Book a guided tour of Freiburg, the “Sponge City”: Understand Climate Adaptation Firsthand

Request your desired date with no obligation. Once we’ve checked availability, you’ll receive a personalized quote.

How can cities respond to heavy rainfall, heat waves, and prolonged droughts? And how can you tell, in public spaces, whether climate adaptation has actually been taken into account? The “Schwammstadt Freiburg – Green City” city tour answers these questions not in a seminar room, but through concrete examples on the site of Freiburg’s former freight yard.

The 90-minute walking tour is designed for groups who want to do more than just sightsee in Freiburg—they want to gain an understanding of current urban development. Rainwater management, urban green spaces, infiltration, shading, and mobility are examined as interconnected components of a climate-adapted neighborhood. The tour is designed for groups of up to 25 people and begins at Zollhallenplatz. The current group rate is 169 euros.

Why a guided tour of Sponge City is a good idea

Many features of a “sponge city” are easy to overlook in everyday life. A landscaped area can serve simultaneously as a recreational space, an infiltration area, and a component of rainwater management. Trees not only serve an aesthetic purpose but can also provide shade, facilitate evaporation, and influence the urban climate. Water-permeable surfaces or purposefully created depressions are often not recognized without expert knowledge.

The basic principle is to capture stormwater as close as possible to where it falls. Water should be stored, allowed to seep into the ground, evaporate, or be made available to plants at a later time, rather than being drained from the neighborhood as quickly as possible. The Federal Environment Agency therefore describes the “sponge city” as a holistic approach to managing heavy rainfall, heat, and drought.

During the tour, these connections are explained in an easy-to-understand way and applied to the urban landscape. As a result, participants gain not just isolated facts, but a comprehensive understanding of how buildings, open spaces, water, vegetation, and traffic interact.

For which groups is the tour suitable?

The “Schwammstadt Freiburg” city tour can be tailored to suit a variety of interests.

Municipalities, expert delegations, and planning firms are provided with a clear starting point for discussing water-sensitive urban development, blue-green infrastructure, and transferable solutions.

Companies and organizations can use the tour as a professional side event, continuing education program, or part of an event in Freiburg. Sustainability is not treated as an abstract concept, but is made visible in the built urban environment.

Colleges, students, and school classes benefit from the connection between theoretical concepts and real-world situations. No prior knowledge is required; for groups with prior knowledge of the subject, the depth of the content can be adjusted as needed.

Tour groups, clubs, and private groups also get a unique glimpse into Freiburg’s “Green City.” This walking tour is particularly well-suited for visitors who have already taken a traditional Old Town tour or are specifically looking for a themed city tour.

What can you expect during the tour?

The meeting point is Zollhallenplatz on the site of the former freight yard. From there, the tour takes participants to selected locations in the neighborhood. Depending on the group’s focus, the following questions—among others—will be addressed:

How can rainwater be stored or allowed to infiltrate directly on-site? What role do urban trees, green buildings, and unpaved areas play? How do shading and evaporation contribute to cooling in the summer? And how can climate adaptation, mobility, high-density development, and quality of life be reconciled?

Through its “Water” climate adaptation strategy, the city of Freiburg aims to make greater use of rainwater as a local resource, design open spaces with water sensitivity in mind, and take precautions against heavy rainfall. The combination of green and blue infrastructure plays a central role in this effort.

Important for your planning: The tour does not take place in Freiburg’s Old Town. It is a standalone neighborhood tour focusing on climate adaptation.

“Sponge City” or Vauban: Which “Green City” tour is a better fit?

Both tours focus on sustainable urban development, but each has a different emphasis.

The “Sponge City” tour focuses on rainwater management, heat protection, urban greenery, infiltration, and climate-resilient neighborhood planning. The Vauban Freiburg city tour, on the other hand, focuses primarily on sustainable living, energy-efficient architecture, mobility, short travel distances, and citizen participation.

For professional groups, study tours, or multi-day programs, both tours can be effectively combined. This provides a more comprehensive picture of the Green City: Vauban illustrates the development of a sustainable residential neighborhood, while the Sponge City tour focuses on the management of water, heat, and urban green spaces.

You can find more options in the overview of themed city walks in Freiburg.

Request a guided tour of “Schwammstadt” Freiburg for your group

To coordinate a date, we recommend making your request well in advance. If possible, please include your preferred date, the approximate number of participants, the type of group, and any specific topics of interest. This will allow us to determine how the route and guided tour can be tailored to your group.

Things to Know