Heidelberg Travel Guide

  View from the castle....
by Maryimelda
 
  • View from the castle....
      View from the castle....
    by Maryimelda
  • View of Heidelberg from Castle
      View of Heidelberg from Castle
    by LoriPori
  •   Heidelberg
    by Hikerpark
  • Schloss Heidelberg (Heidelberg Castle)
      Schloss Heidelberg (Heidelberg Castle)
    by Hikerpark
  • Castle from above
      Castle from above
    by Husker_Jeff
 

Pro

JessH profile photo

  So much history, so much life, so much beauty (and I'm still trying to be unbiased!) 


Con

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  touristy, expensive, somewhat less German feeling 


In a nutshell

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  Romantic views and Japanese tourists 

 

Explore Heidelberg

Things to Do  

Castle/Schloss

Castle/Schloss, Heidelberg

 196 Reviews  I decided not to take the funicular up to the castle, but to walk instead, and I think it was a good decision. The walk was not too strenuous to me and I liked the views I got during it. It was also interesting to see some of the old fortifications and gates. I liked to imagine how people arrived... 

Old Bridge

Old Bridge, Heidelberg

 41 Reviews  All great romantic cities have a river: Prague has the Vltava, Paris has the Seine, Florence the Arno, and Heidelberg the Neckar river. "Die Alte Bruecke" (=the old bridge) is named after Kurfuerst (Prince Elector) Carl Theodor and apparently is Germany's 2nd oldest bridge. The stone structure... 

Old Town/Altstadt

Old Town/Altstadt, Heidelberg

 38 Reviews  Hauptstraße is the touristic centre of the town - a very long pedestrian street, lined by historic houses and many, many shops. There are restaurants, souvenirshops, shops for clothing, books etc., and some of the touristic highlights such as Heiliggeistkirche, the townhall and Haus zum Ritter. It... 

Philosophenweg

Philosophenweg, Heidelberg

 28 Reviews  A stroll along the Philosopher's Walk is a great opportunity to see Heidelberg from above. It offers fantastic views across the River Neckar to the Schloss. Although I visited in winter, the path is flanked by gardens that must look amazing in summer months. Indeed, subtropical plants are supposed... 

Museums

Museums, Heidelberg

 21 Reviews  The "Kurpfalz" area around Heidelberg became a separate entity in the Middle Ages with a significance disproportional to its size, military power or economic strength as the local ruler became duke elector (one of the few nobles in charge with electing the Emperor of the Holy Roman German Empire).... 

Churches

Churches, Heidelberg

 17 Reviews  You cannot really miss Heiliggeistkirche when you are in Heidelberg's old town because it is situated very central at the Marktplatz (market square). It was the burial place of the electors of the Palatine. I find the history of this church very interesting. There had been a church on this place... 

Grosses Fass

Grosses Fass, Heidelberg

 13 Reviews  The perception of size is cleverly manipulated in the castle's wine cellar: you descend the stairs and voila! You see a large wine barrel to your right. "Surely, this must be it?" you ask. No, THIS was just the little one that "only" holds 45,000 lites. DAS GROSSE FASS (Vat / Tun): This beauty can... 

Heiliggeistkirche

Heiliggeistkirche, Heidelberg

 18 Reviews  The most important church of Heidelberg is the "Heiliggeistkirche", centerpiece of the main market square and opposite the Old Town Hall. It was built between 1398 and 1515 in the gothic style, with some baroque additions in later times. The tower of this church has a viewing platform and probably... 

Kornmarkt

Kornmarkt, Heidelberg

 14 Reviews  When you walk down to the old town after having visited the castle, take in the wonderful view from Kornmarkt. It is a lovely little square surrounded by historic buildings and you get here automatically when following the road down on your way to Hauptstraße, so turn around and enjoy the good view... 

Der Ritter

Der Ritter, Heidelberg

 7 Reviews  This building (now a hotel and restaurant) dates from 1592 making it one of Heidelberg's oldest treasures. Built in late German Renaissance style, its original owner was cloth dealer Carolus Belier. I would guess that it would be an amazing place to stay as it is within a stones throw of most of... 

Town Hall/Rathaus

Town Hall/Rathaus, Heidelberg

 10 Reviews  The townhall is located at the eastern end of the central market square. It was constructed in baroque style from 1701 to 1703 because the former townhall had been destroyed by French troops. The building was renovated after a fire on carnival monday in a neoclassic style to harmonise the different... 

Walks

Walks, Heidelberg

 10 Reviews  In the end of my day in Heidelberg I was quite surprised that I still had an hour left before I needed to take the train back home. I already had done all that I had previously planned for this day, and so I decided to take a spontaneous walk along the river. I crossed the bridge at Bismarckplatz... 

