Hosting Visitors in Freiburg

After living for a few months in Freiburg, I finally felt prepared to host friends and family and give them an excellent tour of the city from a resident’s perspective. However, I didn’t account for the different logistical pieces like purchasing daily tram tickets or eating dinner. Now, having had two different groups of family members visit me and two different friends, I feel prepared to present my recommendations. 

Firstly, restaurants: you might’ve guessed it, but I’m balling on a budget while studying abroad so my version of getting dinner out is not nearly as classy or exciting as my mother’s idea of a nice dinner out (I prefer $6 Chinese food to go, whereas she wants to sit down and look at the wine selection). Knowing this, I compiled a list of restaurants for us to visit and test out the food and vibe. Surprisingly, Apple Maps steered me in the right direction and I went 4/4 with restaurants when she visited. First, we went to L’Osteria: it’s an Italian restaurant right near the Holzmarkt tram stop and it’s the perfect place for a nice dinner with a good, full environment. Great lighting, great vibes, food was delicious. Next, we went to Mai’s Vietnamesisches Street Food: it’s a Vietnamese restaurant that’s pretty small, but extremely cozy and close to so many different restaurants and bars! The food was incredible (the chicken pho changed the course of my life) and it was a really nice, quiet vibe. Next, we went to Jaipur: this Indian restaurant was absolutely delicious (though the water gets quite expensive here and there’s no tap) and the garlic naan was breathtaking. I would definitely recommend being prepared to eat a lot (or take home a lot of leftovers), but the food is tasty and the restaurant was full of people (on a school night!). Finally, we went to M9 Sushi: the sushi was pretty good, but the main courses were absolutely scrumptious, my mom’s salmon was divine. The vibe was good and they also had good drinks! Overall, these restaurants were perfect for us and made their stay pleasant. 

Secondly, tram and train travel! I feel like a broken record at this point, but get your guests to download VAG mobile! Each day, they can purchase their tickets for the tram super easily (and cheaply) so they don't have to bother with it. Just go into the app, then click “tickets”, then “Tageskarten” (day ticket), then “Tageskarte Solo+”, then continue to payment! If they’re flying from the Basel airport, I would recommend that they take the Freiburg Resident bus, it’s fantastic and easy and takes you right to the Hauptbanhof. 

Thirdly and finally, activities! I really copied IES Abroad with most of my activities, but nonetheless my guests enjoyed them. Firstly, I would recommend spending time in the Altstadt: everyone visited around Christmas time and they were definitely in the gift buying mood, so shopping downtown was a must. We went to the Munstermarkt after class and got bratwursts, which we ate while walking around the farmers market and talking to different vendors. Then, we went inside the actual cathedral and it’s genuinely so beautiful and detailed. Afterwards, we just walked around the streets near Holzmarkt and popped into all of the little shops. Finally, we walked up to the Schlossberg at sunset and looked over the city and I pointed out all of the places we had been that day! Secondly, for hikes and outdoor activities, I would recommend the hikes near Vauban and Gunterstal, as well as the Schauinsland. The hikes near Vauban are gorgeous and going up into the mountains is a must if your family/friends enjoy hiking. Schauinsland, however, is a whole different ballpark: it’s super easy to get to, just take the 2 tram until the very end (Dorfstrasse) and then get on the bus (21) and ride that until the very end (Schauinsland) and you’re there! The cable car up is stunning and the hikes and the restaurant at the top are perfect (my mom said this was the highlight of her trip, for sure). Overall, for places to visit, I would say show them Freiburg, but most importantly show them your favorite spots. My mom loved hearing about where I found my favorite books, where the best place for a pumpkin spice latte was, and where I took classes everyday. It may seem semi plain and boring to you, but it really helps your guests understand your life abroad.