St. Peter combines Baroque architecture with hiking in a landscape shaped by mountains, valleys, and forests. This gives your stay two clear focal points: the former monastery church and its tours on the one hand, and the trails and viewpoints around the town on the other. You can plan your days accordingly, depending on whether you are more interested in architectural history or the landscape.
Baroque Church and Monastery Tours
The former monastery church in St. Peter was built by Peter Thumb between 1724 and 1727 and is now the parish church of St. Peter and Paul. The Baroque church’s magnificent red sandstone façade and two onion domes are distinctive features. The same building thus brings together different periods: its former role as a monastery, its construction in the 18th century, and its current function as a parish church.
Monastery tours at the St. Peter Spiritual Center offer insight into the building and include the church and historic library. If you would like to take a tour, check the latest dates in advance, as tour schedules may change. This will help you fit the tour into your stay.
During the concert season in July and August 2026, free 40-minute organ tours were offered in the Baroque church.
Hiking and Landscape
The local St. Peter branch, part of the wider Black Forest Association, maintains a 95-kilometer network of hiking trails. The waymarking includes 75 trail signposts and another 195 directional signs. Signage may be updated, so it is worth checking the current waymarking when planning a specific hike.
In St. Peter, 27 circular and point-to-point hikes of varying difficulty lead around the town. This gives you two concrete criteria to compare when choosing a hike: route type and difficulty level. Suggested hikes lead to popular viewpoints and are a good way to explore the surrounding landscape of mountains, valleys, and forests, as well as distinctive features of the settlements, such as farmsteads, chapels, and wayside crosses.
You can therefore focus your selection in two directions: on viewpoints and the landscape, or on farmsteads, chapels, and wayside crosses as features of the settlements. Which interests you more is a matter of personal preference, while route type and difficulty level provide a consistent basis for comparing the hikes.
Regional Orientation and Accommodation
The wider destination of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald is also relevant when planning your trip. Many places in Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district are accessible by train; with the free KONUS guest card, you can use local and regional trains and buses throughout the Black Forest at no charge.
When looking for accommodation in St. Peter, your plans can guide your choice: will you focus on the church and its history and monastery tours, or would you mainly like to explore hiking trails of different types and difficulty levels? This question ties your choice of where to stay directly to the activities that interest you.
Discover more destinations: Merdingen, Badenweiler, Schallstadt, Friedenweiler, Müllheim, St. Märgen, Bad Krozingen, Horben
For the wider travel overview: Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald.
