With the impressive castle ruins, the winding old town, and the location on the steep, green slopes of the beautiful Neckar Valley, Heidelberg is one of the most popular travel destinations in Baden-Württemberg. No other city in Germany stands for the epitome of German Romanticism, as Heidelberg was home to many well-known poets, thinkers, and philosophers. A trip to Heidelberg is a must!
With around 150,000 inhabitants, Heidelberg is the fifth largest city in Baden-Württemberg. The location on the edge of the Odenwald directly on the Neckar couldn’t be nicer. That’s why it’s always a popular destination for a day trip for me and many others because Heidelberg is only 45 minutes by car from my hometown of Heilbronn.
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Traveling by train, bike, or car along the Neckar Valley is a mind-blowing experience. You will pass numerous castles and palaces, vineyards, and forests on this scenic journey.
But Beware: Flashes are always used here.
More than 11.9 million tourists from all over the world flock to Heidelberg every year. Especially the historic old town, the Heidelberg Castle, and the Philosophenweg are known for beautiful views. In Germany, Heidelberg is primarily known as a student city. The Ruprecht Karls University, founded in 1386, is the oldest in the country. No wonder the 30,000 students give the city a special flair.
Student bars, street art, and many concerts are therefore very popular. Here you can find my reports for a trip to Heidelberg in the travel blog. Have fun!
Travel Blogs for Heidelberg
Trip to Heidelberg
Heidelberg is by far the most beautiful city in my home region. The Heidelberg Castle is considered a symbol of German Romanticism, the old town is picturesque and the Philosophenweg and the Königsstuhl offer you wonderful views of the highlights of Heidelberg.
Visit the many student pubs, explore the street art and take a boat ride on the Neckar. Go hiking or explore the city with the many activities on offer. I keep coming back here for more perspectives on this beautiful city.
Travel Tips for Heidelberg
Getting There
Since parking spaces in the city center are numerous but often full (there are many multi-story car parks), I advise you to travel to Heidelberg by train. Then you can really enjoy the panoramic trip along the Neckar. There is also a great street art painting in the main train station, which is visible immediately upon arrival.
The main train station is located in the center of the old town.
How do I get from A to B in Heidelberg?
Definitely not by car. Parking spaces are rare and expensive, especially around the old town. Better to use public transport or ideally on foot.
Within the city, you can actually get to your destination on foot, because that’s the best way to reach the sights in Heidelberg.
If you do want to park your car in Heidelberg, you should go to one of the multi-story car parks. These aren’t cheap, but free parking is almost non-existent.
Heidelberg Travel Guide
Living in the Heidelberg area (Heilbronn is only an hour away) I own several Heidelberg travel guides. As a tourist, I recommend you to visit the Heidelberg travel guide. Here you will find the most important information and stories about sightseeing in compact form.
Hotel Tips for Heidelberg
Since Heidelberg is quite popular, finding a bed is not a problem. There are numerous hotels in good locations for exploring Heidelberg. Only in summer and at Christmas time (the Christmas market is great) should you book a hotel longer in advance.
Because the Kulturbrauerei Heidelberg is worth a visit anyway, you should consider checking in directly at the Kulturbrauerei in the heart of Heidelberg.
The fairly new Qube Hotel Bergheim is also great. The main train station is only 800 meters away and the roof terrace offers great views!
Save money: Heidelberg Card
For sightseeing, you should buy the Heidelberg Card before you travel. Because in this ticket many worth seeing places and tours are included for free. You can use public transport to do this.
Among other things, the Heidelberg Castle Ticket with a return journey for the mountain railway. There is also a Heidelberg Guide with a city map and free travel on public transport.
- Card available for 1, 2, or 4 days. The family card is worthwhile for families.
- The longer you are here, the more you can save
- If you order the Heidelberg Card online before you travel, it is usually cheaper than on-site (also available at the tourist information office)
Order the Heidelberg Card online here
Short Trip Around Heidelberg
Cruises with the White Fleet
With a boat trip on the Neckar, you can see the sights in Heidelberg and the surrounding area from a different perspective. The White Fleet is the largest river passenger shipping company in southwest Germany.
The ships sail from April to October and are not only made for older people. Find out more about your boat trip from Heidelberg Tourism or directly from Weisse Flotte Heidelberg and Heidelberger Solarschifffahrtsgesellschaft mbH.
In addition to regularly scheduled trips (Heidelberg to Neckarsteinach), motto trips are also organized. The flagship “Königin Silvia” and six other ships are available on the Neckar and Rhine. Boat trips on the Rhine to Worms will also be offered from June. In addition, there are long trips to St. Goar, the Loreley valley, Bad Wimpfen (near my home and on tours that we often did when I was a child), or the Rhine in Flames.
We used to always take the boat trip from Bad Wimpfen via Neckargemünd and Neckarsteinach to Heidelberg. But that’s only one possibility. Round trips in Heidelberg (50 minutes) are also offered if you don’t want to spend a whole day on the ship.
The Rhine Valley trip to Rüdesheim via Mannheim and Worms is certainly also interesting. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to do it myself. Here you can view all boat trips with the ship.
Technology Museum Sinsheim
You can already see the Auto & Technik Museum Sinsheim when you arrive on the Autobahn. Because here you can see behind the high walls how a French Concorde rises into the air. The museum opened in 1981 and features more than 3,000 exhibits in both indoor and outdoor exhibitions. The museum is connected to the Technik Museum Speyer, which is about 30 minutes away by car.
Worth seeing places include the French Concorde and the Russian Tupolev Tu-144. The Concorde was donated to the museum by Air France in 2003 and was a huge event in our region. Due to the increasing number of rear-end collisions on the Autobahn (everyone wanted to see the eye-catcher), high walls had to be raised along the Autobahn. No joke. Incidentally, Sinsheim is the only place where you can see both supersonic passenger planes side by side.
