A Quick Hello To Heidelberg

A Whistle Stop Walking Tour of Heidelberg

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Walking around Heidelberg Photo - Heidelberg, Germany

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Having less than a day to explore any city is never ideal, especially one as pretty and historic as Heidelberg. In our short time there, we managed to explore the Castle and a very small part of the old town but I did regret the fact that we had to leave so soon and would advise others to allow a full day, if not more, to visit. Heidelberg has great charm and is therefore a very popular tourist destination. However on the day we were there, it wasn’t overly crowded and the streets were thankfully quite quiet. We started our walk on the south side of the Karl-Theodor Bridge. We passed by the brass monkey (which I mistook for a cat) and made our way up Steingasse to the Church of the Holy Sp...Read More

Having less than a day to explore any city is never ideal, especially one as pretty and historic as Heidelberg. In our short time there, we managed to explore the Castle and a very small part of the old town but I did regret the fact that we had to leave so soon and would advise others to allow a full day, if not more, to visit.

Heidelberg has great charm and is therefore a very popular tourist destination. However on the day we were there, it wasn’t overly crowded and the streets were thankfully quite quiet. We started our walk on the south side of the Karl-Theodor Bridge. We passed by the brass monkey (which I mistook for a cat) and made our way up Steingasse to the Church of the Holy Spirit, which stands in the middle of the marketplace, surrounded by souvenir stalls and bistro tables that spill out into the square. While it is very pretty, I suspect that eating and drinking here is probably not very cheap.

We walked a short way along Hauptstrasse to Kornmarkt then up Zwingerstrasse to join Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage which took us up the short but steep cobbled path to the Castle entrance. After walking around the Castle, we descended by way of Kurzer Buckel. Someone had decided to number the steps in big white paint strokes and I was quite glad to be counting them down, rather than up.

We walked through the market place again, stopping in at one souvenir shop that sold a wide range of traditional clothing as well as some other more practical garments such as jumpers and hats. Walking west along Hauptstrasse we came upon il Piano cafe where we stopped in for a coffee before continuing on. We passed by a few more unimaginative tourist restaurants as well as one or two promising chocolate and sweet shops. We got as far as Marstalstrasse and wanted to continue on but had to decide whether to turn back and head to the Heidelberg-Altstadt train station or try and find the main train station, which looked to be a bit further away. As we had driven past the Old Town station earlier in the day we went with what we knew and turned back, but this time walking along Lauerstrasse and Obere Neckarstrasse. These pretty back streets aren’t really worth exploring if you’re short on time as they don’t contain much in the way of shops or places to eat but there were a few hotels and guesthouses and the location probably doesn’t get much better as both streets are close to the Castle, the shops and the riverside.

We eventually reached the Old Town train station but with the feeling that we were leaving behind more than we had seen. Heidelberg is by no means a large city but I do wish that we had stayed overnight and had a few more hours to walk around. The old town is flat and easy to navigate, especially as the main shopping areas are pedestrianised. The only obvious challenge is walking up to the Castle but there is the option of taking the funicular. Funicular trains leave from Kornmarkt every ten minutes between 9am and 5pm (later in the summer). Read Less

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Heidelberg Castle (Heidelberger Schloss)

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Attraction | "Scaling the Hillside to Heidelberger Schloss"

Heidelberg Castle Photo - Heidelberg Castle (Heidelberger Schloss), Heidelberg, Germany

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Heidelberg Castle, sitting on the hillside overlooking the Neckar River and the town below is one of the more impressive sites I’ve been too. Firstly, it is an exhausting walk up an incredibly steep hill to the entrance and immediately makes you wonder if anyone was able to launch a successful attack on the castle. I know that with all the best intentions, I would be too tired to fight by the time I reached the fort. Secondly, the site is described a castle ‘ruin’ but for the most part is incredibly well preserved and far from an arrangement of rubble that the word ‘ruin’ conjures up. We made the short but challenging journey up the hill on foot but there is a funicular that runs from the ...Read More

Heidelberg Castle, sitting on the hillside overlooking the Neckar River and the town below is one of the more impressive sites I’ve been too. Firstly, it is an exhausting walk up an incredibly steep hill to the entrance and immediately makes you wonder if anyone was able to launch a successful attack on the castle. I know that with all the best intentions, I would be too tired to fight by the time I reached the fort. Secondly, the site is described a castle ‘ruin’ but for the most part is incredibly well preserved and far from an arrangement of rubble that the word ‘ruin’ conjures up.

