Feel like an intelectual and...
by DanielF
Feel like an intelectual and take a stroll along the Philosophers' path. Maybe the beautiful views of the castle and the city will awake your romanticism and inspire a couple of beautiful words for your travel companion. The ruins of the castle are the most attractive sight in the city. Even in the cold of the winter you can have some sunny spells that make the ruins even more attractive.
The Schloß has a mixture of styles, from Middle Age to Renaissance and Barroque. It was the residence of the Kurfürsten but was destroyed by the French Louis XIV's army in the end of the XVII century. Ever since, the ruins have had an enormous influence in the German Romantics.
New TOURIST INFORMATION office
by JessH
Apart from the tourism office at the main train station (see my tip HERE: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tp/175bcb/ ) there is now (Year 2008) another new centre:
The new Tourist Information in the old town ("Hauptstrasse") is located in the Heidelberg City hall at Markplatz (market square).
Opening hours: Monday - Friday 08:00am - 05:00pm.
Saturdays 10:00am - 05:00pm. For updates on everything that might affect / improve / influence your stay in Heidelberg, visit this very useful Website:
http://www.heidelberg-marketing.de/content/index_eng.html
see the HEIDELBERG CASTLE
by Krystynn
Fondest memory?? Climbing up... no, trudging up is more like it (!!)...the steep hill to the castle!! (Pant! Pant!!). Now don't you laugh. Wait till it's YOUR turn to visit this place! O.K., if you're a history buff like (ahem) me, there are quite alot of things to see and lots of history to soak up here.
You can either explore the castle grounds on your own or join the guided tour. For the El Cheapos amongst us (read: cheap skate), you'd be ecstatic to know that it doesn't cost you a cent to stroll around the castle gardens; however, you will have to pay to enter the castle courtyard. A further charge is levied if you want to go inside... or what's left of it.
My personal recommendation? Considering the uphill climb and all, forget about saving pennies. Just pay and join the guided tour available.
Local Cuisine:
While...
by Krystynn
Local Cuisine:
While traveling to foreign countries like GERMANY, make sure you try the local foods - and pleeeease do not compare everything to home (prices, quality etc.) because you are not home. While some foods and beverages may seem odd, try them and appreciate them. Anyway, German food is not odd tasting at all. In fact, it's tremendously delicious! I, for one, am a real sucker for their world-famous Frankfurters. Yummy! Sample local fares at local cafes and be friendly and courteous - always. Hey, we don't want them Germans to come complaining that VT members are an uncouth bunch, do we? :-D
Be Savvy!
When visiting a foreign city like HEIDELBERG or any parts of Germany for that matter, do carry a matchbook or postcard with the name and address of your hotel, which you can show to cab drivers or when asking directions. Not all Germans speak English as well as you/us...and we certainly don't want the cab driver(s) to drop us off in some infamous Red Light District, n'est ce pas? ;-) I thought so too.
Speak Their Lingo!
There are not many countries where the people aren't absolutely delighted for you to try out their language. And Germany is no exception. If you use just the word for 'thank you' i.e. 'Danke', they'll be impressed. Trust me. If you know more about their language, even if you are not fluent, you'll find yourself learning more about the real people, not the ones shown to us in movies! Germans are really a delightful bunch of people who are intelligent, diligent and take pride in their work.... They are exactly as curious about us as we are about them! :-D
Here are some German slangs which you might find helpful! Thanks to my dear friend, Martin for these translations... :-)
How are you?
Wie geht es?
Pronounced as: Vee Gay Tess?
See you later?
Wiedersehen
Pronounced as: Vee Tess Sane
Good morning.
Guten Morgen
Good evening.
Guten Abend
Good afternoon.
Guten Nachmittag
Have fun!
For Adventurers
by Pharting78
As you are walking down from the castle do not take the tram or the stairs/.Take the road, and look over the fence into the forest. About half way down, hidden in the brush you will see a silver slide. Do not be fooled german playgrounds do not play around. This slide is about 20 feet long and goes through a wooded area. It is very fun to go down. Be careful though I went down with one of my friends right after it rained. He caught a lot of speed .He then came off the slide wrong and fractured a bone in his leg.