quickly.

Two examples from the official list of benefits:

Swimming: with the Card you swim free of charge in many outdoor and indoor pools in the region. Which bathing spots exist at Titisee and Schluchsee, and which rules apply there, is covered in our guide Swimming in the Upper Black Forest: Titisee, Schluchsee and bathing spots.
Titisee: a boat trip on the Titisee is a free Card benefit.

It is best to check the current scope directly on the region’s benefits page before you plan your outings.

The KONUS guest card: buses and regional trains

The KONUS guest card is free and works as a ticket on buses and regional trains in 2nd class. You receive it in printed form on arrival, once you have filled in the registration form with your host. Only hosts that levy the Kurtaxe can issue it.

Important for planning: mountain railways are excluded from the KONUS guest card. For a mountain railway you need a separate ticket from the operator.

A good example of what the card is useful for is the Dreiseenbahn. This regional railway links Titisee and Seebrugg, stops at Feldberg-Bärental on the way, and so makes the Titisee and the Schluchsee reachable without a car. Current timetables are on bahn.de. The region describes the exact area of validity on its KONUS guest card page.

What applies at Black Forest Dream

Black Forest Dream does not take part in the Hochschwarzwald Card programme. For your stay this means:

KONUS guest card included: you receive the free KONUS guest card with your registration on arrival. With it you use buses and regional trains in 2nd class without buying a separate ticket.
No Hochschwarzwald Card: you do not receive a Hochschwarzwald Card through us. So plan admissions to attractions, pools and mountain railways at the operators’ regular prices.
Want the Card? If the Card matters to you, you can find participating hosts through the region’s accommodation search, which lists all accommodation with the Hochschwarzwald Card.

For many of our guests the KONUS guest card is what counts most: from Feldberg-Bärental station you reach Titisee and Schluchsee by regional train without having to worry about tickets.

Frequently asked questions about the Hochschwarzwald Card

What is the Hochschwarzwald Card?

The Hochschwarzwald Card is a free digital guest card of the Hochschwarzwald holiday region. According to the region, it lets you visit around 100 attractions once each free of charge, with Card advantage prices for further offers. Every traveller receives a personal QR code, and the Card is also valid on the arrival and departure day.

What does the Hochschwarzwald Card cost and how do you get it?

The Card itself costs nothing. You receive it from the second night with a participating host. The host sends you an activation e-mail, after which you log in at mein.hochschwarzwald.de. Every traveller gets their own QR code, which cannot be transferred to other people.

Can you get the Hochschwarzwald Card without staying with a participating host?

No. Under the region’s terms of use, the people entitled to the Card are those who have booked at least two consecutive nights with a participating host. The Card is therefore tied to such a stay. The region’s accommodation search on hochschwarzwald.de shows which hosts take part.

What is the KONUS guest card?

The KONUS guest card is a free guest card for buses and regional trains in 2nd class. You receive it in printed form on arrival, once you have filled in the registration form with your host. Only hosts that levy the Kurtaxe, the local visitor tax, can issue it.

Is the KONUS guest card valid on mountain railways?

No. The KONUS guest card is valid on buses and regional trains in 2nd class, but the use of mountain railways is excluded. For a mountain railway you therefore need a separate ticket; the respective operator publishes the current fares.

Does Black Forest Dream provide the Hochschwarzwald Card?

No. Black Forest Dream does not take part in the Hochschwarzwald Card programme and does not issue the Card. Instead, our guests receive the free KONUS guest card with their registration on arrival and use it for buses and regional trains in 2nd class.

How do you find accommodation that offers the Hochschwarzwald Card?

The region runs its own accommodation search on hochschwarzwald.de that lists all accommodation with the Hochschwarzwald Card. If the Card matters to you, choose a participating host there and book at least two consecutive nights with them.

Stay with us

In our holiday apartments you stay in the middle of the Upper Black Forest, ideal for trips in all directions — with self check-in, a fully equipped kitchen and room for the whole family. Dogs are welcome. Booked directly, you pay around 7% less than on Booking.com.