Viking River Cruise-Black Forest Tour-Germany
In the fall of 2024, Matthew and I went on a Viking River Cruise along the Rhine. One of the highlights for us was visiting the Black Forest in Germany. Viking has a partnership with the Hofgut Sternen which is a Black Forest Village and that is where they took us on our excursion. Read on to discover more about the Black Forest and to decide if you want to stop by Hofgut Sternen if you are in the area.
General Information
A photo of the brochure from the village.
Our excursion was set from 8:30am-12:30pm through Viking. The ship docked at Breisach, and we took a bus for about an hour into the Black Forest until we arrived at the village. They did warn us that the drive was along a very curvy road and to be weary if prone to motion sickness, so Matt did take some Dramamine (spoiler alert-it was not bad at all).
The Drive
Photo taken from the bus headed into the Black Forest.
We started off by leaving Breisach and heading into the forest. We passed through several villages along the way and listened to facts about village life and history from our guide as we drove along. We also got to drive on the autobahn which was a highlight for Matt!
It was a Sunday and our guide told us that the only place that would be open today would be the bakery and that it would only be open until 11am. She also told us that no trucks are allowed on the highway on Sundays to allow people to commute back to work.
My favorite thing that the guide shared was about the storks. They live in the area, and we had many stork sightings along our way. Apparently, storks mate for life, and they come back to the same nest every year. The male stork comes back after migration a week before the female to fluff and check the nest. They can become really large. The most famous storks nest in the region was along our path.
The nest got so big that the priest had to take it down and they had to reenforce the roof and then re-construct the nest and a structure underneath it. There were 28 shoes inside and countless socks! There is a live camera on the nest to that people can check in on it. We also saw storks flying above the bus and in a field as we were driving back. Photos below!
Black Forest Info
The guide shared some fun facts about the forest as we continued our drive towards the village:
The Romans named it.
They saw mists and thought it was evil spirits.
Nomadic tribes were the first to live there.
Rottweiler comes from the Black Forest-they even have a town.
5 million visitors a year. Hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing.
No bears for 100 years because of the cuts from the industrial revolution-not enough patches of forest.
Wolves were gone but came back!
Red fox horses are from here.
100 miles south to north and 30 miles east to west.
Famous for cuckoo clock.
Has a region called the Valley Of Hell-known for slopes and valleys. Bandits would hide here.
Hansel & Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, and Snow White are all associated with the forest thanks to the Grimm brothers.
The Village
Photo taken from a post card from the village.
Hofgut Sternen-The Black Forest Village lies within Germany’s largest nature reserve, the Southern Black Forest Nature Park. We were told on the bus that we could choose between a hike, a tour of the grounds that included the chapel, or a cuckoo clock demonstration. I knew right away that we wanted to do the cuckoo clock demonstration, so we took directions from our guide to meet at the restaurant at the designated time for the Black Forest Cake demonstration before departure and set off for the clocks!
Cuckoo Clock Demonstration
The handicraft of clock making started in the middle of the 17th century and continues today. We took a few minutes to look around the beautiful shop while our instructor got ready for the demonstration. I knew that this was one souvenir I HAD to take back with me, so I looked over each and every clock. They ranged in style, detail, size, and intricacy.
We stepped over to see the 20-minute demo and learned about the origins and construction of the clocks. I have a short video below.
After the demo, I continued my search for the perfect clock to take home. I decided on the one below. It makes the classic “cuckoo” every hour and sings a different song. It can also detect when it is light outside, so it is not going off all night long and is electric, so I do not have to wind it.
They offer flat rate shipping, and you can ship as many items as you want from this shop and the glass blowing shop so take your time (if you have it). I shipped my clock and one for my mother-in-law for $69. They had me fill out my information and told me it would take about 4-6 weeks, but it came the week I got home from my cruise (so maybe a week later). They give you a customer service number and email and I also got a confirmation email once my clock was shipped ang got updated emails on its location and arrival estimation. It came expertly packaged with directions for easy set up. Highly recommend as an incredible souvenir.
Exploring The Village
In front of the hotel.
We only had about 20 minutes before we were due to meet at the cake demonstration and I wanted to see as much of the village as possible. After we explored the cuckoo clock shop and made our selection, we headed over to the glassblower’s demonstration building to see if we could catch that in action.
Map photo taken from the back of the brochure.
Sweet little building between the cuckoo clock demonstration building and the glassblowers demonstration building.
The history of glass production in the Black Forest can be traces back to the 13th century. It was incredible to step into the shop and watch a piece of history. They had many beautiful pieces for sale.
The photo below is just outside the glassblowing shop. All of the yard ornaments you see were available for purchase and made in house.
Mindful of our time, we hustled over to the hotel and peeked inside. We could only see the lobby and the restaurant, but the outside was captivating and the flowers in the flower boxes were really unique. Below is a link to the hotel if you are interested in booking. It was created in the 15th century and in 1770 Marie Antoinette passed through on her way to wed King Louis XVI. In 1779 the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe visited and slept twice!
Next, we wandered past the hotel towards Ravenna Viaduct ant Ravenna Gorge.
The Ravenna Viaduct construction first began in the 19th century and the second construction began in 1926.
We saw this little guy on the hillside as we got closer to the Viaduct.
Sadly, we did not make it down to St. Oswald’s chapel which is the oldest chapel in the Black Forest and dates back to 1148. We also did not explore the renewable energy power plant that is on site and open to the public. After the Ravenna Viaduct we hustled back to the main building and down to the lower level for the Black Forest Cake demonstration.
Black Forest Cake Demonstration
We got down to the demonstration area with a few minutes to spare and it was actually a little cafeteria. They sold food and drinks, and of course, Black Forest Cake. I absolutely could not resist, so Matt and I got a piece to share.
The set up for the demonstration. They also sold those little kits that you can see on the left-hand side of the table so you could have authentic Black Forest ingredients to take home and make a cake. I regret not buying a kit.
We got our seats and made sure to have clear line of sight to the demo stable so I could record it (I wanted to be able to re-create the recipe at home).
At the end of the demonstration the chef handed out recipe cards for everyone to take home!
It was a super quick trip, and we honestly wish we had at least an hour longer just to explore. With more time we probably would have also done the hike. If you are visiting on your own and not through Viking, you can obviously spend all the time you want doing any of the available activities. You can even enjoy a meal at the cafeteria or at the hotel restaurant. If you are in the area, it is definitely worth stopping by even just for the shopping and the views. Enjoy and safe travels!
Photo I took from the bus leaving the village.
