Heidelberg

Heidelberg is a jewel among German travel destinations. Heidelberg has retained its baroque charm of narrow streets, picturesque houses and of course the world-famous Schloss (castle ruins). It is home to the oldest university in Germany (est. 1386).

Understand


Heidelberg, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, sits in the Neckar river valley where the legend-rich Odenwald (Forest of Odes or Odin) opens up towards the plains of the Rhine Valley.

With 28,000 students, the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität (or Ruperto Carola, the Latin equivalent of its name) is one of Germany's larger academic institutions and boasts the full spectrum of an ancient academy, from Egyptian Studies to Computer Linguistics. The faculties for Medicine, Law and Natural Sciences are considered to be among the best in Germany. The university fostered the establishment of several other world class research institutions such as the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the European Molecular Biological Laboratory (EMBL), Center for Molecular Biology (ZMBH), Max Planck Institutes for Medicine, Astronomy, Nuclear Physics, among others. Generally speaking, Heidelberg is an academic city with a long and rich history and is similar in many ways to cities such as Cambridge or Oxford (Heidelberg and Cambridge, England are twinned).

During World War II, the city was almost completely spared Allied bombings which destroyed many of Germany's larger inner cities. After World War II, the US Army built large barracks at the southern end of the city. Heidelberg's 149,600 inhabitants at one point included 28,000 students at the university, nearly 20,000 US citizens, almost all of them soldiers and their families. However, in 2015, the US Army presence relocated to a different city in Germany.

With hundreds of thousands of tourists flocking to the city annually, Heidelberg is truly a culturally diverse and international destination, despite its small size. Over the years, Heidelberg has attracted numerous artists, intellectuals and academics from all over Europe and has sometimes been referred to as Germany's unofficial intellectual capital. People who have lived and worked in the city include the poets Joseph von Eichendorff, Jean Paul and Goethe, scientists such as Bunsen and Kirchhoff, philosophers such as the founder of the "Illuminati" order von-Knigge, atheist Ludwig Feuerbach, existentialist Karl Jaspers, political theorist Hannah Arendt, architect Albert Speer, and many more. Mark Twain wrote in A Tramp Abroad:
 * "... Out of a billowy upheaval of vivid green foliage ...rises the huge ruin of Heidelberg Castle, with empty window arches, ivy-mailed battlements, moldering towers—the Lear of inanimate nature—deserted, discrowned, beaten by the storms, but royal still, and beautiful."

By plane

 * Frankfurt Airport — The nearest intercontinental airport.
 * Stuttgart — for European 'EU-domestic' flights.

ICE Train from Frankfurt or Stuttgart Airport to Heidelberg
You can travel to Heidelberg via ICE (InterCity Express), Germany's fastest train, running at up to 300 km/h (180 mph) on German rails. For more info and booking see German Railways (Deutsche Bahn, DB) website.

Frankfurt and Stuttgart airports have train stations inside the terminal. Frankfurt Airport also is a major ICE train stop.

Reservations are not necessary; just buy your ticket at the counter or machine after you land. Credit cards are accepted; most staff speak English. It might be necessary to change trains (only once) at Mannheim, Stuttgart, or Frankfurt Central Station, but it is still likely to be faster than the bus. One-way prices: Frankfurt €31.50 (ICE) or €25 (IC or EC), Stuttgart €36 (IC) or €49 (ICE).

Lufthansa Shuttle Bus
Lufthansa provides a shuttle bus from Frankfurt to Heidelberg for €26 one way (taking one hour) and €48 round trip. If you have a Lufthansa ticket, you get €2 discount.

