EVERY year, a scenic gorge in Germany’s Black Forest is transformed into a charming Christmas market with over 40 stalls and live music performances.
Ravenna Gorge Christmas Market, also known as Ravennaschlucht Weihnachtsmarkt, is located between Hinterzarten and Freiburg in southern Germany.
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The German Christmas market is set underneath the 40m-high Höllental Railway Viaduct, making it look like it’s been plucked straight from a Harry Potter film.
Ravenna Gorge Christmas Market first started as a small gathering of local vendors in the early 20th century.
However, it has since become one of the region’s most popular festive markets.
The viaduct is lit up during the festive period, with wooden huts and snow-dusted trees lining the bottom of the gorge.
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The Christmas market is home to over 40 stalls that sell a range of handmade items, including wooden toys, cuckoo clocks and ornaments.
There’s also a range of food and drink vendors serving a range of local grub like Bratwurst, Flammkuchen (smoky German pizza), fire-roasted nuts and crepes.
Traditional choirs and bands perform at the Christmas market, while a series of live demonstrations also take place.
Younger guests can also take part in a Christmas quiz and follow a nativity trail.
Ravenna Gorge Christmas Market even has its own post office where younger visitors can send letters to Father Christmas.
Previous visitors have raved about the Christmas market.
Travel blogger Prost with the Proppes writing: “The Christmas market at Ravenna Gorge is one of the most magical we have been to.
“The market is smaller than the ones in bigger cities, therefore I don’t think you need more than a day or two.”
Another travel blogger, known as A Dangerous Business, added: “This magical Christmas market in the woods lived up to all my expectations.”
Ravenna Gorge Christmas Market will open to the public on select dates in November and December.
The Christmas market will be open on November 22, 23, 29, and 30, and it will also be open on December 1, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14 and 15.
The market will be open from 3pm to 9pm every Friday, opening an hour earlier on Saturdays and Sundays.
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Entry tickets cost €5.50 (£4.60) for adults who arrive before 4pm, with this fee rising to €7.50 (£6.27) for entrants who arrive after this time.
Tickets for children aged between six and 15 are free.
Shuttle services operate from several nearby towns and villages, including Titisee, Hinterzarten, Himmelreich and Freiburg.
Children will need to pay €2 (£1.67) to board the shuttle service from Titisee, Hinterzarten and Himmelreich, with shuttle services from Freiburg costing €28 (£23.41).
Visitors can also book onto torchlight hikes, lantern walks and winter hikes to the Christmas Market.
EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg is the closest airport to the Christmas market, with British Airways and easyJet both operating a direct route from London.
One-way fares start from £15 in December, with return fares from as little as £32.
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Three other unusually located Christmas markets to visit
HERE are three other unusual Christmas markets to visit in Europe.
Kerststad Valkenburg, the Netherlands
The award-winning Christmas market covers every corner of the town, with events at several locations, including several underground caves. One of those is the Velvet Cave Christmas Market, which is situated underneath Valkenburg’s ruined castle. It is home to more than 50 stalls that sell handmade gifts and other items.
Fraueninsel Christmas Market
Every winter, the island of Fraueninsel (also known as Frauenchiemsee), in Bavaria, Germany is transformed into a festive attraction thanks to its Christmas market. Fraueninsel is the second-largest island on Lake Chiemsee in Bavaria and is the only island in Germany with its very own Christmas market.
Fraueninsel Christmas Market has been described as one of the “most wonderful” in Bavaria by The Best Places to Visit in Germany. The Christmas market spills across the entirety of the island with both decorations and lights hung from trees and lampposts. There are over 90 wooden stalls at the market that sell handmade gifts, mulled wine, and local delicacies.
Winter Wonder Weeks, the Netherlands
Each year, Leiden in the Netherlands is transformed into a picturesque winter wonderland. The award-winning Christmas Market covers the entire city, with attractions held outside Hooglandse Kerkgracht (a gothic church) and Garenmarktplein (a square in the city).
Known as Winter Wonder Weeks, the Christmas market was previously named the best in Europe in 2016. The Christmas market spans across the entire town, with one of its most unique features being its floating ice rink.
Meanwhile, this travel writer thinks their hometown has the best Christmas attraction in the UK.
A city in Germany has been dubbed “Christmas city” because it has one of the world’s oldest and most famous Christmas markets.
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