City Review: Heidelberg, Germany

When I was in my early 20s and a brand-new international traveler, Heidelberg was one of the first few cities I visited. I remembered its long pedestrian street, the medieval, hilltop castle, and massive Christmas pyramids at the Weihnachtsmarkts that overtook all the city’s squares.

On our recent train trip through Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, and Switzerland, I was excited to have the opportunity to explore Heidelberg again, especially now that I’ve been so many other places — so I could experience it from a new perspective. So, here’s my review of Heidelberg, Germany.

About Heidelberg, Germany

If you know any Americans who have been to Germany, there’s a weirdly good chance that they’ve been to Heidelberg. I say “weird” because Heidelberg isn’t one of Germany’s top-10 largest cities… nor the top 20, or even the top 30! No, Heidelberg is Germany’s 51st-largest city.

Why do so many American tourists end up visiting Heidelberg, then? Well, first of all, it’s an absolutely beautiful city. Unlike many cities in Germany that were bombed during World War II and partially or totally destroyed, Heidelberg was not targeted — so its historic old town and architecture has been preserved. (Not all cities in Germany are traditionally pretty; for example, Cologne, which we also visited on this trip, is much more industrial… and that’s one of the reasons it was bombed so much.)

Immediately after WWII, Heidelberg became the U.S. Army’s European headquarters, with around 10,000 American service members stationed at the base at any given time for nearly 70 years. During my first visit, the impact of the American military community in Heidelberg was easy to see and feel around town — I remember going to an English-speaking trivia night at an “official” Pittsburgh Steelers bar!

With that being said, there’s historically been a good amount of English-speaking infrastructure in Heidelberg. I mean, more than the regular amount of English-speaking infrastructure in Germany, I guess. 🙂 Add all of that with the fact that Heidelberg is only about 55 miles/90 km from major international hub Frankfurt, you can understand why it became so popular with Americans.

While the Army base closed in 2013, Heidelberg has remained popular. In fact, it’s more popular than ever… and with the crowds, I definitely felt the increase in tourists on our recent trip. Back in 2012, during my first visit, Heidelberg received about 4 million tourists per year. Now, it’s closer to 14 million tourists per year! That’s a lot of visitors for a city of only about 160,000 people.

Around 40% of Heidelberg’s population is made up of people under the age of 30, thanks to the fact that there are five universities in Heidelberg. Most students in town attend Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, which is one of the world’s oldest universities, founded in 1386. As a result, you’ll find lots of great outdoor spaces in Heidelberg, designed for studying or relaxing between classes.

How Many Days Do You Need in Heidelberg?

Heidelberg is a small city, so you probably only need two full days there. We spent three days there on this trip, but our first day was a Sunday, so everything was closed. And the second day was a Monday, but it was a holiday, so everything was also closed. I was glad to have at least one day where it felt “normal,” with shops and grocery stores open so it felt like I was experiencing a typical day in Heidelberg.

Things To Do in Heidelberg, Germany

Most of my memories of Heidelberg from previous visits were of two main activities: Walking up and down the Hauptstrasse, and visiting the iconic Heidelberg Castle.

The Hauptstrasse, which means “Main Street” in German, is a nearly 2-km-long (1.25 miles) pedestrian street that stretches from one end of the Altstadt (Old Town) to the other. The western half of the street is home to typical German/European retailers like Mango, C&A, HEMA, and a few malls; the eastern half is mostly restaurants and souvenir shops. 

You’ll also pass by a few more of Heidelberg’s most famous sites during your walk down the Hauptstrasse. The Heiliggeistkirche, or Church of the Holy Spirit, is the largest church in Heidelberg and one of the most visited in all of Germany. It sits on the Marktplatz, which is a major square with fountains surrounded by outdoor restaurant seating, and this is also one of the spots where the annual Christmas Market sets up. And across the square from the church is the Heidelberg Rathaus, or old town hall. 

(Just a few blocks away, you can’t miss another square — the Karlsplatz. It’s a little bit less busy, and the view of the castle is one of the best in the entire city.)

