A train sounding its horn whizzed past overhead as I sipped on glühwein in the Black Forest Highlands.

Every weekend during advent in south-western Germany, a steep-sided valley – Ravenna Gorge – transforms into a festive fairy tale. It includes more than 40 stalls that are framed by forest hills, the 58-metre high and 225-metre long Höllental Railway viaduct (also known as Ravenna Bridge), and Hofgut Sternen, a hotel that once hosted guests such as Goethe and Marie-Antoinette.

As the sun began to dip, the scene came to life. Fire pits were lit, fairy lights twinkled, and the smell of spiced drinks and roasting snacks filled the air. Santa handed out gifts to children, and an illuminated riverside path through the forest told the story of the nativity through wooden sculptures.

Winter markets have been held in Germany for nearly 600 years. Dresden’s first seasonal market took place on Christmas Eve in 1434, while some historians think Nurenberg can date its offering back to 1530. Following the urban population boom of the Industrial Revolution, the tradition ballooned, and now there are somewhere between 2,500 and 3,000 markets held across the country.

Each year, my husband and I choose a different Christmas market to visit. We’ve been to at least 15 in the UK and Europe. In Germany we have visited Bremen (twice), Aachen, and Monschau, and we have also tried markets in Copenhagen, Basel, Gdansk, and more. Germany’s are the most classic. I have loved many of them, but Ravenna Gorge was special. Usually, Christmas markets are in a pretty little town square. At Ravenna Gorge, in the heart of the Black Forest, you really feel like you’ve landed in a festive backdrop.

Aside from the stalls, you can climb the Galgenbühl hill (a knoll with the best view of the market and viaduct), try glass blowing and admire the giant cuckoo clock at the Hofgut Sternen. Tickets are timed, so we stayed for around two to three hours, but this keeps crowds in check and it is perhaps enough time to spend in the cold.

The German influence on Christmas in the UK is long-standing: Coburg-born Prince Albert popularised the Christmas tree in the 1800s. Festive markets are a more recent import with UK cites, including Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham, and London, holding one, or several, each year. But the UK’s German-themed markets are often criticised for overcrowding and high prices – punters at Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market have forked out £12.50 for a German beer and somewhere between £7 and £9 for a Bratwurst, while London’s Winter Wonderland charges as much as £7 for a baked potato and £14 for fish and chips.

Even as smaller cities and towns in the UK launch their own versions, there aren’t as many to choose from as there are in Germany. Plus, Germany’s smaller options can be more affordable, and more enjoyable.

At Ravenna Gorge, mulled wine is available from £3.30 (€4) and you add an optional shot of Amaretto for £1.65 (€2). At Winter Wonderland in London’s Hyde Park you will pay £6.10 for a glass, in Manchester it is £6.50, and, in Edinburgh, £6. The same goes for food. A Bratwurst in London is £9, whereas at Ravenna Gorge you can enjoy a wider variety of more interesting German foods, like kasëspätzle (cheese noodles) for £5.37 (€6.50) or a bacon and sour cream German pizza called flammkuchen for £6.19 (€7.49).

Crowds in the gorge – a mix of foreign tourists and Germans – are controlled through the ticketing system. Adult daytime tickets, which come with a free, bookable shuttle bus to the nearest train station, start at just £4.54 (€5.50), with nighttime tickets costing £6.19 (€7.50). While some markets in the UK are free to enter, Winter Wonderland requires a ticket for entry, with adult prices ranging between £5 and £7.50.

UK Christmas markets are also starting to add more experiences to their offering, which can quickly push up the price of a visit. Take Winter Wonderland: if you forked out for adult entry at peak time as well as for “Bar Ice”, “Cirque Berserk: Thunderbolt”, a session on the ice rink, an ice sculpting workshop for two (a price for one isn’t listed), “Justin’s Christmas Singalong”, “Magical Ice Kingdom” at peak time, admission to “Real Ice Slice” and the other add-ons listed here, plus two glasses of mulled wine and fish and chips, your bill would be £246 for one.

Meanwhile, the total starting price for return flights from the UK to Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg (a convenient airport for travel to Ravenna Gorge market), return bus and train tickets to the Black Forest, one night in a shared double room at Hotel Schwarzwaldhof in the village of Hinterzarten, entry to the Ravenna Gorge market, mulled wine and a meal at the market is less per person than a Winter Wonderland blow-out.

Plus, in the Black Forest, the experience is more pastoral than guzzling a beer in the drizzle near a major ring road or a muddy park. To get to Ravenna Gorge, I hiked down a frosty path through the forest, past traditional sawmills and frozen waterfalls.

It felt like I was getting more for my money than any market in the UK. Every time I have visited Birmingham’s, it has been drizzly, and London’s always feel overcrowded and overpriced. You get a festive holiday out of it as well. We were also able to visit more than one market on our trip.

One stallholder told me that, in Germany, rural communities take turns each weekend to hold a market that showcases crafts from the area.

When I visited at the start of December, the village of Sankt Märgen, around 20 minutes’ drive from Ravenna Gorge, was hosting its market below the tolling bells of a 12th-century abbey. There was locally made honey, blended teas, handmade knitwear, and baked goods, like traditional gingerbread and iced biscuits. A mulled wine was even better value here, at just £2.89 (€3.50) a cup.

The village of Hinterzarten (a 10-minute drive from Ravenna Gorge) also had a very small market where a glühwein set me back just £2.48 (€3), which I enjoyed as I watched a brass band play a mixture of traditional songs and modern songs with a Germanic twist. The town is also home to the Black Forest Ski Museum, a winter attraction inside a 300-year-old traditional house where you can learn about the history of the sport.

After some festive fun in the Black Forest, I felt imbued with the Christmas spirit. If you’re looking for a German-style market, it’s best to visit the country where they began.

Getting there
Several airlines fly from the UK to EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg. 

To get to the Black Forest, take a Flixbus from the airport direct to Freiburg im Breisgau (€25/£20 one way), and then a train to Hinterzarten (€6.60/£5.45 one way). 

Staying there
Hotel Schwarzwaldhof in Hinterzarten has traditional rooms with views over the Black Forest Highlands, while the restaurant serves local cuisine with a modern interpretation. Double rooms start at £121 including breakfast. 

More information

blackforest-highlights.com
hochschwarzwald.de/en