Relating to Christmas markets in Europe, I’ve mentioned it earlier than and I am going to say it once more: no person does them fairly like Germany. German Christmas markets simply rise to a different stage of festive coziness, with their embellished stalls, steaming mugs of glühwein, and handmade items on the market.
However even amongst German Christmas markets, some stand out greater than others.
One such Christmas market in Germany that had been on my must-visit record for years was the market at Ravenna Gorge – and I lastly acquired to go!
This magical Christmas market within the woods lived as much as all my expectations (spoiler alert!), however it’s not like most different German Christmas markets you may go to – therefore why I am dedicating a full weblog put up to it!
What’s the Ravenna Gorge Christmas market?
The Ravenna Gorge Christmas market is a particular little Christmas market that takes place beneath a stone railroad viaduct (the Viadukt Ravennaschlucht) in the course of the Black Forest within the southwest of Germany. The market consists of 40+ picket stalls strung with twinkle lights, with distributors promoting regional objects and meals beneath the illuminated arches of the railroad bridge.
If you happen to suppose that sounds completely magical… you’ll be proper!
I first noticed images of this Christmas market years in the past on-line. And if it hadn’t been effectively earlier than the times of faux AI pictures on the web, I’d have been satisfied it was faux. However this can be a very actual – and very fashionable – Christmas market in Germany.
The necessary belongings you NEED to know concerning the Ravenna Gorge Christmas market are:
- It is one of many solely Christmas markets I do know of that requires timed entry tickets to be bought upfront. (They usually do promote out.)
- It takes place type of in the course of nowhere roughly half an hour exterior of Freiburg im Breisgau, so you will have to make plans for how one can get there.
- It solely takes place on weekends.
Learn on to study how one can go!
When is the Ravenna Gorge Christmas market?
The Ravenna Gorge Christmas market, not like many different markets that happen in cities and cities throughout Germany, solely occurs on weekends throughout the Christmas market season (which is mostly the 4 weeks of Introduction main as much as Christmas).
The market takes place on weekend afternoons/evenings. In 2024, the Ravenna Gorge market dates are:
- Nov. 22-23
- Nov. 29-Dec. 1
- Dec. 6-8
- Dec. 13-15
And opening occasions for the market are 3-9 p.m. on Fridays, 2-9 p.m. on Saturdays, and 2-8 p.m. on Sundays.
Getting Ravenna Gorge market tickets
Due to the restricted dates, restricted house, and excessive demand for this Christmas market, you have to buy a timed and dated ticket in an effort to go to. I am undecided once they applied this ticket system, however it’s been used for the previous couple of years.
I am really a fan of the ticket system, because it helps make sure the small house beneath the railroad viaduct does not get too overcrowded. Sure, there are nonetheless lots of people there every night time; however not SO many individuals that you must stand in lengthy strains or elbow your method round.
Tickets for the Ravenna Gorge Christmas market go on sale every year in mid-October. In 2024, the ticket gross sales being on October 14, 2024 at 10 a.m. native time (which implies 4 a.m. Japanese time).
Tickets price €5.50 in the event you’re arriving earlier than 4 p.m., and €7.50 in the event you’re arriving after 4 p.m. Youngsters are free, although they do cost €2 for youths to trip the market shuttle (extra on this later).
You may wish to consider carefully about what time you wish to purchase tickets for, as you solely get a set period of time (roughly 2 hours) contained in the market.*
We needed to see the market round sundown, when the lights illuminating the viaduct could be turned on. However clearly time slots earlier within the day are barely cheaper and will probably be much less crowded!
*Notice: Whereas they had been strict about checking entry occasions on tickets to board the shuttles to the market, nobody checked our tickets on the way in which out. Which means you most likely *may* keep longer than 2 hours, although most German individuals would by no means dream of breaking a written-down rule.
The right way to get to the Ravenna Gorge Christmas market
1. Take a shuttle
Whenever you buy a ticket for the Ravenna Gorge Christmas market, you can even e book a spot on a free shuttle to take you to the gorge. (On this case, the time in your ticket would be the time you have to board your shuttle.)
The market runs free shuttles from three close by prepare stations: Hinterzarten, Himmelreich, and Titisee. Whenever you buy your ticket, you will have to specify which station you will be catching a shuttle from/to. All of the prepare stations are inside a brief drive to Ravenna Gorge.