Minor airports

 * Frankfurt-Hahn - An airport in the middle of the beautiful green mountains of Hunsrück is a major hub for Ryanair. There are frequent bus connections from Heidelberg Hbf to Frankfurt-Hahn; the trip takes a little more than 2 hours, and costs €20 with Hahn Express, bookable via Flixbus (fixed price one way as of 2018). Other bus companies offer indirect connections only and there is no train to Hahn, though DB operates a bus from Frankfurt main station to Hahn.
 * Baden-Baden has an airport, too. Mainly domestic flights are handled at this airport

By train

 * There are direct train lines from Heidelberg to Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Mannheim and Frankfurt – and direct long distance trains to Munich, Vienna, Hamburg and Cologne usually running at least every 2 hours.
 * For most long distance destinations it is useful to take the regional train to nearby Mannheim Hbf (S-Bahn, about 15 minutes), from where there are frequent direct high speed connections to all major cities in Germany and some places in the nearby countries (e.g. Paris, Zurich, Amsterdam).
 * Taking slow trains will be much cheaper on a Saturday or Sunday, especially if you have a five-person group ticket, "Länderticket Baden-Württemberg" for €24–48.
 * Flixtrain serves the city. DB tickets aren't valid on Flixtrain and vice versa.
 * Flixtrain serves the city. DB tickets aren't valid on Flixtrain and vice versa.

By car
The A5 connects Heidelberg directly to Frankfurt and Karlsruhe. It's easy to reach from any direction.

Get around
The city runs a small but rather effective system of trams and buses. The two most important nodal points are the main station and Bismarckplatz. A single trip costs €2.80, and a day ticket costs €6.70. Ticket machines at most tram and bus stops take cash and cards, and have instructions in English as well as German.

As of July 2019, the area around the main railway station is being redeveloped, and so buses and trams calling there are diverted, and using different stops to usual.

Bus #32 and #33 connect the main train station (Hauptbahnhof) with the old city area; detailed maps, schedules and routes can be found online. A mountain railway runs between four stations (including the castle), linking the old city on the level of the river with the summit of the Königstuhl Mountain, about 400 m (1312 feet) above the city.

The "HeidelbergCARD", a tourist pass that includes public transportation, many museums, and the lower section of the mountain railway (a separate fare is required for the upper section), can be bought at the tourist information centre outside the main station.

See




Do
The city has more than 12 cinemas, and 8 theatres, including

Buy
The main shopping area is from Bismarckplatz along the Hauptstraße. Here you will find the big chains and the small, unique shops.
 * Go by the Cathedral during the day for small markets selling souvenirs
 * The outdoor Christmas market during December can get extremely busy. (The market has been relocated to the Altstadt from the castle to protect the bat population in the castle)
 * The outdoor Christmas market during December can get extremely busy. (The market has been relocated to the Altstadt from the castle to protect the bat population in the castle)

Eat
BBQ & Beer — On sunny summer days the Neckarwiese ('Neckar meadow', northern bank of Neckar river, just west of Bismarckplatz) is full of people relaxing in the sun, having a barbecue or a beer... This place also offers a nice view to the castle. You will have to bring your own grill, beer and steaks. Cheap grills to use once are available at the "Bauhaus" do-it-yourself store at Kurfürsten-Anlage 11, 200 m south of Bismarckplatz. Nice way to mix with locals. Grilling is only allowed in two zones marked with cobblestones. Do not put one-way-grills onto the grass, it will leave a hole in the grass.

Snacks — Along the Hauptstraße, which runs through the center of town, you will find several bakeries that serve local specialities including “Brezeln” (pretzels). Department stores have a nice selection of delicatessen stalls called “Markthallen” where you can eat everything on the spot.

Cafes — Many of the cafes in Heidelberg set up outside tables when the weather is fair, and these are enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. A popular destination for summer cafe beer sipping and lounging is the Marktplatz, which is adjacent to the Heiliggeistkirche.

Meals — The Haupstraße is plentiful with an amazing variety of restaurants. Dishes tend to be served in large portions, relatively inexpensive and of good quality. You can find something for almost every taste including Japanese, Indian, Italian, Chinese, German and Bavarian. American fast food and "Döner" restaurants cater to the budget conscious and late-night crowds.

