The Black Forest is one of the best destinations for a Christmas drive. This area in the south of Germany, next to Alsace and Switzerland, hosts beautiful Christmas markets in the main villages every year. It is not as popular at this time of year as Alsace, but there you will also find options to enjoy the intimate Christmas atmosphere in the purest German tradition.
If you’re looking for a drive to visit Christmas markets, the Black Forest is a very feasible destination to reach by car, as you can also drive to Alsace on a long weekend.
Finally, it is an area with good transport links. Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg airport is located in Basel, but is shared by the three border countries in this area: Basel (Switzerland)-Mulhouse (France) and Freiburg (Germany). Low cost airlines such as Easy Jet have direct connections to Madrid or Barcelona from this shared airport.
Don’t miss the top destinations to visit the Black Forest Christmas markets!
MỤC LỤC
Freiburg Christmas Markets
🗓️ 21 November to 23 December
📍Frankziskanerstrasse, Columbia Park and more
Freiburg is the capital of the Black Forest and is of course a great Christmas destination in this area. This small city, which you can visit in one day, holds 5 Christmas markets every year. The most important ones are held around St. Martin’s Church next to the Town Hall, the epicentre of this quiet town.
Enjoy the sausage stalls, gingerbread biscuits and of course mulled wine along Frankziskanerstrasse, the street around the church.
Another popular Christmas market in Freiburg in recent years is the Rotteckring, an area surrounded by bars where you can complement a visit to the wooden chalets with a drink or even dinner in this lively part of Freiburg.
Other recommended Christmas markets include the Kartoffel Markt, usually with a fair for the little ones, and the more urban Unterlindenplatz Christmas market.
As well as visiting Freiburg’s Christmas markets, don’t miss the Schwanbentor or Swabian Gate, one of the old gate towers, and the Martin Tor. Another popular spot is the Münsterplatz, a large square on which stands Freiburg Cathedral with more than 800 years of history. Inside you can see the three-ton Hosanna bell.
Ravennaschlucht Christmas Market
🗓️ Open four weekends: 22-23 November / 29 – 1 December / 6-8 December / 13-15 December. Fridays from 15:00 – 21:00, Saturdays from 14:00 to 21:00 and Sundays from 14:00 to 20:00.
📍Ravennaslucht, 79874 Breitnau, Germany
You should know that it is one of the few Christmas markets in Europe where you have to pay an entrance fee. Tickets for the market, car park and shuttle buses go on sale at the beginning of October every year.
Ravennaschlucht is one of the most beautiful Christmas markets in Europe thanks to its beautiful location in a Black Forest forest, under a viaduct, on the border of the 3 countries (France-Switzerland-Germany). Surrounded by trees and under a bridge over which the train passes, its spectacular illumination is one of its main attractions.
To get to the Ravennaschlucht market you have several options: by car, but you need to pre-book a ticket for the parking space, by train on the line between Freiburg and Titisee or by the shuttle buses that connect Freiburg, Himmelreich and Hinterzarten with the Christmas market. You can also walk through a beautiful forest, a highly recommended option, although you’ll need snow boots and a torch if you’re going at night.
Lörrach Christmas Market
🗓️ 5 – 15 December. Monday to Friday and Sunday from 11:00 to 20:00. Saturday from 10:00 to 20:00.
📍3 squares – Alter Marktplatz, Hebelpark and Senser Platz
In the weeks leading up to Christmas, the Lörrach Christmas market lights up the centre of this Black Forest town. Famous for its extensive cultural programme, there’s no shortage of chalets with Advent food classics such as gingerbread biscuits, Christollen, mulled wine and other typical drinks such as Punsch, a hot juice mixture to help you warm up.
Besides eating at the markets in Lörrach, there are also plenty of craft stalls and the famous Advent calendar on Chesterplatz shortens the waiting time until Christmas.