After which the way you get to your designated prepare station is as much as you. All are simply reachable from Freiburg; from the principle prepare station in Freiburg (Freiburg Breisgau Hbf), it takes 14 minutes to Himmelreich, 27 minutes to Hinterzarten, and 34 minutes to Titisee on the S1 prepare. This can be a gentle rail S-Bahn prepare, and also you need not purchase tickets upfront.
Taking the prepare to your required shuttle cease is unquestionably the simplest possibility, and the Ravenna Gorge shuttle pickup spots will probably be signposted/simple to search out when you get to the prepare station.
2. Drive your self
There are also some reserved parking locations proper at Ravenna Gorge, and parking passes can be bought on-line upfront whenever you purchase tickets. The parking tons are positioned at Hofgut Sternen, Höllsteig 76, 79874 Breitnau/Hinterzarten. These parking spots promote out in a short time, although, so it could not be my first selection.
You may additionally drive to one of many cities the place the market shuttles run from, however I can inform you from expertise that it may be actually powerful to search out parking on market days. (We deliberate to take the prepare after which a shuttle on the day we went, however a prepare strike pressured us to drive as an alternative. It was very disturbing to search out parking after which get the parking machines to allow us to pay!)
If you are going to drive your self to one of many prepare stations the shuttles run from, my recommendation could be to go a pair hours early so you might have extra time to search out parking. Then you may wander across the city a bit earlier than going to Ravenna Gorge.
3. Keep in Ravenna Gorge
There’s really one extra possibility, and that is to remain in a single day on the Hotel Hofgut Sternen, which sits proper on the entrance to Ravenna Gorge. The resort has a comfortable Black Forest design, and has its personal restaurant and personal parking.
The resort does promote out throughout the vacation season, although, so you will have to e book far upfront if you wish to keep in a single day on a Christmas market weekend. (And whereas staying right here means not having to fret about transport, you’ll nonetheless have to buy a timed ticket to enter the market similar to everyone else!)
Issues to do on the Ravenna Gorge Christmas market
So as soon as you have gone via the method of securing tickets and determining how one can get to the Ravenna Gorge Christmas market… now you get to truly take pleasure in it!
So what precisely is there to *do* at a Christmas market like this?
1. Store native stalls
The 40+ picket stalls on the Ravenna Gorge Christmas market aren’t simply there for the ambiance (although they contribute properly to that, too). The market right here is exclusive in that each one the stalls promote locally-made items or meals; there are not any mass-produced trinkets right here!
So undoubtedly spend a while perusing all of the stalls and what they’ve on the market. You may discover some distinctive present concepts, from carved wooden to jewellery to ceramics and extra. A number of stalls additionally promote pre-packaged Black Forest meals, like fruit sauces, mustards, sausages, salt, and spirits.
NOTE: Carry money with you for this market, as most stalls are cash-only!
2. Eat all of the meals
Together with domestically made objects on the market, you will additionally discover scrumptious regional meals on provide at this market. Seize a Black Forest tarte flambee, a Flammlachs (flamed salmon) sandwich, some Käsespätzle served with cranberry, native Black Forest sausages, or chocolate-covered fruits. There’s a lot meals to select from!
It’s also possible to pattern quite a lot of sizzling and mulled Christmas market drinks right here. Get a Feuerzangenbowle (mulled wine with a shot of rum and a sugar dice set on fireplace), mulled fruit wine, or a non-alcoholic sizzling drink like sizzling cider.
The Ravenna Gorge Christmas market at all times has its personal particular market mug, too, which I used to be excited to gather!
Similar to in any respect different Christmas markets, you will pay a “deposit” on the mug, which you will get again in the event you return it. Or, you may preserve the mug for the worth of the deposit. (Deposits are normally €3-€5.)
3. Hang around round a hearth
For the reason that Ravenna Gorge Christmas market is absolutely outside in a picket space, you will discover fireplace pits and campfires arrange all through the market, which is pretty distinctive. You possibly can huddle round these along with your mulled wine to chase away the chilly.
Final 12 months, not less than one stall was additionally promoting marshmallow kits for youths to roast marshmallows.
4. Stroll the Nativity Path
In the course of the summer season months, the world across the Ravenna Gorge viaduct is a well-liked mountain climbing spot, with plenty of mountain climbing trails. One among these path travels beneath the viaduct arches and into the gorge itself, and alongside a part of it nativity scenes are arrange throughout the Christmas market. These scenes by artist Simon Stiegeler are illuminated after darkish.
