11 Best Things to Do in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
We spent three weeks living right in the middle of Freiburg’s Old Town and I think it’s such an underrated place to visit in Germany. We explored a lot, so I wanted to put together a guide to the best things to do in Freiburg im Breisgau!
Freiburg is in southwest Germany, right on the edge of the Black Forest, and it has this really nice mix of historic Old Town, university-city energy, and easy access to nature. The centre is full of colourful old buildings, cobblestone streets, little Bächle running alongside the roads, and Freiburg Münster right in the middle of it all. It’s also incredibly green, which honestly felt very Freiburg after being there for a while.
Three weeks is way longer than we usually get in one place when we’re travelling, and now it’s basically the only way I want to travel. We had time to truly settle in and figure out our favourite spots. In fact, we often spent entire afternoons wandering around aimlessly, and I would recommend doing the same even if you don’t have anywhere near as much time.
And the great thing is that Freiburg is such an easy place to do that. We walked basically everywhere and getting around doesn’t require much planning. It’s super walkable and the trams are reliable.
PS: We stayed at StayInn Freiburg Holiday Apartment right in the Old Town and I loved the location! Being able to step outside and already be in the middle of Freiburg was awesome, especially since we were there for three weeks. I’d definitely stay there again!
1. Wander Around Freiburg’s Old Town (the Altstadt)
Freiburg’s Old Town is basically the quintessential German town I had in my head. Cobbled streets, colourful old buildings, lots of greenery, and little shops tucked into narrow streets. It feels almost fairytale-ish in places (without feeling like it was built purely for tourists).
The Altstadt is definitely the part of Freiburg most people are coming to see, and it’s really easy to explore on foot. Most of the streets are technically open to cars, but there weren’t many driving through while we were there. Freiburg is also a university town, so even though the buildings feel historic, the Old Town itself still feels busy and lived-in.
We spent so much time just wandering around because there was always another street to turn down or little corner we hadn’t noticed before. Even after three weeks, walking through the Old Town with nowhere specific to go was still one of my favourite things to do. Leave yourself time just to wander!
A few things to look for while you’re wandering:
- Freiburg Münster and Münsterplatz, right in the middle of the Old Town
- Schwabentor and Martinstor, the two surviving medieval city gates
- The Bächle, the little water channels running alongside the streets
- Konviktstraße, one of the prettiest little streets in the Altstadt
- Kaiser-Joseph-Straße, the main shopping street
- The smaller squares, fountains, cafés, and side streets that you’ll probably find just by wandering
You can also join a guided tour through the Old Town if you want a little more history while you explore. There are plenty that cover the Münster, old city gates, and some of the stories behind the buildings you’d otherwise just walk past.
2. Put Your Feet in Freiburg’s Bächle
One of my favourite things about Freiburg were the Bächle, the little streams of water that run alongside the streets all through the Old Town. They’re everywhere, and they’re a huge part of what makes Freiburg feel different from other cities.
They’ve been around since roughly the 12th century and were originally used for water supply, drainage, and even helping fight fires. These days, they’re much more fun. When we were there in summer, people were constantly sitting along the edge with their feet in the water trying to cool off.
We did the same plenty of times. We’d grab an iced coffee or matcha, because yes, you absolutely can get iced drinks in Europe despite what everyone says, or pick up a beer or Aperol Spritz and wander until we found somewhere to sit. Gelato also made plenty of appearances.
The Bächle along the busiest streets can fill up quickly on hot days, but you don’t have to go far to find a quieter stretch. Some cafés even have little chairs or platforms set over the water so you can sit right beside them, which I thought was so cute. And whether it was actually the water doing it or just wishful thinking on a 30-degree day, the streets around them always seemed to feel a little cooler.
There’s also a Freiburg legend that says if you accidentally step into a Bächle, you’ll marry someone from Freiburg. A few of the people we were travelling with were looking for partners, so naturally we kept threatening to push them in. We never actually did, so unfortunately I can’t confirm whether it works.
My tip: don’t just take a photo of the Bächle and move on. Grab something cold, find a quieter stretch, and actually sit with your feet in one for a while. That was one of my favourite ways to spend a hot afternoon in Freiburg!
3. Visit Freiburg Münster & Climb the Tower
You really can’t miss Freiburg Münster. It’s the huge Gothic cathedral right in the middle of the Old Town, with its 116-metre red sandstone tower rising above everything around it. The farmers’ market literally wraps around the square outside, so we walked past it constantly.