Budget
All these are in the Old Town:



Drink
More than 300 bars, pubs, clubs, discothèques and the like, from Bavarian style tourist restaurants with deer antlers on the walls to extremely left-wing student bars which reserve the right to refuse police officers entry to the bar. You name it. Find your place and enjoy yourself. Heidelberg knows no curfew. Most bars close at 01:00, but especially the students bars are often open until the early morning. Although the locals—even the police officers—are used to drunk tourists as well as to drunk students, please be calm on your way home and do not riot. As a remnant of the student revolts, Heidelberg has the largest ratio of policemen per capita and you may find yourself in the arms of an officer much faster than you think.

If you are a young person and happen to discover one of the student parties (which are quite numerous but advertised mostly by word-of-mouth), you scored the jackpot. Get inside, get a (dirt cheap) beer and have fun. But try to avoid being recognised as a tourist. No party ends before 03:00 and many run until 06:00 or 07:00. Either Untere Straße or the Zieglers (Heidelbergs oldest students' bar) are frequently crowded with students.


 * Wines are produced around Heidelberg (e.g. Schriesheim, Wiesloch), but it might be difficult to get hold of them - unless you go to a vineyard. When you buy wine, always a safe bet is a Riesling from Pfalz or some white wine from Baden instead, or try any of the numerous wines from other German wine regions.
 * Vineyards are usually found in the middle of small towns along Bergstraße (Highway B3). Fruit farmers sell wine right on their farm or vineyard – make sure you also ask for Apple Wine (Hesse specialty) and New Wine (wine still in process of fermentation - sold from the barrel, bring a canister!) which you can sometimes drink in some 'wine-beergarden' right on site. Take a tram (5/5R) northbound to any place between Schriesheim and Lützelsachsen or a local train (S3/S4) southbound to Wiesloch – or (even better, if you have the time) S1 or S2 to Neustadt, where you will find yourself in an endless landscape of vine stocks.



Most pubs close, even on the weekends, at around 02:00. Just move to one of the numerous clubs, which usually have no entrance fee this late at night.

Stay safe
Heidelberg is an extremely safe city (even by German standards). However, people walking alone at night should take the usual precautions they would do anywhere else. Walking along the northern Neckar banks at night would not be advised, except in groups, particularly by the Studentenwohnheime (dorms). The shrubs are thick and it is very dark.

Usually there won't be a problem. To be extra safe you can take a taxi. Prices are reasonable.

'''Don't walk on bicycle lanes! Really don't!''' (they are often painted in red, but always separated from the pedestrian lanes by a white line): Heidelberg has more cyclists than motorists, and many of them have a rather cavalier way of riding. The southern parallel street to Hauptstraße (called Plöck) is the main traffic channel for student cyclists between Bismarkplatz and University Square. During the day it can be such a buzz, it's already a sight worth visiting. But watch out: many cyclists feel safe from the tourists there and lose all their good manners.

Go next

 * Bertha Benz Memorial Route - Follow the tracks of the world's first automobile journey (Mannheim - Pforzheim - Mannheim) back in 1888, leading right through Heidelberg
 * Darmstadt
 * Small cities on the Bergstraße between Darmstadt and Heidelberg: Weinheim, Heppenheim, Bensheim and Zwingenberg
 * Heilbronn
 * Karlsruhe
 * Mannheim
 * Schwetzingen
 * Dilsberg / Neckarsteinach - has four small castles in a row. Dilsberg's castle has a well which is accessible by a tunnel. The most enjoyable way to get there is to take a boat https://weisseflottehd.de/ to Neckarsteinach. Or take the train there, 20 min by S1 or S2 train from Hauptbahnhof or Karlstorbahnhof. From there it is a 5-km walk on a forest trail to Dilsberg, a medieval village with a town wall. The Dilsberg youth hostel is in the old city gate.