Heidelberg isn't a typical German town. In fact, due to the large numbers of British, American and Japanese tourists, and the 2 large US army bases nearby, you're more likely to need English than German. However, if you do happen to meet a native(rare)they'll be appreciative if you can speak at least a few phrases of German.
There's so much to do in Heidelberg a day-trip definitely doesn't do it justice. The Main Street is full of beautiful sandstone buildings with gorgeous carvings. There are loads of museums, including, strangely, one for packaging. Obviously, everyone has to visit the castle,which was partly ruined during the franco-prussian war,but can still be walked around and contains a huge wine-barrel with a dance floor on the top. The castle gardens are lovely too.
However, I think the nicest place to go is Heiligenberg, the hill opposite the castle. There's a walkway about a third of the way up called Philosophenweg, where everyone goes to take pictures of the castle, but if you keep going you'll find two ruined abbeys, an amphitheatre rebuilt during the Nazi era and a very deep well indeed, as well as a few eagles if you're lucky. But the main reason to go up is that after a few hours on the (very long) high street, you'll be glad to get away from it all.
If you're camping or staying away from the centre, you can buy 24-hour bus-tickets for about £3.50, which are very useful and can be used for the tram too. They also make it easier to get out and see the outlying towns, such as Neckargemuend, which is lovely, and much more "German" than Heidelberg.
If you're looking for a night out, Heidelberg's full of great pubs. The best ones are on Unterer Strasse, which runs parallel to the Main Street towards the river. The best club is probably Nachtschicht,near the Train Station, unless you're looking for a meat-market(Schwimmbadclub in Neuenheim) but it's not a clubby town-get the tram to Mannheim.
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I read your op only after I posted mine, I didn't want to be influenced. I dug a bit deeper as I don't think it's bad to have some background info. Cheers, Malu
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Advantages: A bit of everyhing - museums, parks, palaces, shops, often great weather, the ice cream at Eis Roma, always something going on Disadvantages: Dreary Januaries
zoe_page 10.07.2003 (10.07.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Heidelberg (Germany)
Advantages: A bit of everyhing - museums, parks, palaces, shops, often great weather, the ice cream at Eis Roma, always something going on Disadvantages: Dreary Januaries
zoe_page 10.07.2003 (10.07.2003)
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Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Heidelberg (Germany)
May 28th, 2001
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