Romantic city of Heidelberg.. Germany diaries

The city of Heidelberg, also known as the Romantic city is one of the most beautiful places to visit in Germany. It falls under the Baden area (Black Forest region) and is close to Frankfurt, Cologne, Freiburg (Black forest city).


Neckar River flowing through Heidelberg

This small town makes you fall in love with it, the old city is beautiful with its narrow lanes, colorful shops, few pubs and people roaming on the streets in evenings. The slow trams, traffic-free walking arenas and the backdrop of mountains. This city is home to Germany's earliest university and there is also a footpath called 'Philosopher's Walk' where many early philosophers and professors have walked.
The old town has a charm of its own, whether those hut shaped houses and the calm of the Neckar river that flows through the town.

As per some of the Travel websites, Heidelberg is among the Top10 cities to visit in Germany.


Street shopping in old town

The nearest airport to Heidelberg is Frankfurt - there are trains from Frankfurt airport (Flughafen) station to Heidelberg.
Heidelberg is near to some of the prominent cities in Germany can be reached by Train -

• Frankfurt main station to Heidelberg - 1 hour (There is a train every half hour - but direct trains are few)
• Frankfurt Airport to Heidelberg - 1 hour by Train
• Cologne (Koln) to Heidelberg - 2 hours (Change train at Mannheim)
• Mannheim to Heidelberg - 15 mins (Trains every half hour)
• Freiburg (Black forest city) to Heidelberg - 2 hours
• Basel to Heidelberg - 2.5 hours
• Stuttgart to Heidelberg - 1 hour

Check the train timetables on the DB bahn website. This site is quite useful, it gives trains and timings even for far connections from other European countries to German cities.
When to Go: During winters, it snows beautifully and the backdrop of mountains looks very serene. I went there during summers - month of April and it was equally amazing. It was rainy during that time, but the greenery and cool breeze were mesmerizing.

What to Do:
The tourism office is nearby to the Heidelberg Central stations (Hauptbahnhof) so you can collect the map of the city and attractions leaflet from there, if you want. The city will take you up with its beautiful landscapes, may be just walk through the old town streets or sit by the river, or go to a pub and have German beer. The people are friendly and I noticed a lot of younger population. There are many attractions such as the famous Heidelberg castle, Heidelberg Zoo, Churches, Art galleries, museums and many more. Below are the ones which I visited -
Old Town (also known as Altstadt in German)
Walk up to the Old town, which is a 20 mins walk from the central station. The cobbled stoned street has shopping malls, churches and pubs along the way. Irrespective of the day of the week, these streets are bustling with people.


St.Peter's church

St. Peter's church  (Peterskirche in German)
This looks like a very old church, which is being renovated. But this is one of those few churches which have a white bright decor. We also noticed a huge playing instrument and we were lucky that that time it was being played. Amazing moment. You can know more about this church here http://www.peterskirche-heidelberg.de/  but this is in German language.


Jesuit Church

Jesuit Church (Jesuitenkirche in German)
Another church which you can notice which walking on the shopping streets in Heidelberg. It has a tall structure, the construction of this was started in 1712 and is all made of solid stone.


View of the Heidelberg Castle from the city

Heidelberg Castle (Schloss Heidelberg in German)
This is one of the most famous castles in Germany, people from far places come to visit here. This is nestled at 300 feet above the city, and can be reached either by a trek up the hill or by a cable car.
There are charges to enter this castle (Around 5 Euros per adult). Unfortunately during my trip, we could only view the castle from the ground and did not get a chance to go up. This is worth a visit and must not be missed.
Timings - 8 am to 6 pm(last entry is 5.30 pm)

All the above attractions are at walking distances and can be covered in one evening.


Backdrop of the Mountains

Where to Stay - 
Well, there are umpteen hotels in Heidelberg, its a famous tourist destination. I stayed in Leonardo Hotel located very near to the Old town. This is a small hotel building, the rooms are spacious and clean. They also have facility for conference room etc.

The in-house restaurant however has limited options, mostly with German/European cuisine, the breakfast did have a good spread. Nonetheless, there are some pubs and eateries nearby which you can explore.
Leonardo Hotel link - https://www.leonardo-hotels.com/leonardo-hotel-heidelberg
You can search for more hotels on Tripadvisor, Booking.com, or hostels on hostelworld.com
Where to eat - There are many places to eat in Heidelberg - I also went Wine Tasting in Heidelberg, visit the link to the blogpost for more. Since there is a foodie in me, I will write a detailed post on Heidelberg food and where to eat!!! in my next blog post.

P.S - All photos are taken from my iPhone6 

You can also read more about the city on Heidelberg Tourism website


Jesuit Church