We made the short but challenging journey up the hill on foot but there is a funicular that runs from the Kornmarkt to the top of the hill, stopping at the castle on the way. However you get there, the views over Heidelberg were for us a greater reward than visiting the castle itself.

Originally built in 1214, the castle has undergone numerous renovations and expansions. Two castles were in place by 1294 but in 1537, a lightning bolt destroyed the upper castle, leaving room for the lower site to be extended over the course of the next hundred years. In the 1600s, the castle came under attack during the Thirty Years War as the Germans wrangled power of the city from the Swedes and the French. The French were particularly destructive, setting fire and explosives to parts of the castle as they were forced to flee on two separate occasions.

It was, however, a Frenchman who is credited with saving the castle, as it was viewed as obsolete by the local government of the time. Count Charles de Graimberg fought for the preservation of Heidelberg castle and until 1822 served as its warden and promoted the site as a tourist destination.

The entrance fee (5 euro for adults, 3 euros for children) is fairly reasonable but once inside the castle, I couldn’t help but feel a little let down by the fact that this only allows entry to the strange apothecary museum and the castle courtyard. A stage in the courtyard was evidently set up for plays and musical concerts and a small group of actors appeared to be rehearsing lines for an upcoming performance. Visitors can also access a large cellar containing a giant wine barrel known as the Heidelberg Tun. The present barrel, reportedly constructed from 130 oak trees, was made in 1751 and can hold about 220,000 litres of wine. Not surprisingly it’s not often been used for wine storage. I can’t imagine that such a large receptacle would keep it in a decent condition for long. Opposite the barrel is a strange contraption that releases a foxtail when a rope is pulled. I think it has something to do with the legend of the wine guardian, Perkeo of Heidelberg, a court jester in the 1800s but without proper explanation the foxtail currently looks like an old, dusty, wall mounted jackinabox.

I had expected to see inside the main hall at least. Perhaps the ravages of time have left little original interior features to interest visitors or maybe we should have forked out the extra 4 euros to take either the guided or audio tour. Or perhaps we somehow completely bypassed the palace’s main feature. There was one hall we tried to peak into but we were ushered away by staff who looked to be setting it up for a wedding reception. Whatever the explanation, we left feeling that the views outclassed visiting the castle itself and we would have been just as well off walking around it rather than through it.
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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on August 22, 2011

Heidelberg Castle (Heidelberger Schloss)
Schlossstrasse 1
Heidelberg, Germany 69115

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Klosterhof Biergarten

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Restaurant | "Lunch, North of the River"

Klosterhof Beer Garden Photo - Klosterhof Biergarten, Heidelberg, Germany

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I have to admit that we found this beer garden by sheer accident. We had driven through Heidelberg, across the river and we were in the midst of trying to navigate our way back to the town when we happened upon this place and decided to stop for lunch. Fortunately for us it turned out to be a happy accident but I would only recommend going if you have a car. On foot it’s quite far from the city (about 40 minutes) and seemed to be located in a residential area. We parked in a lay by opposite the restaurant and took an outside table on a fairly hot July afternoon. The service was courteous and efficient and the place was somewhat quiet but given the distance from Heidelberg’s tourist centre,...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on August 22, 2011

Klosterhof Biergarten
Stiftweg 4
Heidelberg 69118
06221 6520365

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Caffe Il Piano

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Restaurant | "Iced Coffee on Hauptstrasse"

Caffe Il Piano Photo - Caffe Il Piano, Heidelberg, Germany

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On a hot July afternoon, almost all the street side tables at the modestly sized il Piano café were unsurprisingly taken. We helped ourselves to the last outdoor table by the door and the lone server came out with two small paper menus. I had been pre-sold their tall iced coffee as two students at the table next to us each had one and they looked delicious (the drink, not the students). The drinks menu is pretty comprehensive, with a long list of coffee drinks including espresso, cappuccino, latte and macchiato. They also serve Darjeeling, Earl Grey, green, fruit and Roibos teas, some alcoholic drinks and in the winter season, a tempting array of hot chocolates. Their exotic chocolate drinks include ‘...Read More

On a hot July afternoon, almost all the street side tables at the modestly sized il Piano café were unsurprisingly taken. We helped ourselves to the last outdoor table by the door and the lone server came out with two small paper menus. I had been pre-sold their tall iced coffee as two students at the table next to us each had one and they looked delicious (the drink, not the students). The drinks menu is pretty comprehensive, with a long list of coffee drinks including espresso, cappuccino, latte and macchiato. They also serve Darjeeling, Earl Grey, green, fruit and Roibos teas, some alcoholic drinks and in the winter season, a tempting array of hot chocolates. Their exotic chocolate drinks include ‘Bourbon Vanilla’, chilli, ginger, cinnamon-banana, rum-coconut and almond flavours.

