Ravenna Gorge

The Ravennaschlucht runs down into the Höllental, the Hell Valley, with waterfalls and old mill sites along a path that climbs steeply beside the stream. The Ravenna viaduct carries the Höllental railway across the mouth of the gorge on stone arches, built in 1927 to replace an earlier iron structure, and the line uses gradients steep enough that it operated with a rack system until 1933. Since 2001 a Christmas market has been held beneath the arches on weekends in Advent, lit under the viaduct, and it has become one of the best-known in Germany, with entry by timed ticket and shuttle buses because of the numbers.

What you actually see

• The stone viaduct - a 1927 railway bridge across the gorge mouth.
• The gorge path - a steep route past waterfalls and old mill sites.
• The Advent market - a Christmas market under the arches, ticketed.
• The Höllental - the steep valley the railway climbs.

When to go

May to October for the gorge walk; the Christmas market runs on Advent weekends with timed tickets, shuttle buses and no parking on site. Book well ahead.

Honest expectations

The Christmas market requires booked tickets and a shuttle, and sells out. The gorge path is steep and slippery. Winter walking there is icy.

Nearby

Hinterzarten lies south; Freiburg is west down the valley.