A bit of everyhing - museums, parks, palaces, shops, often great weather, the ice cream at Eis Roma, always something going on
Disadvantages:
Dreary Januaries
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
After 5 years of German lessons and numerous visits to the country, Heidelberg has still managed to escape my attention, and when I moved here in august last year I really did not know what to expect. Factoring in various holidays, I’ve spent around 10 of the last 11 months here, and as you’d expect, I’ve come to know the town pretty well.
Heidelberg has everything you could want from a tourist destination – an ancient castle, a charming old town area, a river running through it with luscious green banks on one side, a renowned Christmas market and a usually pleasant climate. It’s no wonder that the Americans and Japanese flock here in their thousands each year. I spent most of the last 20 years living in a tourist resort in the UK, so the masses don’t really phase me, but if you’re looking for an authentic German holiday where you get to see how the locals live and practice your language skills ordering your “Bier, bitte”, this probably isn’t the right place. But then, in this case Bonn, Munich and Hamburg wouldn’t be all that much better. If, however, you want to spend some time in Germany without having to speak anything other than English, Heidelberg’s a good choice. And it sure is prettier than Berlin.
GETTING THERE AND SETTLING IN
Flying into the area, you’ll probably end up in one of the Frankfurt airports – Hahn for budget airline flights, International for the others. Neither is more than a couple of hours away from Heidelberg, and public transport links are excellent. The simplest (though not the cheapest) option is the direct shuttle bus, which drops you off somewhere in town. If you’re watching your pennies, the train works out cheaper, though you will have to change somewhere on route. You can find more price details and timetables on the Deutsche Bahn website before you set off at www.bahn.de
If your accommodation has not been booked in advance, there are two main options: doing it yourself in your best Deutsch or begging the tourist office (handily located at the main station, a point where some of the shuttles also drop off). Heidelberg has a good selection of accommodations, from the youth hostel up near the uni halls of residence to budget, mid-priced and luxury hotels. However, it is a popular place, and rooms get booked up well in advance. One of the most reasonably priced places is the Ibis at the station, where a double room will set you back about 40 GBP per night without breakfast. The further into town you go, the higher the prices rise, and for the fanciest central hotels you will be looking at several hundred Euros per night. If you want a nice enough hotel at a lowish price, you need to look outside the center. Many of the suburbs and nearby towns (Kirchheim, Rohrbach, Sandhausen, Leimen) have cheaper places to stay, and none are more than 30 mins from the center. If you’re a sports fan, the latter might be of special interest to you as it’s the one-time home of Boris Becker, or “Baby BoBo” as my German friends like to call him. The parents of his partner in crime Steffi Graff have a house in one of the most prestigious areas in Heidelberg too, on the river bank with a great view of the castle.
Housing sorted, it’s time to start exploring, and a good place to begin is Bismarkplatz, the central transport hub and, handily, one end of the main street. Getting around the center is best done by foot, but if you’re staying outside the area, you need to grab a bus or tram in to start with. Tickets can be bought on board or from the machines at the stops, and a simple, one-way journey costs from 1 Euro for one person. Day cards are also available and if you plan on traveling quite a bit, or find a lot of walking difficult, these can be a sensible option. The numbers 1, 2, 3, 5, 11, 12, 29, 34, 41 and 42 among others all pass through Bismarkplatz at some point – as soon as the large Woolworths store sign comes into view, it’s time to get off. Taxis are readily available and all are metered rather than fixed priced. They’re usually not worth taking though, unless you arrive in the hours of darkness and don’t fancy wandering aimlessly in search of your hotel. For excursions outside the town public transport in the form of busses and trains is by far the simplest and cheapest choice. The ticketing staff at the station all speak English and the printed timetables are easy to understand and mostly bilingual – yellow ones show departures and white ones arrivals. Popular choices for trips are Speyer (v. bon cathedral), Schwetzingen (v. bon palace) and Mannheim (v. bon shops). All are 30 mins – 1 ½ hours away, and make perfect day or half day trips.
