You should allow a good hour for a leisurely stroll through Herdern. However, it's worth planning breaks - for example in the neighbourhood's pretty piazza, Herdermer church square. It's easy to get started: from Münsterplatz, it's just a few minutes' walk to Karl's square, where you can cross the Karlssteg footbridge into the Stadtgarten. Take a few minutes there to enjoy the view of the Schlossberg and the Schlossbergbahn (castle hill funicular).
The path continues straight ahead past beautiful gardens and villas until you turn right at Hochmeisterstraße. From here it's uphill - but the gradient is gentle and the view makes up for any effort. Here you can see the slopes that make Herdern a sought-after residential neighbourhood. With every metre you gain in altitude, you get a sense of the green expanse of this district. The stylish villas speak for themselves: life here is spacious, close to nature and sun-kissed.
Via Längenhardstraße, Sebastian-Kneippstraße and Stadtstraße, you come to Hauptstraße - which is much more idyllic than its name suggests. Walk along the Glasbach stream towards the Herdermer church square. On Tuesdays and Fridays, you can stroll around the Herdermer farmers' market here, but it's always worth taking a break. In addition to St Urban's Church and the pretty fountain, you will also find small shops, cafés and restaurants in this idyllic village.
The path back towards the centre leads via Hauptstraße and Lerchenstraße to Heinrich Rosenberg Square - one of the small green oases in Herdern. Stately old trees and stately houses line the square, including the Friedrich-Gymnasium, which is over 120 years old. Tivolistraße takes you back to Stadtstraße, which brings you to one of the most enchanting places in Freiburg: the old cemetery surrounded by high walls. Maples and red oaks provide shade and tranquillity, and as you walk along the graves, some of which are magnificently decorated, you feel as if you are in another world. It's less than a 15-minute walk from here back to Münsterplatz.
