Getting Between Stops
Paris to Colmar is a TGV of about two and a half hours from Gare de l'Est. Book ahead for the best fares.
Rent a car in Colmar for the wine route, the Black Forest and the lake. Colmar to Freiburg is about an hour. Freiburg or Baden-Baden to Lake Constance is about two to two and a half hours. Konstanz to Zurich Airport is about an hour.
If you rent in France and return the car in Switzerland, expect a substantial one-way fee. Ask about options when you book, or return the car in Germany and take the train to Zurich.
German highways are fast. Mountain roads in the Black Forest are narrow and winding, so allow more time than the map suggests.
On Lake Constance, passenger ferries link the main towns from spring to autumn. The Konstanz to Meersburg car ferry runs year-round.
Where to Stay
In Alsace, Colmar is the most convenient base. La Maison des Têtes is a historic hotel in a 17th-century building with carved faces on its façade. Small hotels in Riquewihr, Eguisheim and Kaysersberg are quieter once day visitors leave. For a splurge, Villa René Lalique in northern Alsace is a luxury hotel in the glass designer's former home.
In the Black Forest, Brenners Park-Hotel and Spa in Baden-Baden is the classic grand hotel on the park. In Baiersbronn, Traube Tonbach and Bareiss each run a Michelin-starred restaurant alongside large spa areas.
On Lake Constance, Lindau's island old town is the most romantic base. The Steigenberger Inselhotel in Konstanz occupies a former Dominican monastery on a tiny island with a lakeside terrace. Meersburg suits wine lovers, with small hotels by the water or near the castle.
When to Go
May to October is the best time. Late spring brings flowers and long evenings. Summer is warm enough for lake swimming and outdoor dining. September and October bring the wine harvest in Alsace and the Kaiserstuhl, with autumn color in the Black Forest.
July and August are busy, especially on Lake Constance, where German families holiday. Book hotels well ahead.
Late November through December brings famous Christmas markets in Strasbourg and Colmar, along with Baden-Baden's market. A winter version of this route works well for couples who love cozy inns and mulled wine, though lake ferries run reduced schedules and swimming is out.
January to March is quiet and cold, with some hotels closed. Spas and dinners still make it worthwhile for a short trip.
What It Costs
This route is moderately priced for Western Europe. As an approximate guide, village inns and boutique hotels in Alsace cost about $150 to $350 a night for two. Brenners Park-Hotel in Baden-Baden and the Baiersbronn spa hotels run about $400 to $700 or more. Lake Constance hotels cost roughly $200 to $450, with the Swiss shore more expensive.
A rental car, fuel and the TGV are moderate. One-way fees across borders can add up.
The things worth paying for are a tasting menu in Baiersbronn, a Friedrichsbad session, a winery visit on the Alsace wine route and a Zeppelin flight over the lake if the budget stretches. Winstub dinners and Black Forest village cafés are excellent value.
Tips for the Two of You
Friedrichsbad is textile-free and partly mixed. If either of you is uncomfortable with that, go to the thermal pools at the Caracalla Spa next door, where swimsuits are worn.
Wine tastings and winding roads do not mix. Choose a designated driver, use e-bikes or book a guided tasting day.
Pack layers and a rain jacket. Weather in the Black Forest changes fast. Evenings on the lake are cool.
Baiersbronn's starred restaurants book up weeks or months ahead. Reserve before you go.
The route offers different pleasures. One of you might want a long forest hike while the other spends a morning at the spa. On Lake Constance, one could cycle between towns while the other takes the ferry. Meet for lunch by the water.
Make It Shorter or Longer
With a week, skip Lake Constance and fly home from Basel or Frankfurt after the Black Forest. Or skip Alsace and fly into Zurich, spending three nights each in the Black Forest and on the lake.
With 12 or 13 days, add two nights in Paris at the start, or two in Strasbourg after the wine villages for city life. Another option is the Romantic Road in Bavaria, which runs north from the Alps through walled medieval towns.
Couples who want mountains can add two or three nights in Lucerne or the Jungfrau Region after the lake, both within a few hours of Konstanz by train. Or add the Bavarian Alps for castles and alpine lakes, about two hours east of Lindau.