Construction on the Münster started around 1200 and took roughly 350 years to finish, which is kind of wild when you think about it. The tower itself was completed around 1330 and was one of the tallest church towers in the world at the time. The cathedral also made it through centuries of wars remarkably intact, which is part of why so much of the original medieval building is still there today.
It’s free to visit and definitely worth popping into while you’re already in Münsterplatz (the Cathedral Square). The cathedral is huge inside, with stained glass, old stonework, and lots of little details to look at. It was also noticeably cooler inside than outside, which was very welcome because we happened to go in on a really hot day.
One thing I really wish we had done was climb the Münster tower. You can climb up inside the tower for views over the rooftops of the Old Town, with Schlossberg and the Black Forest beyond the city. We kept saying we’d do it later and, somehow, after three weeks, later never happened. Don’t be like us! If you’re already visiting the cathedral, I’d absolutely add the tower climb too, especially on a clear day.
Since the Münstermarkt is right outside, I’d definitely combine the two. Wander the market, grab something to eat, then head inside the Münster for a look around.
4. Visit the Münstermarkt Farmers Market
The Münstermarkt farmers market wraps right around Freiburg Münster and it’s open every day (except Sunday), usually from the morning until early afternoon, and it’s a must-do when you’re in Freiburg!
There are stalls packed around the cathedral selling produce, flowers, bread, cheese, meat, wine, and all kinds of ready-to-eat food, plus items like toys, brooms, and more. I loved that this huge market was just happening around a medieval cathedral like it was completely normal (because it is!).
Make sure you know some basic German because a lot of the vendors only speak German, or maybe a little English, so my extremely limited German definitely got some practice. Bring cash too. Some vendors take cards, but definitely not all of them.
Try the Schwarzwälder Schinken at the Münstermarkt
Now, the most important part: the food!
The day before we first bought anything at the market, someone we were travelling with ordered Käsespätzle, basically German mac and cheese made with soft egg noodles, and it had this smoky flavour I couldn’t stop thinking about.
The next day, I grabbed what I thought was a little prepackaged wheel of prosciutto at the market. Turns out it was Schwarzwälder Schinken, or Black Forest ham, and that was the smoky flavour I’d tasted the day before.
I was obsessed. I don’t even like the Black Forest ham we get in Canada, and after trying the real thing, I’m not sure it deserves the name. We bought it about three times and usually ate it with baguettes, cheese, and strawberries from the market.
Everyone will tell you to try the bratwurst at the market, and you absolutely should because they’re huge and very German, but DO NOT skip the Schwarzwälder Schinken! I repeat, DO NOT skip it.
5. Hike Around Schlossberg
Schlossberg is probably the easiest way to get into nature without actually leaving Freiburg. It’s right beside the Old Town, and within a few minutes you can go from cobblestone streets to forest trails and viewpoints over the city.
We went up several times while we were staying in Freiburg and didn’t come close to exploring even a quarter of it. There are so many trails up here, from quick walks around the hill to much longer routes that keep going into the surrounding forest. You can even continue toward Roßkopf and hike up near the wind turbines you see on the hills above Freiburg. We mostly just wandered and followed whatever path looked interesting, but I’d check AllTrails if you want to pick a proper route before you go.
You don’t have to hike very far to get a good view either. Kanonenplatz is one of the most popular lookout spots (especially for sunset) over the Old Town and Freiburg Münster, and it only takes a few minutes to reach. We somehow never made it up for sunset, though, which I regret.
If you have a little more energy, keep going up to the Schlossbergturm, the big metal spiral lookout tower near the top. The Germans seem to love these towers because we saw them everywhere. Jacob and I climbed this one and you get a full 360-degree view over Freiburg and the surrounding hills. It’s free too!
I found most of the walking pretty manageable, although there are definitely some steeper sections. If you don’t feel like doing the initial climb, the Schlossbergbahn funicular takes you partway up from Stadtgarten in only about three minutes. We always walked, but it’s a handy option if you want to save time, skip the steepest part, or if steep uphill walking is a mobility concern.
6. Find the Wasserschlössle
I first spotted the Wasserschlössle from Kastaniengarten on Schlossberg. From across the city, it looked like a tiny castle sitting in the trees, and I immediately wanted to know what it was. So, obviously, we went to find it.
From the Old Town, we took tram 1 toward Littenweiler and got off at Maria-Hilf-Kirche. From there, it was about a 15 to 20-minute walk. Most of it was through a really nice residential neighbourhood, then you head into the forest for the last little bit. The forest section is pretty short, so don’t picture some huge hike.