Triberg Christmas market
🗓️ From 25 to 30 December from 14:00 to 21:00h
📍Hauptstraße 81, 78098 Triberg im Schwarzwald
Since its opening in 2004, the Christmas spectacle has enjoyed great popularity and conjures up a romantic atmosphere in the wintry Black Forest. When the Christmas markets elsewhere are already closed, the Triberg Christmas market invites its visitors into a magical Christmas world with 1 million lights at Germany’s highest waterfalls.
The undisputed highlight of the Triberg Christmas Magic is the breathtaking fire show, which transforms the winter waterfall into a fairytale of fire and water several times a day. Of course, visitors can enjoy a wide range of food and drink throughout the festival grounds.
Waldshut-Tiengen Christmas markets
🗓️ 23 November to 22 December from Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 20:00, Sunday from 12:00 to 20:00.
📍Kaiserstrasse, Schlossplatz
This town in the southwest of Baden-Württemberg on the Swiss border has an interesting old town centre where every Christmas there is a beautiful flea market open from Monday to Sunday in two pedestrian zones, Kaiserstrasse in Waldshut, framed by the two town gates, and in Tiengen, at the foot of the castle and the parish church on the main street.
There is no shortage of chalets selling handicrafts and Advent food, and it is also easy to spot the occasional Christmas pyramid, one of the most typical elements of Christmas in Germany.
Offenburg Christmas Market
🗓️ 19 November to 23 December from Monday to Sunday from 11:00 to 21:00h
📍Markplatz, Lindenplatz
Offenburg is a medium-sized town located about 30 minutes‘ drive from Strasbourg and only 15 minutes’ drive from Gengenbach town – another of the Black Forest’s top Christmas stops. You’ll find beautifully decorated wooden chalets, the classic Christmas pyramids and several streets lit up for the occasion.
Offenburg’s main Christmas market is held every year on the market square (Markplatz) and has a varied musical programme awaiting visitors on the Sparkasse stage. On the town hall square you will find the Christmas tree and the beautiful illuminated Church of Our Lady on Klosterstrasse. There are also often chalets on Lindenplatz.
Gengenbach Christmas market
🗓️ From 30 November to 23 December from Monday to Friday from 14:00 to 20:00 and on Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00 to 20:00.
📍Marktplatz in front of the Town Hall
One of the best Christmas destinations in the Black Forest is Gengenbach. This fairytale town, located about 40 minutes’ drive from Strasbourg, hosts traditional Christmas celebrations, but still manages to gather a lot of atmosphere even on weekdays.
Gengenbach is worth a visit in itself, but if you arrive too early in December you won’t see the wooden chalets of the flea market open, as the Christmas programme usually starts after midday.
Located on the town hall building on the market square, from 30 November until 23 December every day at 18.00 the whole town turns out to watch the 24 windows of the building being opened one by one, just as we do with the chocolate calendar.
To do this, they organise a little theatre in perfect German that tells a story with children and a town guard as the main characters. It’s all very classical, like Christmas in Germany, but that’s where the uniqueness lies.
Baden-Baden Christmas market
🗓️ From 21 November to 6 January daily from 11:00 to 21:00.
📍Kurgarten
Baden-Baden is a large spa town in the north of the Black Forest. As such, the city has large Christmas markets where you can enjoy the best local atmosphere, with seasonal food and crafts.
Baden-Baden Christmas market located in the picturesque spa gardens directly in front of the historic, festively illuminated Kurhaus, offers a magical winter backdrop. The Kurhaus, an architectural landmark with magnificent colonnades, characterises the cityscape and lends the Christmas market a unique atmosphere.
In this large flea market with more than 100 charming chalets you will find typical German Advent specialities with gingerbread and cinnamon flavour as well as German classics such as local sausages – also a classic at Christmas time.
In addition to the flea market, Baden Baden also hosts a number of concerts and related cultural events. You can also enjoy gourmet experiences in the Christmas igloo restaurants.