The Hauptstrasse basically runs parallel to the Neckar River, so once you’ve seen everything on the pedestrian street, make your way over to the Neckarstaden riverfront. The Neckar is a major tributary of the Rhine River, one of Europe’s largest rivers, and it flows along the northern border of Heidelberg’s Altstadt. You can pass through the Brückentor (Bridge Gate), a 1600s-era remnant of the city’s old defensive walls, and make your way across the Karl-Theodor-Brücke for another great view of Heidelberg and Heidelberg Castle.

On the Sunday and holiday Monday we were there, the north bank of the Neckar was full of people relaxing in green spaces, enjoying the unseasonably warm weather and time off from work. But the most popular activity on this side of the river is a hike called the Philosophenweg — the Philosopher’s Way. This 2-km walk is located on the south side of Heiligenberg, Holy Mountain, and while you’ll have a bit of a steep climb to reach the trail, the hike is generally considered easy to moderate.

We did not make it up to Philosophenweg on this trip… but we did, of course, hike up to the thing you’ve probably been waiting to hear about: Heidelberg Castle! (Schloss Heidelberg.)

By the way, we’re back across the river, in the Old Town now — just a few blocks from the Karlsplatz. I was just saving the castle for the last thing in this section. 🙂

There are a couple of ways you can get up to the castle. You can walk — either by taking about 400 stairs at the Kurzer Buckel pathway, or by taking a steep incline at Burgweg — or you can take the Heidelberg Bergbahn, the funicular! The funicular costs €11 per person, round-trip to go to the castle. We decided to walk, taking the stairs on the way up and the incline on the way down. It takes about 20 minutes to walk up, and while it was a little tough, I remembered it being way worse in the past (maybe I was just more of a baby back then). 

But no matter how you reach the castle, you absolutely can’t miss a visit to the top. I recommend going around sunset — we had a gorgeous view looking down on the city and the river, with the castle’s main tower in the foreground. Plus, we saw some cows and even a baby wild boar chilling in the grass below. Bring a picnic or some drinks and relax on the castle grounds for a while — and be sure to leave some time to explore all the ruins.

How Expensive Is Heidelberg?

Maybe it’s because Heidelberg is now apparently a Tourist Destination™, but it was a bit more expensive than I was expecting — and more expensive than the other two German cities we visited on this trip (Cologne and Tübingen). While we weren’t able to eat at a huge variety of restaurants due to me being celiac, the places we did have lunch or dinner generally cost about €50 or more for the two of us.

We also didn’t have too many drinks due to the prices. I think the cheapest glass of wine I saw anywhere was about €7-€8… and while that isn’t too bad from an American perspective, as someone who lives in Spain, I now have a hard time paying more than about €4 for a glass of wine. 🙂

Where To Stay in Heidelberg

Most of the time when we travel, we stay in hotels that we book using a combination of points and money, thanks to our Chase Sapphire Preferred and CapitalOne VentureX credit cards.

On this trip, I knew I wanted to stay near the Hauptstrasse, but maybe a block or two away to avoid some of the crowds. Which is how we found the Hotel Villa Marstall. And it was the most amazing place to stay! Not only were we super close to the Hauptstrasse without being directly on it, but we were right next to the Neckar River and had a great view of it from our window. Their check-in hours can be tricky since it’s a small boutique hotel, but we didn’t have any issues and I would 100% stay there again on our next visit.

Is Heidelberg Worth Visiting?

Between the fairytale architecture, impressive and easily accessible castle, and the Neckar River flowing along the city’s borders, Heidelberg is 100% worth visiting! It was definitely the most picturesque city we’d visited on our trip by that point, and while it was busy, it was still possible to find a bit of solitude by getting a few blocks away from the Hauptstrasse. Add in the fact that it’s a university town, and you have a city with a fun culture on top of its physical beauty. I am sure I will be back in Heidelberg for another visit someday!

Plan Your Heidelberg Trip

Have you ever visited Heidelberg, or are you planning a trip? What do you want to know? Let me know in the comments!

-Cathy

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