Ideas for Going + Is It Price It?
Relating to Christmas markets in Europe, I’ve mentioned it earlier than and I will say it once more: no person does them fairly like Germany. German Christmas markets simply rise to a different degree 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 checklist for years was the market at Ravenna Gorge – and I lastly received to go!
This magical Christmas market within the woods lived as much as all my expectations (spoiler alert!), however it’s in contrast to most different German Christmas markets you’ll be able to go to – therefore why I am dedicating a full weblog submit 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+ wood stalls strung with twinkle lights, with distributors promoting regional gadgets and meals beneath the illuminated arches of the railroad bridge.
Should you assume that sounds completely magical… you’d be proper!
I first noticed pictures of this Christmas market years in the past on-line. And if it hadn’t been effectively earlier than the times of faux AI photographs on the web, I might have been satisfied it was pretend. However it is a very actual – and highly regarded – Christmas market in Germany.
The essential stuff 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 prematurely. (And so they do promote out.)
- It takes place sort of in the course of nowhere roughly half an hour outdoors of Freiburg im Breisgau, so you will must make plans for find out how to get there.
- It solely takes place on weekends.
Learn on to find out about how one can go!
When is the Ravenna Gorge Christmas market?
The Ravenna Gorge Christmas market, in contrast to many different markets that happen in cities and cities throughout Germany, solely occurs on weekends through the Christmas market season (which is usually 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 area, and excessive demand for this Christmas market, you want to buy a timed and dated ticket with the intention to go to. I am undecided after they applied this ticket system, however it’s been used for the previous few years.
I am truly a fan of the ticket system, because it helps make sure the small area 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 it’s a must to stand in lengthy strains or elbow your method round.
Tickets for the Ravenna Gorge Christmas market go on sale annually in mid-October. In 2024, the ticket gross sales being on October 14, 2024 at 10 a.m. native time (which suggests 4 a.m. Jap time).
Tickets value €5.50 for those who’re arriving earlier than 4 p.m., and €7.50 for those who’re arriving after 4 p.m. Children are free, although they do cost €2 for teenagers to experience the market shuttle (extra on this later).
You will need to consider carefully about what time you need 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 can be turned on. However clearly time slots earlier within the day are barely cheaper and might be much less crowded!
*Observe: Whereas they had been strict about checking entry occasions on tickets to board the shuttles to the market, nobody checked our tickets on the best way out. Which means you most likely *might* keep longer than 2 hours, although most German folks 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
If you buy a ticket for the Ravenna Gorge Christmas market, you may as well ebook 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 want to board your shuttle.)
The market runs free shuttles from three close by practice stations: Hinterzarten, Himmelreich, and Titisee. If you buy your ticket, you will must specify which station you will be catching a shuttle from/to. All of the practice stations are inside a brief drive to Ravenna Gorge.
After which the way you get to your designated practice station is as much as you. All are simply reachable from Freiburg; from the principle practice station in Freiburg (Freiburg Breisgau Hbf), it takes 14 minutes to Himmelreich, 27 minutes to Hinterzarten, and 34 minutes to Titisee on the S1 practice. This can be a gentle rail S-Bahn practice, and also you need not purchase tickets prematurely.
Taking the practice to your required shuttle cease is unquestionably the best choice, and the Ravenna Gorge shuttle pickup spots might be signposted/simple to seek out when you get to the practice station.
2. Drive your self
There are also some reserved parking locations proper at Ravenna Gorge, and parking passes can be bought on-line prematurely once 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 might not be my first selection.
You might 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 robust to seek out parking on market days. (We deliberate to take the practice after which a shuttle on the day we went, however a practice strike pressured us to drive as an alternative. It was very irritating to seek 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 practice stations the shuttles run from, my recommendation can be to go a pair hours early so you have got extra time to seek out parking. Then you’ll be able to wander across the city a bit earlier than going to Ravenna Gorge.
3. Keep in Ravenna Gorge
There’s truly one further choice, and that is to remain in a single day on the Hotel Hofgut Sternen, which sits proper on the entrance to Ravenna Gorge. The lodge has a comfortable Black Forest design, and has its personal restaurant and personal parking.