The Wasserschlössle looks like a miniature medieval castle, but it’s actually an old water reservoir that has been supplying parts of Freiburg with drinking water since 1895. Its castle-like façade was based on Freiburg’s city seal from 1245, which I thought was such a cool detail because we’d already been seeing that same little three-towered castle on the manhole covers all over the Old Town.
There’s a fountain out front and a nice view back toward Freiburg, but it isn’t somewhere you’re going to spend hours. For us, it was more about the little adventure of getting there and going off the beaten path. If you have a little extra time in Freiburg, I thought this was such a fun side quest.
7. Ride the Schauinslandbahn
One thing I really wish we had made time for was the Schauinslandbahn. It’s Germany’s longest circulating cable car, stretching 3.6 kilometres and climbing more than 740 metres in about 20 minutes. And the views are awesome! You can see across the Black Forest and Rhine Valley toward the Vosges Mountains, and on a clear day you can even see the Alps.
The Schauinslandbahn takes you from just outside Freiburg up Schauinsland, which is the city’s 1284-metre-high local mountain in the Black Forest. It opened in 1930 as the world’s first circulating passenger cable car, which is pretty cool.
There’s quite a bit to do once you get to the top. You can hike, walk toward the summit, stop for food, or just wander around and enjoy the views. There are shorter walking routes too, so you don’t need to turn it into some huge all-day hike if that’s not what you’re in the mood for.
It’s also pretty easy to get to. From central Freiburg, you can take tram 2 to Günterstal and then bus 21 straight to the valley station, so you don’t need a car at all. That alone makes it such a good option if you’re staying in the Old Town and want to explore the Black Forest without planning a whole road trip.
8. See Schwabentor and Martinstor
Schwabentor and Martinstor are Freiburg’s two remaining medieval city gates, and you’ll almost definitely pass both while exploring the Old Town.
They date back to the 13th century and once formed part of Freiburg’s defensive walls. Today, they’re completely woven into everyday city life. Streets and trams run right through and around them, there are shops and restaurants nearby (don’t get me started on the McDonald’s sign…), and we passed them so often that they quickly became landmarks for figuring out where we were.
Both towers are huge compared to the narrow streets around them, and they add so much to that old German town charm Freiburg has. Schwabentor sits right near the route toward Schlossberg, while Martinstor is closer to the shopping streets around Kaiser-Joseph-Straße.
An interesting bit of history is that Freiburg very nearly lost them. In the late 1800s, some residents and business owners wanted both gates torn down because they were seen as obstacles to the city’s new electric tram system. Thankfully, the city kept them, widened the passage through Martinstor, and actually increased its height from around 22 metres to 63 metres.
There’s a much darker bit of history here too. A memorial plaque on Martinstor names Margaretha Mößmerin, Catharina Stadelmennin, and Anna Wolffartin, three women who were beheaded and burned on March 24, 1599 during Freiburg’s witch persecutions. The plaque says they stand in remembrance of all the women who fell victim to the witch craze and ends with a message about tolerance and humanity.
If that history interests you, there are also guided tours in Freiburg that go deeper into the city’s witch persecutions and medieval past.
You can’t climb either tower, which I was a little disappointed about, but you can go inside Schwabentor to visit the Zinnfigurenklause, a small museum filled with handmade tin figures showing scenes from Freiburg’s history.
9. Hang Out Along the Dreisam River
The Dreisam River runs right through Freiburg and was recommended to us constantly while we were there, especially once the weather got really hot. We mostly just crossed over it while walking around the city, which in hindsight was a mistake. I feel stupid admitting that.
On warm days, locals hang out along the grassy banks, sit on the rocks, cool their feet in the water, and basically treat the river like a giant outdoor hangout spot. It’s also really popular for walking and biking, with paths following the river away from the busier parts of the city.
There are a few particularly popular spots if you actually want to stop for a while. Around the fish ladder near Schwabentor, people sit out on the large rocks, and farther along at Dreieckswiese there’s more grass and space to spread out by the water. If you have a slower afternoon in Freiburg, I’d grab a drink or some snacks and actually spend some time down there.
One thing to know if you’re visiting in summer: Freiburg now restricts entering parts of the Dreisam when water levels get too low to protect the fish, so check the current rules before hopping in.
10. Hang Out at Seepark
If you want to see a completely different side of Freiburg from the Old Town, head out to Seepark. It’s a big green park built around Flückigersee, a lake west of the city centre, and it feels much more like somewhere locals go to spend an afternoon than another tourist attraction.