5. Admire the viaduct at night time
After darkish, the Ravenna Gorge viaduct will get illuminated in alternating pink, inexperienced, blue, white, and purple lights. Whenever you add within the twinkling market stalls and some towering lighted Christmas timber, it actually does appear like one thing out of a fairy story.
The market is magical earlier than darkish, too, however there is a good purpose it will get a lot busier at night time.
6. Hike as much as the point of view
There is a path that leads as much as a viaduct viewpoint that gives one of the well-known overhead views of the Ravenna Gorge Christmas market. (The perspective is marked as Galgenbühl Höllsteig on Google Maps.)
The principle entry level to this path is positioned proper earlier than the principle path passes beneath the viaduct arches. A steep path forks off to the proper, and leads as much as the point of view with a small picket hut (it is solely a few 5-minute hike).
This path was roped off once I visited as a consequence of snow/ice (the path actually was only a large ice sheet), however I imagine a secondary path leads up there that connects to the top of the Nativity Path. On the finish of the Nativity Path, you may go a fence and head up a zig-zagging path that I am assuming should additionally result in the point of view, as a result of individuals had been undoubtedly up there!
I didn’t have the correct footwear to aim this path myself (I’d have wanted some Yaktrax to deal with the ice), so it is the one factor I did not get to do on the Ravenna Gorge Market.
Is the Ravenna Gorge Christmas market value it?
So, is the Ravenna Gorge Christmas market actually value going to?
Pay attention, I believed this was one of the magical Christmas markets I’ve ever been to! I beloved the setting and the illuminated viaduct, and thought the meals and drinks had been top-notch.
BUT, I do know there are many others who’ve gone to Ravenna Gorge and left underwhelmed. The market takes fairly a little bit of planning to go to, which is not like most different Christmas markets throughout Germany that you may simply go to everytime you need. Folks do not like paying for tickets or the difficult parking/shuttle state of affairs.
And this market does get crowded, even with the timed tickets. It is also pretty small so far as Christmas markets go. 40+ vendor stalls may look like so much, however half are promoting meals/drinks. Regardless that I personally felt like 2 hours was not sufficient time right here, some individuals declare to get bored after an hour.
So it actually simply is dependent upon what you want/dislike about Christmas markets!
Listed below are some execs/cons I got here up with:
Professionals of the Ravenna Gorge market
- Tremendous distinctive setting; you can not beat the market stalls below the illuminated railroad viaduct.
- Native distributors promoting native merchandise.
- Wonderful food and drinks choices.
- A market expertise that’s not like another I have been to (and I have been to dozens of Christmas markets!).
Cons of the Ravenna Gorge market
- Required timed tickets that you must pay for (and that promote out weeks upfront).
- Parking/shuttle state of affairs that you must plan upfront for.
- Time restrict on visits may make you’re feeling rushed.
- 40 stalls may really feel too small.
- It will get crowded at night time, even with the timed ticket construction.
- Restrooms are positioned 10-minute stroll from the market itself.
- Money-only.
Ideas for visiting the Ravenna Gorge Christmas market
If you happen to resolve you are undoubtedly going to Ravenna Gorge for its Christmas market, listed here are my high suggestions for you:
- Set a reminder for your self so you will get the tickets you need once they go on sale.
- Enable your self additional time to get there on the day so you do not miss your entry slot (I can not communicate to how strict they’re with this, however since that is Germany, I think about they could really be strict about punctuality!).
- Gown for the climate. This market is totally outside within the Black Forest, so you’ll want to put on heat layers and waterproof footwear/boots! (Discover a full packing list here.)
- Use the restroom earlier than you arrive, or proper as you get there earlier than strolling to the market, for the reason that stroll may take you 5-10 minutes.
- Carry money, as most market stalls right here do not settle for card.
After which simply have the very best time absorbing the magical ambiance!
Is that this a Christmas market you need to go to? Or, in the event you’ve already been, what did you suppose?
Amanda Williams is the award-winning blogger behind A Harmful Enterprise Journey Weblog. She has traveled to greater than 60 international locations on 6 continents from her dwelling base in Ohio, specializing in experiential and considerate journey via the US, Europe, and remainder of the world. Amanda solely shares suggestions primarily based on her private experiences and locations she’s really traveled!