The lodge does promote out through the vacation season, although, so you will must ebook far prematurely 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 must 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 by way of the method of securing tickets and determining find out how to get to the Ravenna Gorge Christmas market… now you get to really get pleasure from it!
So what precisely is there to *do* at a Christmas market like this?
1. Store native stalls
The 40+ wood 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 every one the stalls promote locally-made items or meals; there are not any mass-produced trinkets right here!
So positively spend a while perusing all of the stalls and what they’ve on the market. You may discover some distinctive reward 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: Deliver money with you for this market, as most stalls are cash-only!
2. Eat all of the meals
Together with domestically made gadgets 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!
You can too pattern quite a lot of scorching and mulled Christmas market drinks right here. Get a Feuerzangenbowle (mulled wine with a shot of rum and a sugar dice set on hearth), mulled fruit wine, or a non-alcoholic scorching drink like scorching cider.
The Ravenna Gorge Christmas market all the time has its personal particular market mug, too, which I used to be excited to gather!
Identical to in any respect different Christmas markets, you will pay a “deposit” on the mug, which you may get again for those who return it. Or, you’ll be able to hold the mug for the value of the deposit. (Deposits are often €3-€5.)
3. Hang around round a fireplace
For the reason that Ravenna Gorge Christmas market is absolutely open air in a wood space, you will discover hearth pits and campfires arrange all through the market, which is pretty distinctive. You may huddle round these along with your mulled wine to beat back the chilly.
Final yr, not less than one stall was additionally promoting marshmallow kits for teenagers to roast marshmallows.
4. Stroll the Nativity Path
Through the summer season months, the realm across the Ravenna Gorge viaduct is a well-liked climbing spot, with a lot of climbing trails. One in every of these path travels beneath the viaduct arches and into the gorge itself, and alongside a part of it nativity scenes are arrange through 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 crimson, inexperienced, blue, white, and purple lights. If you add within the twinkling market stalls and some towering lighted Christmas bushes, it truthfully does appear to be 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 perspective
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 primary 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 best, and leads as much as the perspective with a small wood hut (it is solely a couple of 5-minute hike).
This path was roped off after I visited as a consequence of snow/ice (the path actually was only a huge ice sheet), however I consider a secondary path leads up there that connects to the top of the Nativity Path. On the finish of the Nativity Path, you’ll be able to cross a fence and head up a zig-zagging path that I am assuming should additionally result in the perspective, as a result of folks had been positively up there!
I didn’t have the correct footwear to aim this path myself (I might 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 assumed this was one of the magical Christmas markets I’ve ever been to! I liked 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 in contrast to most different Christmas markets throughout Germany which you could simply go to everytime you need. Individuals 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 seem to be lots, however half are promoting meals/drinks. Regardless that I personally felt like 2 hours was not sufficient time right here, some folks declare to get bored after an hour.
So it actually simply relies on what you want/dislike about Christmas markets!
Listed below are some execs/cons I got here up with:
Execs of the Ravenna Gorge market
- Tremendous distinctive setting; you can’t beat the market stalls below the illuminated railroad viaduct.
- Native distributors promoting native merchandise.
- Glorious foods and drinks choices.
- A market expertise that’s in contrast to another I have been to (and I have been to dozens of Christmas markets!).
Cons of the Ravenna Gorge market
- Required timed tickets that it’s a must to pay for (and that promote out weeks prematurely).
- Parking/shuttle state of affairs that it’s a must to plan prematurely 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
Should you determine you are positively going to Ravenna Gorge for its Christmas market, listed here are my high suggestions for you:
- Set a reminder for your self so you may get the tickets you need after they go on sale.
- Enable your self further time to get there on the day so you do not miss your entry slot (I am unable to communicate to how strict they’re with this, however since that is Germany, I think about they could truly be strict about punctuality!).
- Gown for the climate. This market is totally open air within the Black Forest, so remember 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, because the stroll may take you 5-10 minutes.
- Deliver 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 would like to go to? Or, for those who’ve already been, what did you assume?
Amanda Williams is the award-winning blogger behind A Harmful Enterprise Journey Weblog. She has traveled to greater than 60 nations on 6 continents from her house base in Ohio, specializing in experiential and considerate journey by way of the US, Europe, and remainder of the world. Amanda solely shares suggestions primarily based on her private experiences and locations she’s truly traveled!