University

University, Heidelberg

 10 Reviews  Heidelberg has a famous old university library, which is located in a wonderful terracotta-coloured art-noveau building, close to the Jesuit Church. Though it is a "working library", it also houses a (free) exhibition of historic books, the highlights of the library collection. (located on the... 

Outside Heidelberg

Outside Heidelberg, Heidelberg

 6 Reviews  The Neckar River runs from the Black Forest to Mannheim before emptying into the Rhine. This 367 km (228 miles) long river mainly flows through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, but also a short section through Hessen. The name Neckar was derived from Celtic Nikros, meaning "wild water"... 

Hotels  

Crowne Plaza Heidelberg

 4 Reviews and 215 Opinions  The hotel is located right across the street from the train station, and is only about 5 minutes... 

Hotel Goldene Rose

 1 Review and 45 Opinions  This is a very nice little 3 Star hotel (about 40 rooms) in the heart of town. Rooms are not very... 

Local Customs  

Food and Drink

Food and Drink, Heidelberg

 10 Reviews  During the Xmas marts there were several stand that were selling the traditional Lebkuchen. Lebkuchen is a traditional German Xmas treat similar to a gingerbread cookie. Lebkuchen was created by monks in the 13th Century and there are written records of lebkuchen bakers in Ulm in 1296. 

People

People, Heidelberg

 7 Reviews  Inside the old Heilig-Geist-Kirche, the church at the market square, there is the grave of King Ruprecht and his wife. He was the founder of this church, of the oldest still standing building at the castle and also of the university. No wonder he is still remembered by the people in Heidelberg. It... 

Favorites  

Castle/Schloss

Castle/Schloss, Heidelberg

 54 Reviews  Located on the north side of the courtyard, FRIEDRICHSBAU owes its existence to Elector Friedrich IV (1553-1610) and his master builder Johannes Schoch. Construction began in 1601 and completed in 1604. This is one magnificent building with a sandstone carving of "Justice" in the middle. 

Old Town/Altstadt

Old Town/Altstadt, Heidelberg

 21 Reviews  Old town is quite small and an easy way to see the city is by walking. We decided to start our walk up to Heidelberg Castle, then make our way back down to old town. The Christmas Market was in full force and we walked around checking out all the Christmas stalls. Walking around in search for a... 

Nightlife

Nightlife, Heidelberg

 9 Reviews  I had dinner and some wonderful German beer at the Lowenbrau on the Alt Stadt Hauptstrasse just prior to my drinks and conversation with the Merck guys at the Weisser Boch. This was a wonderful little bar and the owner was also good natured about my horrible grammar. His English was worse than my... 

River Neckar

River Neckar, Heidelberg

 7 Reviews  The Neckar River means wild water or wild fellow. The River has been used for years for recreation as well as to transport supplies especially timber from the Black Forest. The River is quite beautiful. We saw numerous cargo boats and recreational boaters on this cold day. The river has some... 

The Place

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The People

173 Members Live Here
 
Advice from the Locals
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 At Home in Heidelberg - I've been living in Heidelberg since May 2002. Its very beautiful and peaceful, but the bars and restaurants are quite lively. The only drawback is the US Army yobs occasionally running loose in the... 

173 members live in Heidelberg

 

Questions and Answers

levlex profile photo

Q:  Thanks everyone for your previous help. Have now booked 1 week in Neckar Valley near Heidleberg and 1 week in Feiburg, can anyone... 

abalada profile photo

A: Neckar Valley: VGN 24 hours or 3-day tickets will be sufficient. Cheaper and now past 9am restriction on weekdays like the Baden-Württemberg Ticket... 

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Top Heidelberg Writers

1

Germany's most romantic city: HEIDELBERG

JessH profile photo

 This is John and I sitting near the old bridge down by the Neckar river on a gorgeous July day in 2004... The train rolls to a slow, squeaking halt. The teenagers reluctantly press the *pause* button... 

2

This is not Heidelberg Castle, is it???

christine.j profile photo

 No,it's not and yes, it is. It is not the famous Heidelberg Castle which is known by every tourist in Heidelberg and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, visit each year. Not many people know, that... 

3

Heidelberg – a constant inspiration

Trekki profile photo

 Beforehand a very serious remark: Yes. I live close to Heidelberg and do drag friends and colleagues here very often. However, I have not discovered many secrets yet of this wonderful and romantic...... 

4

Huckleberry Berg

Sjalen profile photo

 Heidelberg was a place I knew was touristy but I nevertheless wanted to visit to see what all the fuss was about and it did look beautiful in photos. It was. Both touristy and beautiful. Now at least... 

5

Nemorino in Heidelberg

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 Every summer the singers, musicians and actors of the Heidelberg City Theater move up the hill to the courtyard of the castle ruins and put on a summer festival with an opera, concerts, a play and an... 

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