Things To Do in Heidelberg

About

Heidelberg is located in the Rhine Rift Valley in southwestern Germany on the ‘Neckar’ river.

The city is surrounded by hills and forests and is one of the warmest cities in Germany.

Today, Heidelberg is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations.

Many visitors decide to come here to explore the baroque-style old town, the Heidelberg romantic castle, and the city’s charming surroundings.

The city is also home to Germany’s oldest university.

The walkable old town is extremely atmospheric with dozens of cafes and restaurants, historic architecture, and the famous gothic-style ‘Church of The Holy Spirit’, situated in the middle of the city’s market place.

Plus, Germany’s longest pedestrian zone is located in the old town of Heidelberg.

From this part of town, you will easily get to most attractions in the city.

History and Culture

The name Heidelberg was first mentioned in a document in 1196 and the famous Heidelberg castle was built shortly after. However, the castle was renovated, moved, and reconstructed several times. This is why the castle today looks very different compared to the original building.

Not even 200 years later, in 1386, the Heidelberg University was founded which makes it Germany’s oldest university as well as one of the oldest universities in all of Europe.

After this, Heidelberg turned into an important university city and a quarter of today’s population are students.

Back when the university was built, Heidelberg only had 5000 citizens which made Heidelberg a surprisingly small university city. This changed when Ruprecht II extended the city in 1392 to double its size.

Additionally, Ruprecht extended the castle as well as the chapel at the market’s place to the now called ‘Church of The Holy Spirit’.

Heidelberg also played great importance in Germany’s reformation. In 1518 Martin Luther was invited to share his theses in the ‘Heidelberger Disputation’, which took place in Heidelberg University.

In the 16th century during the ‘Thirty Years War,’ the city and its castle first got attacked.

The second time it got attacked in the 17th century during the ‘War of the Grand Alliance’. This is when the French not only destroyed the city but also the famous castle.

After this, the medieval city got rebuilt in baroque-style.

In 1784 the ‘Carl-Theodor’-Bridge’ which is commonly referred to as ‘Old Bridge’ was built to protect the city from invaders.

Although Heidelberg was captured by Americans during World War II, the City barely got damaged. This is why you can still walk around the baroque-style, cobblestone streets.

Today, the city is home to over 20 museums as well as several theatres and private galleries, exhibitions, and Germany’s oldest library. Plus, in 2014 Heidelberg was declared a ‘UNESCO City of Literature’.

Things To Do in Heidelberg

Heidelberg Castle

The castle is located on a hill behind the old town and you can get there either by foot or by a small train called ‘Bergbahn’ that drives from the old town to the castle.

By foot, it will take you around 30 minutes to walk up.

Unfortunately, the castle got damaged several times throughout history.

Not only did it get attacked twice during wars but previous to this, the castle also got struck by lightning twice, once in 1537 and once in 1764.

When the second lightning strike struck the castle in 1764, the castle was under reconstruction after the attacks during the ‘War of the Grand Alliance’.

Due to the lightning, the city stopped restoring the damage.

However, in 1934 the ‘King’s Hall’ was built and is now part of the castle.

It is still used for festivities, theatre, and classical concerts.

When visiting the castle you will find a variation of ruins and restored rooms as well as an open terrace, from here, you will have a breathtaking view of the city and the Neckar river.

Sunset is a particularly good time to come up here. Moreover, the castle provides visitors with a giant wine vat, a pharmacy museum, a beautiful garden, and even a wedding chapel.

Königstuhl

The Königstuhl (King’s Throne) is a 567m high hill and is located in the Odenwald mountains.

It can be reached by foot, as there are steep stairs going up the mountain which is called ‘Himmelsleiter’ (Stairway to Heaven). This hike takes approximately one hour.

Alternatively and more conveniently, the Königsstuhl can be reached by the ‘Bergbahn’ which departs from the Heidelberg Castle as well as from the old town. On top of the mountain, you will get rewarded with a spectacular view of the city and the Neckar river. In addition to this, you can enjoy the view while sitting down in a small cafe. There are also two walking paths to explore, a falconry and kids will have fun in the ‘fairytale paradise’, which is reminiscent of a small amusement park.

Philosopher’s Walk

The ‘Philosopher’s Walk’ is located on the northern side of the Neckar river. 

It is easily accessible by foot. From the old town over the old bridge, it takes 20-30 minutes to walk to the start of the walk.

This short 2km-long hike, which only takes 30-60 minutes to walk, includes gardens with countless plants and lovely views of the Neckar river with the city and castle laying behind it.

In the past, a lot of professors from Heidelberg University and philosophers used to come here to get away from the city.

Besides, it is said that famous German poets like Joseph von Eichendorff and Friedrich Hölderlin came here to find inspiration for their work, which explains the name of this walk.

Nowadays, a lot of tourists come here to explore the surrounding nature of Heidelberg and take the perfect panoramic photo of the city.

The ‘Philosopher’s Walk’ is a relatively easy hike. If you are ambitious, you can walk further up the mountain where you will find interesting sandstone-ruins called ‘Heiligenberg’.

Studentenkarzer

The ‘Studentenkarzer’ (Student’s prison) is located behind the old university in an old baroque-style building.

From 1778 to 1914 students had to serve time here, if they got arrested for drunkenness, silly pranks, or other violations of public order. Depending on what they’ve done their imprisonment would last between three days and four weeks.

Although they were allowed to leave to visit their lectures, they had to come straight back to the ‘Studentenkarzer’ afterward.

Nowadays, visitors come here to see the graffiti on the walls that the students painted to entertain themselves and brag about their arrests.

How to get to Heidelberg

By Bus – Visitors can take the ‘Flixbus’ from Frankfurt airport or the ‘Lufthansa Shuttle Bus’. It will be an hour long road trip.

The best way to get to Heidelberg from Karlsruhe airport or Frankfurt-Hahn airport is to take the bus, which will take around two hours.

By Train – Heidelberg is located 78km south of  Frankfurt and easily accessible by the ‘ICE’ train from Frankfurt airport. It will take around one hour to reach Heidelberg.


The ‘ICE’ to Heidelberg also departs from Stuttgart Airport and many major German cities.

From Stuttgart, the train takes almost three hours.