We opted for a café-latte and an iced coffee. My iced coffee was served in a tall glass with two scoops of vanilla ice cream, crowned with a turret of whipped cream and served with a minute chocolate covered espresso bean on the side.

We watched the locals and tourists pass by as I tried to make the rich, delicious drink / dessert last. An elderly man passed by, stopping intermittently to clap a rhythm at unsuspecting diners. He wore a large grin and after seeing a local clap along with him, I clapped back at him a couple of times when he stopped at our table, which seemed to please him.

Il Piano is an odd place. Inside, shelves glow with smart golden packages of beans and there is an attempt to create a serious, sophisticated environment. However the signage is missing a few letters and at the time of our visit, only read ‘Coffee & …S’ with no clue as to what word the ‘S’ was once part of. In addition the few elements that had been added as decoration were mismatched. Scarlet chandeliers and a slice of a chaise longue hung from the ceiling and broad striped wallpaper hung on the far left wall. These features were in strange contrast to the shabby Renaissance cafe facade.

But in spite of this, the iced coffee was excellent and perfect on a hot day and I would hope that come wintertime, their hot chocolates are as delicious and warming on a cold one. Read Less

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on August 22, 2011

Caffe Il Piano
Hauptstrasse 166
Heidelberg 69117
06221 6599364

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The Train from Heidelberg to Frankfurt

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Heidelberg Aldstadt Station Photo - Heidelberg, Germany

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We had been fortunate enough to get a lift from Frankfurt to Heidelberg but as our friend was traveling to Munich, we had to make our own way back to Frankfurt Airport. Fortunately, the German public transport system, in this part of the country at least, is fairly easy to use and it is possible to get the train directly into Frankfurt airport without too much trouble. Tickets aren’t necessarily cheap though, with a one-way adult ticket from Heidelberg to Frankfurt costing 49 euro (about £43 / $70).We didn’t have the most auspicious start when we arrived at Heidelberg’s Aldstadt (old town) train station. There was no obvious ticket office so we waited in line behind a young gir...Read More

We had been fortunate enough to get a lift from Frankfurt to Heidelberg but as our friend was traveling to Munich, we had to make our own way back to Frankfurt Airport. Fortunately, the German public transport system, in this part of the country at least, is fairly easy to use and it is possible to get the train directly into Frankfurt airport without too much trouble.

Tickets aren’t necessarily cheap though, with a one-way adult ticket from Heidelberg to Frankfurt costing 49 euro (about £43 / $70).

We didn’t have the most auspicious start when we arrived at Heidelberg’s Aldstadt (old town) train station. There was no obvious ticket office so we waited in line behind a young girl who spent about ten minutes playing around with the ticket machine and then left empty handed. We were fairly sure she was German so immediately began to think that if it was that complicated for a local, we had no chance of making a successful purchase.

Fortunately you can choose English instructions, which made the process a whole lot easier for us and in less than five minutes, we had two single tickets to Frankfurt ‘flughafen’ (airport). To this day we have no idea why the lady in front of us had such a hard time trying to buy her ticket.

Our friend had given us train times to Mannheim, where we had to change for the train to Frankfurt Airport. We soon realized that the trains coming through the Aldstadt station seemed to be terminating at Heidelberg’s main train station so we jumped on the next commuter train that came through and alighted at the main train station which was the next stop. From here we joined another commuter train to Mannheim. It was a stopping train but only took about twenty minutes to reach Mannheim.

At Mannheim we quickly found a timetable which detailed the time and platform for the next departure to Frankfurt Airport. This train was a lot faster and the regular carriages were probably more like first class compartments in the UK. Our tickets were checked on this part of the journey. About forty minutes later we pulled into Frankfurt Airport.

Our friend had given us a good idea of the amount of time we needed to travel from Heidelberg to Frankfurt. By train, the journey takes about one hour but given that we were unfamiliar with the system and had to buy our tickets at the station, we allowed about an hour and a half, which got us to the departures terminal in good time. I would probably recommend trying to leave from Heidelberg’s main train station as I’m not sure what we would have done had the one ticket machine at Heidelberg Aldstadt not been working properly. Read Less

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