When you’ve had your fill of Freiburg’s medieval magnificence, the bucolic splendour of the surrounding Schwarzwald region, home to the Black Forest, is ripe for outdoorsy adventure. I’ve had an abiding fetish for funiculars, a fanatical fascination with these altitude-climbing contraptions, which haul people up great heights. Just outside Freiburg’s old city walls is a charming little appetiser that whisks you up the Schlossberg.

This 456 metre high hill back-dropping the town used to be of great strategic importance, with various fortifications including a knights’ castle, crowning the hill over the centuries. After alighting from the funicular, take a hillside stroll on the designated walking trails for some unique elevated views of Freiburg. But my funicular fetish was in for a bigger thrill 10km from town, where you will find the Schauinsland funicular’s base terminal.

The Schauinsland is Freiburg’s local mountain, a 1284 metre peak, delivering soothingly expansive views across the Upper Rhine Valley, the southern Black Forest and across to even higher mountain ranges. The mountain-riding funicular is Germany’s longest cable car, taking 20 minutes to hoist you up to the peak, on the 3.6km high-wire ride. A slew of hiking and mountain biking trails greet you at the top, but if you’re an adrenalin-junkie, how about plunging 8km’s down into the valley on Europe’s longest downhill scooter course?

In the height of the humid summer, the mountain air is so refreshing, while winter’s wonderland brings out snow-bunnies in their droves, to hit the alpine slopes. The gentle floating sensation of the funicular was my first taste of the fabled Black Forest, where the fir and spruce forests are so dense, it’s as black as the ace of spades when you venture into the woods. Frequently associated with the setting of countless Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales, the Black Forest happily plays up to its image as a land of cuckoo clocks, cherry gâteaux, colourful traditional attire, hefty half-timbered farmhouses  with incredibly low-slung roofs, and hill upon hill of dark evergreen forest.

I half expected to run into Hansel & Gretel.  (If you’re a serious Brothers Grimm aficionado, there’s a designated Fairy Tale route, north of the Schwarzwald, linking many of the town’s with literary connections to the Grimms’, including their birthplace, Hanau, just east of Frankfurt.) Another riveting excursion from Freiburg is the thirty minute train ride, cutting through storybook Black Forest scenery to Lake Titisee.

This gorgeous lakefront resort town, strung around the mirror-smooth waters, is just the place to go positively cuckoo in the gift shops, before surrendering to a slice or two of gateaux and perhaps a shot of kirschwasser schnaps.  Another effortless little jaunt is to the nearby town of Gutach, home to the Black Forest Open Air Museum. Culture and history comes alive, where you can get a flavour for traditional farm life, with a clutch of historic structures including the Schwarzwald’s oldest house, the 16th century Vogtsbauernhof. 

If you’re up for more cuckoos, the German Clock Museum in Furtwangen houses Germany’s largest clock collection, showcasing the origins of the cuckoo clock and its global cult following. If you’re travelling with kids, particularly, a day out at Europa Park should be added to the agenda. Its only thirty minutes north of Freiburg and a none-too-subtle imitation of Disneyland, to the point that the theme park’s mascot is Ed the Euromouse. But Europe’s biggest theme park is surprisingly good, a giddy celebration of all things Europe with 14 themed nation-by-nation zones. And despite Brexit, they haven’t disbanded the delights of the British zone.

It actually feels much like a whimsical World Expo, with cheerfully designed pavilions, celebrating Europe’s architectural splendour, from the white-washed houses of Greece to the Tudor-style pubs of Britain. But the star attraction which unleashed my inner-child glee was Grimm’s Enchanted Forest, lustily bringing all those fairytales to life with animatronic wizardry. It’s like walking into a mega-sized Macy’s Christmas window display. Snow White, Rapunzel, Mother Goose and yes, Hansel & Gretel - they’re all there. Plus the park is festooned in thrill rides galore, including Europe’s most daring roller coasters.

Finally, for a complete change of scenery, the Upper Rhine Valley boasts three picturesque wine routes, where enchanting villages and rustic taverns boast a wealth of varieties, from Gewurztraminer and Riesling to Muller-Thurgau and Pinot Noir. (It is the world’s largest Riesling—growing area.) If you’re partial to a Pinot, plump for the Baden Wine Region, which fringes Freiburg, producing more than half of Germany’s Pinot Noir.

The hospitality offerings are particularly inventive, whereby if you’ve ever fancied sleeping in a wine barrel, you’ll be in seventh heaven.  Giant wine barrels have been converted into uber-chic accommodations as part of the Baden Wine Trail at Ferienhof Wild. Fresh from the novel accommodation experience, I met a couple of Kiwis who were swilling their way through the region’s offerings. They thought the local pinot noir was on par with Central Otago’s tasty drops.

Purchase an access-all-areas Schwarzwald Card which provides free entry to over 135 exciting attractions across the region, incorporating the likes of Europa Park and the Schauinsland. www.schwarzwald-tourismus.info

German rail is a masterclass in public transport. The regional train network across the Schwarzwald makes sightseeing so easy. Sort your rail plans in advance, by booking tickets or a rail pass to suit with the experts on the tracks, Rail Plus. www.railplus.co.nz

Frankfurt is one Lufthansa’s major hubs, and just two hours north of the Schwarzwald. The award-winning, full-service German carrier allows you to reserve the flight you want for 48 hours on current terms. Amongst the in-flight frills, enjoy the Flynet Wi-Fi service and outstanding on-demand entertainment. For special fare deals to Europe and within the continent, head to www.lufthansa.com

Mike Yardley is Newstalk ZB’s Travel Correspondent on Saturday Mornings with Jack Tame.