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For those who love to hike and those who love to eat, there’s Baiersbronn, located in southern Germany’s Black Forest.
Baiersbronn is offering a variety of new “Gourmet Hikes” where guests can enjoy both nature and foods on the same tour. Hikers of the Black Forest know to vespern, or “bring snacks,” along their journeys. With the gourmet hikes, travelers can choose from a large number of hiking experiences, trails, themes and hiking cabins as well as regional productions of the Black Forest, including Black Forest ham, Hinterwald cattle, honey, Black Forest Gateau, schnapps and more.
The municipality, which has Michelin stars, is offering a new “Culinary Hiking Heaven” program, designed to teach visitors the important relationship between nature and nourishment. The program involves “Wild Plant Hosts,” or nearby restaurants and inns that use natural ingredients from the local forest to prepare dishes. “Wild Plant Guides” take visitors on hikes to introduce them to the forest and the “Wild Plant Discovery Trail,” where visitors learn about the nature of the forest and all it offers. Hikers of the Culinary Hiking Heaven program will also get to enjoy “Baiersbronn Treasures” or special dishes developed by food writer Hannes Finkbeiner. Finkbeiner developed the dishes through his conversations with local restaurateurs and food producers, using local produce and a transparent production chain with responsible handling of original ingredients.
In addition to Culinary Hiking Heaven, Baiersbronn hosts many different themed-guided hikes, planned across all different seasons. When guests use the Black Forest Card particular tours and hikes are completely free, while others might have a cost per person. Guests who spend two or more nights in any of the participating Black Forest hotels will receive a Black Forest Card for free.
The hikes not only focus on food menus but on specialty region-specific drinks as well. The “Scnappstour” centers on how to make Black Forest liquors. Guests hike along a path with their guide to the distillery, where Dr. Zimmerman produces the high alcohol percentage schnapps out of local fruits. For beer drinkers, try the “Hops and Malt” beer tour. The hike teaches travelers how to make beer, the science of brewing and the art of brewing, thanks to Baiersbronn Tourism and Alpirsbacher Klosterbrau.
Good to know: There's a Baiersbronn’s digital interactive map to make for easy planning. The map offers a comprehensive selection of trails, topographic maps, profiles of altitude and a variety of descriptions that help plan hikes. The map is available on the Baiersbronn’s website in the Hiking Service section.
Visitors will need to register for the hikes beforehand at Baiersbronn’s Information Center. Groups of seven or more people should call or e-mail to make special arrangements.