Attractions in Freiburg

Freiburg’s old town is a mix of Baden warmth, historic buildings and Mediterranean flair. Streams flow through almost every street in Freiburg's historic old town, fed by the scenic river Dreisam. The Freiburger Bächle brooks are some of the old town’s most iconic attractions and have been landmarks in the city since the Middle Ages.

Freiburg Minster Cathedral is the centrepiece of the Münsterplatz and a must-see for visitors to the city. The Münster of Our Lady is one of the few large Gothic churches that were completed in the Middle Ages and survived numerous wars virtually intact.

It’s not far from the cathedral to other historic buildings such as the two Freiburg gates, the Martinstor and the Schwabentor. While you stroll through picturesque alleys, take in the artistic exterior of the Red Bear department store and the buildings on Konviktstrasse Street. Konviktstrasse is just one of many iconic streets in Freiburg – Gerberau and Fischerau, also known as Little Venice because of its canal, both have great things to do too.

Various museums are also distributed in the old town. The Augustiner Museum is one of the most important museums on the Upper Rhine. Here you can admire, for example, a renowned art collection that contains works from the Middle Ages to the Baroque. The Naturkundemuseum Natur und Mensch is also located directly on Augustinerplatz in the picturesque Gerberau alley.

The whole family discovers natural and cultural living environments in this natural ethnology museum. If you turn into a side street of Gerberau, you will find the Museum for New Art on Marienstraße, which describes itself as a "forum for important artistic and social debates" and offers exciting perspectives on contemporary trends. Students, their parents, alumni and foreigners get to know the history of the Freiburg University in the Uniseum.

Student traditions come to life here. On the northern edge of the old town in the Colombipark is the Colombischlössle, built in 1859/61, which houses the Archaeological Museum. You can experience archeology at a Roman fashion show, during costume tours or in the experimental Stone Age workshop. 

The Freiburg Minster is indisputably the dominant building in the old town and, as a Roman Catholic parish church, is certainly the most important church in Freiburg. The Herz-Jesu Church in the Stühlinger district also impresses with its double tower facade, which is reminiscent of the Limburg Cathedral. The Johanneskirche St. Johann , south of the Dreisam, or the Christuskirche are other important churches in Freiburg.

The Schlossberg in Freiburg with its 455.9 meters is a real place to fall in love. Whether from the beer garden or from the castle tower, the view over the roofs of the city is enchanting. In the evening the sun bathes the old town with the cathedral and the beautiful roof gables in warm light. In the background the hills of the Vosges there is a picturesque spectacle that should be seen. If you want to save yourself the way up on foot, you can reach the Schlossberg from the Stadtgarten on the edge of the old town with the Schlossbergbahn, an inclined elevator.

About 15 kilometers south of the city center is the Schauinsland , Freiburg's local mountain. With Germany's longest cable car, you can hover to the summit at 1,284 meters in just 20 minutes. If you climb the Schauinsland Tower, the mountain lives up to its name: When the weather is good, you can enjoy a wonderful view of the Black Forest, the Rhine Valley, the Vosges Mountains and the Swiss Alps.

Freiburg is also called the capital of the Black Forest or the Black Forest metropolis. Freiburg is the ideal starting point for day trips and exciting experiences in the Black Forest.

Baden is the southernmost wine-growing region in Germany. The warm climate is responsible for the fact that it is the only German wine-growing region to be included in the EU wine-growing zone B under wine law. Weingut Faber, Weingut Landmann and the Staatsweingut Freiburg are among the best-known wineries around Freiburg.

If you want to take a drop home with you for cozy hours, you will also receive excellent advice in Freiburg: in the house of Baden wine, the Alte Wache , you can learn everything about Freiburg's history of viticulture. The Drexler wine shop and Jacques Weindepot are also good places to find something.