Beautiful LÄND: Heidelberg  [17.08.22]

Heidelberg is a city that you really can (and should!) visit at any time of year. Visit the castle, wander the alleys of the old town and enjoy a cool drink and a delicious meal while watching the hustle and bustle of the market square.

Listen to Ada’s podcast episode about her first solo-trip to Heidelberg here. Later on, she and other members of the team decided to visit again and this time spend more time exploring the city center itself and the beautiful views of the Neckar.

There are many sights to see in Heidelberg. One of the most famous has to be the Heidelberger Schloss (castle), located 80 m up on the northern part of the Königstuhl hillside from where you can see its massive structure from different angles throughout the city. The Schloss origins probably lie before the 12th century. However, since the 1500s, the castle was constantly extended as the seat of the elector (Kurfürst) – that is also the reason why it has buildings from different epochs: Gothic, Renaissance, Late Renaissance, Historicism and Neo-Renaissance. It was never really finished.
There is a cable train available at the 'Bergbahn' bus stop to take visitors up the hill to the Schloss. However, many people prefer to hike instead. It takes a climb of 315 stairs to get to the top and up close to the castle which is even bigger than it looks. Take some water and make sure you are wearing comfortable sneakers or hiking shoes as it is quite a long climb, but totally rewarding at the end. Here, you can visit the viewpoint Königstuhl on 568 m or walk to the viewpoint Scheffelterrasse near the castle.
At the castle, you get to take a tour, have dinner in the Schloss restaurant, take lovely photos or simply enjoy the view. The castle also hosts a pharmacy, museum and a VERY large barrel. When you buy a castle ticket, you can go up and down with the mountain railroad, visit the castle, the castle courtyard, the Great Barrel, as well as the German Pharmacy Museum. The reduced price for students is €4.50 (note: only for students up to 28 years of age with a valid student ID).

You can also check out the Alte Brücke (old bridge) from where you can get a good view of the city and of the Neckar River. The Alte Brücke is a 200 m, red sandstone bridge going over the Neckar and connecting the Old City of Heidelberg to the newer regions. The gates of the bridge date back to the Middle Ages, while the current bridge itself was rebuilt by Prince Karl Theodor in 1788 on the foundations of 8 previous bridges at the same site. There is a restaurant sitting by the entrance to the bridge and a large pedestrian walkway to take photos and enjoy the view. On the other side of the bridge, and along the riverbanks, there are benches to sit. Enjoy the view and the river breeze while having lunch and a few drinks with friends or on your own.
If you are in the mood for a little hike go and explore the Philosphenweg on the other side of the Neckar. The path starts in the district Neuenheim (this is also where the university is located) and is about two kilometers long. It runs up to the Heiligenberg and oversees the Heidelberger Schloss on the Königsstuhl as well as the Old town.

Another thing to do would be to explore the center of the old city. It is usually crowded with tourists but there are several restaurants and pubs offering Greek cuisine, Italian, Japanese, Indian, German and many more, as well as a ton of bars and pubs. Sometimes there are even public shows or performances happening around the market square. The Hauptstraße (main street) which is the main route through the old city is also Heidelberg’s most prominent shopping mile, and there are many small boutiques and shops along the road. In fact, many tourist attractions like the market square and the Heiliggeistkirche are situated on this street. The street itself has existed even before the founding of the city in 1220! Now, that's a cool fact!

Heidelberg is as well-known to be a student city with its five universities. Probably the best-known university is the Ruprecht Karls University of Heidelberg, where almost 31,000 students are enrolled in programs ranging from the humanities to law and medicine. Over 5000 of them are international students. If you are curious, you can visit the over 660 years old campus.
Or take a look at so called Studentenkarzer. Those were used in earlier years as prisons for students behaving badly up until the beginning of the 20th century. You can still visit them today.

Then, when you are tired of sightseeing, you can hop on the next bus back from the city center to Heidelberg main station (Hauptbahnhof). From here you can easily get a train coming back to Stuttgart and be back on campus in no time. Well, some time.

Résumé
Heidelberg is a great destination for a one-day solo trip or for a few friends who want a quiet day with a lot of walking, sightseeing and nice food. In addition, Heidelberg has a pretty romantic vibe to it due to its old town, the Alte Brücke and the castle, so if you are able to bring your significant other with you and enjoy the city as a couple (or bring your date here) we recommend you do that. J For even more information, see www.heidelberg.de/english/Home/Visit.html

How to get there
Getting to Heidelberg is possible by taking a regional train from Stuttgart. It usually will be 45 minutes up to 1 h 20 minutes depending on the connection. For day trips, we recommend getting a BW ticket as this covers trains and buses in Baden Württemberg so it is pretty convenient for moving around even within Heidelberg (e.g getting from the Bahnhof to your destination). Or purchase the 9 € ticket which is still valid for the rest of August. Side fact: Mannheim is only 20 km away from Heidelberg and can be reached by train in about half an hour. If Heidelberg is the romantic, pretty city, Mannheim is its rude twin. They say Mannheim is the second ugliest city in Germany - is that true though? Guess you will have to find out for yourself!

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