It’s especially popular with students, probably because Freiburg’s largest student housing complex is right beside it. When the weather is nice, people are spread out all around the lake swimming, having picnics, playing sports, and hanging out on the grass.
There’s quite a bit to do here too. You can walk the full loop around the lake, cross the long bridge over the water, climb the lookout tower, swim, or just find somewhere to sit for a while. There’s also a Japanese garden, mini golf, restaurants, and a beer garden.
We walked all the way around the lake, crossed the bridge, and climbed the tower, which gives you a nice view back over the park. We also stopped at the beer garden for a drink, obviously. It was such an easy afternoon and felt completely different from wandering around the Old Town.
Seepark is outside the historic centre, but it’s still really easy to reach by tram. I’d especially recommend it on a hot day. Freiburg gets really warm in summer, and being able to swim or just sit by the lake is lovely.
11. Go Shopping in Freiburg’s Old Town
Freiburg was actually a really fun city to shop in, especially because so much of it is concentrated around the Old Town and you can just work it into a day of sightseeing.
There’s a really nice mix of bigger stores and smaller independent shops. Kaiser-Joseph-Straße, usually just called Kajo, is the main shopping street and has familiar names like Zara and H&M, but I definitely preferred wandering the smaller streets.
Gerberau was one of my favourites. There are lots of cute little shops tucked into the old buildings along here, and I actually bought my favourite pair of linen pants from one of them. I still wear them all the time, so that was a very successful Freiburg purchase!
The shopping in Freiburg also fits the city really well. It’s such a green, outdoorsy place, so you’ll find plenty of shops selling natural products, sustainable brands, home goods, plants, and locally made things mixed in with the usual stores.
If you’re looking for souvenirs, I’d personally skip the really generic stuff and poke around the smaller shops instead. You’re much more likely to find something local (or at least something you’ll actually want once you get home).
Final Thoughts on Freiburg
After three weeks in Freiburg, I still felt like there was so much more we could have done, which probably says a lot about how much I liked it!
The Old Town is small enough that you can get to know it pretty quickly, but Freiburg never really felt small to me. There was always somewhere else to check out, whether that meant heading up Schlossberg, sitting by the Bächle, walking out to another neighbourhood, or just finding somewhere to have a drink and hang out for a while.
That slower pace ended up being my favourite thing about being there. We didn’t need some huge plan every day. And even with three weeks, we still left things behind. I never climbed the Münster tower, we never made it up the Schauinslandbahn, and I still wish we’d spent one of those really hot afternoons sitting in the Dreisam.
I’d absolutely go back. Next time, though, I’m getting on that cable car and climbing every tower I can find!
Freiburg FAQs
Is Freiburg im Breisgau worth visiting?
Absolutely! Freiburg is a great mix of historic Old Town, easy access to nature, good food, beer gardens, and the Black Forest right on its doorstep. After spending three weeks there, I still felt like we had more to see and do, and I’d go back in a heartbeat.
How many days do you need in Freiburg?
I’d give yourself at least two full days, and three if you want time for places like Seepark, Schlossberg, or the Schauinslandbahn without rushing. You can see the main Old Town sights in a day, but Freiburg is much better when you have time to slow down a little.
Is Freiburg easy to get around without a car?
Yes. We walked almost everywhere and used the trams when we wanted to go a bit farther. The Old Town is especially compact, and places like Schlossberg are only a few minutes away on foot. Freiburg’s main train station is also really close to the Old Town, so it’s easy to arrive by train and keep exploring without needing a car.
What is Freiburg best known for?
Freiburg is probably best known for its medieval Old Town, Freiburg Münster, the little Bächle waterways running through the streets, and its location right beside the Black Forest. It’s also known as one of Germany’s greener cities, with loads of bike paths, trams, parks, and easy access to hiking. The university gives the city a younger feel too, so even though the Old Town is packed with history, Freiburg still feels really lively and lived-in rather than overly touristy.
Can you visit the Black Forest from Freiburg?
Yes, and that’s one of the best reasons to stay here! You can get into forested areas around Schlossberg almost immediately from the Old Town, or go farther into the Black Forest using public transit and the Schauinslandbahn.
Is Freiburg expensive?
I didn’t find Freiburg noticeably more expensive than other cities we visited in Europe. You can also keep food costs down pretty easily by grabbing bread, cheese, fruit, and meat from the Münstermarkt or grocery stores instead of eating every meal at a restaurant.
What is the best area to stay in Freiburg?
I’d stay in or near the Old Town if you can. We stayed right in the Altstadt and loved being able to walk out the door and already be in the middle of everything.