2-Day Black Forest Christmas Road Trip (and the Ravennaschlucht Parking Trap)
A 2-day Christmas road trip through the Black Forest - Strasbourg's market, Freiburg, Triberg waterfalls and the Ravennaschlucht market under the railway viaduct, where you must book parking in advance.
The Black Forest in December is one of the best short winter trips you can do in Germany, and the Christmas markets here are a genuine step above the standard town-square version.
We did it in two days, based in Rust, and the single most important thing in this entire article is a parking rule that will otherwise ruin one of your two evenings. That's in the Ravennaschlucht section — read it before you book anything.
The route in brief
Base: Rust Day 1 evening: Strasbourg and its Christmas market Day 2: Freiburg → Ravennaschlucht → Triberg waterfalls → the world's largest cuckoo clock, driving through the Black Forest in between
Two days is enough for a satisfying trip. It's also slightly less than ideal — see the end for what I'd add with a third.
Day 1: Strasbourg and the market
We stayed in Rust and took an evening trip across the border into Strasbourg.
Strasbourg's Christmas market is one of the oldest and biggest in Europe, and it lives up to it — it was really beautiful. The whole centre of the old town gets taken over, the buildings around it are spectacular in their own right, and it's the kind of market that justifies a trip on its own.
Going in the evening is correct. These markets are built for the dark.
Day 2, part 1: Freiburg
Freiburg is the obvious first stop heading into the Black Forest proper — an attractive university city with a well-preserved old town and its own market running in December.
Day 2, part 2: Ravennaschlucht — book your parking slot first
This is the one that needs a warning, and it's the highlight of the trip.
The Ravennaschlucht Christmas market is set in a gorge underneath a railway viaduct, with the market stalls arranged beneath the arches. It's a spectacular setting and completely unlike a town-square market.
Two things you must get right:
1. Go in the dark. The setting looks incredible when it's lit up, and much less so in daylight. Book a slot in the dark — that's what the market is designed around and it's the entire reason to come.
2. You must book parking in advance, and there is no alternative. This is the trap. There is no other parking anywhere near the site, and the road that runs past it is effectively a highway — so you cannot just park up somewhere nearby and walk in. There is no informal option, no overflow, no improvising on the day.
If you turn up without a booked parking slot, you cannot get to the market. Book the parking at the same time as you book the entry slot.
Day 2, part 3: Triberg and the cuckoo clock
Triberg waterfalls are among the highest in Germany and a good stop, particularly in winter when parts of them ice up.
Nearby is the world's largest cuckoo clock — which is exactly the kind of thing the Black Forest does well, and worth the short detour for the novelty.
In between all of this, just drive. The roads through the Black Forest are the point as much as any individual stop, and in winter the whole thing looks the part.
What I'd add with a third day
Titisee. That's the one we didn't get to and the one I'd add. If you can stretch to three days, put it in — a lake in the middle of the Black Forest, and an easy addition to the day-two route.
Worth knowing
- Book Ravennaschlucht entry and parking together, in advance, for a dark slot. Nothing else on this trip is as unforgiving.
- Strasbourg is in France. Trivial for most travellers, but check you're set up for a border crossing.
- Winter driving. Black Forest roads can be snowy and icy; make sure your hire car is properly equipped.
- The markets are evening affairs. Plan your daylight for the waterfalls and the driving, and your evenings for the markets.
Related reading
- Road to Dresden — another German road trip
- 5-day Andalusia road trip from Malaga
- 4-day Austria road trip itinerary