Freiburg is where the Rhine plain meets the western edge of the Black Forest, and the transition is abrupt: one minute you are on a flat road past vineyards, the next the hills climb into dark spruce and the road begins to wind. The city of just over two hundred thousand has a long reputation for sunshine, one of the sunniest big cities in Germany, and its students, cyclists and solar panels give it an easy, green character.
The old town is worth wandering on foot. The Münster, with its lace-like openwork spire, is a Gothic masterpiece that took centuries to build and escaped the worst of the wartime bombing that flattened most of the centre in November 1944. In front of it, the market stalls sell sausages and fruit every morning, and in the cobbled lanes little streams called Bächle run in gutters along the pavement. Local legend says that if you step into one by accident, you will marry a Freiburger. Locals are kind enough not to laugh when tourists try it.
For riding, this city is a perfect launchpad. To the east, the Höllental, the valley of Hell, cuts through gorge scenery up to Hinterzarten and the high plateau. To the south-east, the roads climb toward the Schauinsland and the Belchen, with hairpins and long views over the Alsace plain to the Vosges. Some Black Forest roads have weekend restrictions or noise limits for motorcycles, so heed the signs and ride considerately; the locals notice. West of town, the Kaiserstuhl, an extinct volcano covered in vineyards, offers gentle lanes and excellent white and Pinot wine.
The best times are late spring and September, when the forest is bright and the roads are drier. Winter brings ice on the heights, and summer weekends can be crowded around the lakes.
Fuel stations are plentiful around the ring road, and parking in the old town is limited, so use one of the garages at the edge. Try a Black Forest ham sandwich or a flammkuchen at a student tavern before heading up into the trees.