Alt Heidelberg, Heidelberg

Advantages: Tourists love it.
Disadvantages: Tourists love it.

...Follow me, I want to show you one of the most beautiful German towns. I think you can trust me as a guide, I lived , loved and studied in Heidelberg for six years. You're not convinced, you think I'm prejudiced and all this talk about Heidelberg being romantic and picturesque is just 'ad speak' to lure the tourists and you'd like to hear a different opinion before you embark on your journey? No problem, just listen to this: "Truly, Heidelberg is a place of all exceeding loveliness. Here the romantic ruggedness of the German landscape unites in perfect harmony with the delicate beauty of Italy." Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) "I have never enjoyed a view which had such a serene and satisfying charm about it as this one gives." Mark Twain, Heidelberg, 1878. Do you believe me now? I don't want to bore you with too much history... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Fantastic view, not many tourists around, free!
Disadvantages: Quite steep at times

...When I visited Heidelberg for the first time, the Philosophenweg was at the top of the to-do list for me. It's on the opposite side of the river to the old town and the castle, which means that you get a great view of them! The philosopher's way is a beautiful trail said to have been walked by many famous thinkers. Note that it is entirely uphill, so might not be suitable for everyone! It's quite steep but worth it if you can manage the walk. As I said, the Philosophers' Way is on the opposite side of the river to the old town and the castle. To get to it from the old town, you can cross the old bridge (the Carl Theodor Bridge which, by the way, is a big attraction in itself and if I can think of enough to say, maybe I'll write a review of the bridge too). Anyone will be able to point you to this as it's very famous! Once you... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Beautiful scenery and town, good atmosphere
Disadvantages: Can feel cramped, virtually everything squashed into old town

...If you're arriving in Heidelberg by train, the town does not seem particularly inspiring as you step outside the Hauptbahnhof - hemmed in by the main road and the tram lines with new offices rising all around, this does not seem to be the beuatiful mediaeval city the tour guides rave about. Take the number 1 tram to Bismarckplatz however, and you will begin to see what everyone was going on about - the wooded hills soar high up to your right, and as you walk down the Hauptstrasse to the old town, the castle looms out of the mist, perched high on the hillside overlooking the old main square and the tangled mass of cobbled alleyways that constituted the Heidelberg known to the electors of the Holy Roman Empire. The Alte Bruecke (Old Bridge) still spans the River Neckar, painstakingly rebuilt after its destruction on the last day of WW2... Read review

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