Location: Heidelberg
Top Things to do in Heidelberg
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10 Things to do in Heidelberg That You Shouldn't Miss
Home to the oldest university in Germany, Heidelberg was hit hard during 17th-century wars and rebuilt in the 18th century with baroque buildings. For a pleasant walk, stroll through the historic city center's Gothic streets. Be sure to take in Heidelberg Castle, the symbolic heart of the city; Alte Brucke, a beautiful 18th-century bridge; and the Student Jail. Built as long ago as the 16th century, it was used to keep mischievous students off the streets for three days to a month at a time. And they say Penn State is the number-one party school!
Restaurants in Heidelberg
1. Schloss Heidelberg
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 7,450 reviews
Each year, Heidelberg Palace attracts around one Million visitors from all over the world. Since the 19th century, These impressive ruins have been synonymous with Romanticism. The Heidelberg Tun, the statues on the facade and the gardens of the palace are Highlights of any visit.
Reviewed By JudyM1888 - Ocean View, Australia
A must do in Heidelberg.Take the funicular railway to the castle and enjoy fantastic views over the city.A guided tour of the castle allows a much better insight the the history and the lives of nobility who lived there. If you have lunch at the castle cafe-the apple strudel and the rhubarb water are highly recommended.
2. Philosopher’s Walk
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,754 reviews
This famous path along the Neckar River has been frequented by numerous famous philosophers throughout history.
Reviewed By AzzurroTiffany
Nice walk in the wonderful nature surrounding the city; different paths for different levels of exercise/panoramic spots, it fills your eyes with beauty in all seasons and weather conditions.
3. German Pharmacy Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,005 reviews
This intriguing museum with its exceptional collection explores the history of pharmacy. It is located in the beautiful place of Heidelberg castle.
Reviewed By Mairwen1
This is included in your castle ticket and although it seems an odd museum to have here, it really is worthwhile. Whilst it might not strike you as the most interesting sounding museum in the world, I found it unexpectedly fascinating. The main feature is a display of several 18th and 19th century apothecary/pharmacy shops. These are real shops that have been moved here. One is from a Benedictine abbey (1720s), another from the royal court in Bamberg (1730s) and another from the city of Ulm, (1812). I particularly liked the collections of decorative drawers, bottles and beautiful jars - so colourful and such a contrast to today’s sterile chemist shops and hospitals. They looked almost Harry Potter like. You can easily imagine that each little jar or bottle could have something precious or magical in it. Keep an eye out for the crocodile and the porcupine fish too. If you’re interested in the history or science of medicine, the museum traces the development of pharmacy from the days of superstition and alchemy through to the development of a scientific discipline with standards and regulations. It also traces important moments like the discovery of penicillin, quinine, salvarsan. Most intriguing were the specimen rooms. Unfortunately, there is almost no English signs or labels in these rooms which meant we had to resort to guessing what some of the treatments were & what they were supposed to cure. This was probably more fun anyway. Among the specimens were narwhal tusk, snake venom, an odd fish with legs, a toad and something that definitely looked like excrement. It’s only a fairly small museum and I’m very pleased that we didn't overlook it. We probably would have had it not been included in the ticket.
4. Old Bridge (Karl Theodor Bridge)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,030 reviews
This beautiful 18th-century bridge connects the two sides of the Neckar River.
Reviewed By meenakshimuthusamy - Chennai District, India
The place is good and nice view.Very beautiful and interesting to see again and again.Very calm place and good time always to spend a day to see places.
5. Thingstatte
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 307 reviews
Reviewed By newhorizonrw - Kigali, Rwanda
Did a great hike to reach this stadium along with friends. The history was very information for me especially that i love history and archeology. Boosted my understanding of past events with facts that are tangible and visual, loved it so much.
6. Market Square (Marktplatz)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 854 reviews
Reviewed By tinylass - Sheffield, United Kingdom
The Christmas Market took over the square and made it look lovely with all the fairy lights and market stalls lit up. Quite busy but worth the visit.
7. Altstadt (Old Town)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,152 reviews
The Old Town of Heidelberg starts from Sofienstrasse and brings you to the castle. In the middle there is the University Area (the oldest university in Germany), the main shopping street (Hauptstrasse) and it includes to famous Karl-Theodor-Bridge / the Old bridge.
Reviewed By Mairwen1
Exploring the Old Town makes the best day trip. It is such a beautiful city and it is very easy to walk between all of the main sights in this area. TIPS: 1. TRAIN - My most important tip if you’re arriving by train is to make sure that you get off at Heidelberg Alstadt station. This will place you right at the Old Town. Don’t do what we did and leap off at Heidelberg Hbf (Central Station). We had to walk about 30 minutes to get to Alstadt. Mostly we could walk along the river which was at least a pleasant walk. 2. PLANNING AHEAD - although everything is close together, there is too much to see in only one day so I’d recommend deciding what you’ll see and what you’ll skip before you go. 3. TIMING - We arrived at around 11am and left around 4pm. We had enough time to look at the Old Bridge, walk through Kornmarkt and Marktplatz squares, catch a cable car to the Schloss (castle) and walk the Philosophers Path in the afternoon. 4. KING’S THRONE FUNICULAR - If you are planning to catch the funicular train up to King’s Throne (Königstuhl), be aware that there can be a long wait at the mid-section station so I’d recommend asking at the ticket desk before you buy the ticket. We’d planned to go but changed our mind when they warned us to expect a 2 hour wait at the second funicular. Instead we opted to get the funicular to the castle only. 5. VISIT CASTLE IN THE MORNING - The queue to the castle can be long too. It took us about 30 - 40 minutes to queue for tickets and get the cable car. From memory, we got there around midday. When we came down a few hours later, the queue had snaked out the door and around the building so I'd suggest doing this earlier in the day. 5. HIGHLIGHTS – The highlight was definitely the Schloss (Castle). The views over the town and river were outstanding, the castle (although in ruins) is very picturesque and the grounds are beautiful. The castle ticket also includes the Apothecary Museum (surprisingly interesting) and the Tun (world’s largest wine keg).
8. Neckar River
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 119 reviews
Reviewed By lesbaird - Malaga, Spain
We would recommend anyone to take this cruise up the Neckar river to the village with the castles . The boat was very comfortable , 3 hour round trip and all for €14 return
9. Student Jail (Studentenkarzer)
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 420 reviews
Reviewed By danaf481 - New York City, United States
We had read about the Studentenkarzer in blogs and tour books. We are glad that we made time to stop and see this old student jail. You don't need much time to explore, but it is definitely worth a go. Notably, this is not accessible with a stroller, as you must climb stairs to view the jail. It is worth a visit if you are in the area.
10. Konigstuhl Funicular (Bergbahn)
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 985 reviews
Reviewed By StaceyH44
Easiest way to get to the castle if you’re already walking through Aldstadt. Reasonably priced ticket includes entrance to the castle, apothecary museum, and wine barrel (must pay additional at castle IF you want a tour of the castle). Multiple destination options
