Black Forest Family Campsite: Waldcamping-Birkendorf (2025)
A camping trip to the Black Forest had always been high up on my list of trips – and this year we finally got there! We stayed in the Black Forest on a family run campsite for a week as part of our adventures in our campervan over the Summer. And what a beautiful part of the world it is! Hiking, cycling, swimming in lakes – it’s the camping holiday of dreams.
If you’re thinking of booking a trip to this part of the world, read on to find out how we found our perfect black forest family campsite.
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Where is the Black Forest?
The Black Forest (or Schwarzwald) is located in the South West of Germany, towards the border with France. The area stretches for 2,320 square miles and is a great option if you want a family holiday with lots to do outdoors. It’s a popular tourist destination, and with good reason!
If you want a camping holiday surrounded by nature this is the place. Also, don’t forget the famous Black Forest cake – a great excuse for a visit on it’s own!
Which black forest family campsite did we book?
After a lot of research (as usual for me!) we booked a stay at Waldcamping Birkendorf, a small-medium black forest family campsite. I only stumbled across them after a lot of searching online. As soon as I got in touch via email I had a good feeling about the site. The owner Dimitri is so lovely and friendly!
How much did our pitch at Waldcamping Birkendorf cost?
Our accessible pitch (which meant we could park our campervan on it) with electricity came in at £41.50 per night. This included the tourist taxes. There are slightly cheaper pitches available without electricity if you’re on a tighter budget.
What did we like about the site?
Firstly, the owners are so incredibly friendly and helpful. It’s a proper family-run site and it really shows. Dimitri and family are really knowledgeable and can give you loads of tips and advice on where to visit and how to get to the best spots.
The location is great – right down at the bottom of a small valley with a little stream running through it. It feels lovely and peaceful but it’s only a short drive to nearby towns and to Lake Schluchtsee. At night the stars were magnificent as there’s no other buildings or lights around!
There’s a nice little play area (more aimed at younger kids than our slightly bigger ones). The sanitary facilities are excellent – loads of toilets and showers and all spotlessly clean (and the showers were hot!). There’s also a big indoor washing up area and a freezer with plenty of space for freezing ice packs. Plus a washing machine if you need to do a bit of laundry.
We’d looked at various options for a black forest family campsite and this one definitely ticked the family friendly box!
What is there to do near Waldcamping Birkendorf?
Firstly, ask Dimitri for all of their tips on the local area. They know everything and can help you find the hidden gems! They have all kinds of maps at reception to help you plan out local walks and bike rides.
One of our favourite activities was right in the forest a short walk from the campsite. When we checked in to the campsite, Dimitri gave us a small wooden ball for each of the boys (about the size of a big marble). And directed us to part of the forest just up the road from the campsite. Here we found an AMAZING kid-friendly walk through the trees, which had specially constructed marble runs all along the trail. It was wonderful and we all loved it! Throughout the forest there were small marble runs to try, then up at the top of the hill in amongst the trees was a massive play area, all designed around these wooden marbles!
There was table football, a slide with a special tiny slide next to it for the ball, a musical run where the ball played different notes on the way down…..it really was absolutely magical. Safe to say that the walk took us much longer than we planned as the boys were having so much fun!
Also within walking distance is the beautiful natural swimming pool Naturena Badesee.
This really made our stay – we visited several times as we all loved it. You can swim, jump in from the rocks, grab a cold drink (or a cocktail!) from the tiny bar or just chill on the lawn in the sun. The boys also discovered that the pool is home to lots of tiny newts which they spent hours of fun catching in their nets! Entrance to the pool is just 3euros for adults and 1.50euros for children under 16. Such a bargain for such a beautiful place!
A short 15min drive brings you to the shores of Lake Schluchtsee. We spent a couple of days here, hanging out on the pebble beaches on the lake shore and swimming in the water. You can hire kayaks and paddleboards and get out on the water (highly recommended!). You can also rent pedalos with slides which were a big hit with our boys.
There are little ice cream parlours, a smattering of cafes and restaurants and just a lovely chilled out vibe. There’s also quite a lot of parking, which is helpful (especially in peak season).
Basically, we spent our time in the Black Forest walking, swimming in natural bathing pools and the lake and generally just enjoying some time in nature. Perfect!
Waldcamping Birkendorf in the Black Forest: The verdict
Overall this is just a great small-medium sized site in a fab location, run by a lovely family. It’s not a tiny field type campsite – there’s a range of mobile homes for example as well as the camping area – but it’s very family friendly and has great facilities. We’ll definitely be back!
Top tips for a stay at Waldcamping Birkendorf
- If you’re booking a pitch with electric, make sure you bring an extra long cable as some of the sockets are a bit far away
- Make sure you pick up a pass for the natural swimming pool just up the road
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