SHOPS AND SIGHTS
Back to the Woolworths branch and, if you cross the square towards H&M, you find yourself on the Hauptstrasse, or main street. This is the main shopping area in the town, and most of it is pedestrianised. It’s also home to numerous cinemas, pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes, as well as department stores, retail chains and individual shops. Galleria Kaufhof, of which there are two branches within 5 mins of each other due to some silly take-overs and mergers in the past, is the local equivalent of Debenhams, and if there’s something specific you’ve forgotten to pack, from flip flops to knickers, this would be the place to go. The main branch on Bismarkplatz is usually the meeting place for friends in town. They have fancy external elevators (like the one at Boots in Blackpool if you’ve ever been) and “meet you at the lifts” is a phase repeatedly uttered here.
Assuming you’ve not come to Germany to shop (and if you have, then Heidelberg is *not* the destination you should have chosen) you’ll be wanting to know what else there is to do. Along the Hauptstrasse and down several side alleys you’ll find most of the town’s museums. The packaging one is tiny but interesting if adverts are your thing, and is the only one of its kind in Europe. The two art galleries, handily located side by side, have a mix of permanent and visiting exhibitions, with both classical and modern art on display. I was at the Heidelberg Kunstverein at weekend and, I have to say, it’s balls. Literally. Bouncy balls and footballs and tennis balls all stuck together with sellotape and called “art”. The neighbouring Kurpfälzisches Museum was a little better, but still contained what I thought was an odd mixture of 15th Century art work, almost roman looking artifacts, recreated music and dining rooms and some, erm, Warhol works.
Just off the main street is the town’s old student prison. In the past the police liked to leave punishment of studious types up to the university itself, and their solution to any problems was to lock up the students for days on end. The prison’s no longer in use but the art work from the time remains, and it’s a fascinating place to visit.
If you carry on walking along the street, passing these museums and continuing for a few minutes you come across the Heiliggeistkirche , one of the oldest, and tallest, churches in the town. For a mere 50 cents (~30p) you can climb to the top of the tower for some great views over the town. Unlike with cathedrals in most cities, this isn’t that well known and as such is very rarely crowded. There is also an amazing lack of graffiti, both in the stairwells and at the top on the viewing platform. You can climb the tower every day the church is open except during concerts.
The castle is one of the main focal points of the town and is situated high up the hillside. You can walk up to it, either by road (the long way) or steps (quicker, but steep), but a much more fun option is to go on the Funicular railway. With my transport season ticket I can make this trip as often as I want and I must confess to going up there rather more than was strictly necessary, just for the fun value of it all. The tickets also let you take guests with you for free at weekend, and in groups of 3 or 4 this does soon add up, so if you’re planning a trip it’s worth quickly flicking through your address book to make sure you really don’t know anyone now living here. The funicular has 3 stops, and two of these are more than purely functional – one is the Castle, and the other is Königstuhl, right at the summit. Here you can find a fairytale park (our verdict: don’t bother. And if you do go, and don’t have kids with you, expect funny “what have they been doing in there?” looks when you emerge from a spell hiding in the wooden huts), and various paths for walking through the forest. There’s also a US army telescope here, but that’s really no surprise: Heidelberg has one of the biggest American military bases in Germany.
Back down on the initial level, you have more walking paths through the castle grounds, most of which can be accessed without you needing to pay an admission. If you do want to go in and see, among other things, a stupidly large wine barrel it will only cost you a few Euros. With the ticket you also get access to a really rather boring Pharmacy museum. It was most unmemorable, and the only small thing that sticks in my mind was that it smelt funny when we visited on Christmas Eve.
Heidelberg isn’t packed with things to do or places to see, and as such the atmosphere is a bit more relaxed than other cities. You’re more likely to see people spending a couple of hours sitting in the sun drenched terrace of an ice cream café than rushing from museum to museum. When the weather’s up to it (pretty much from March to November) there’s nothing nicer than an afternoon spent down by the river, perhaps renting a boat, having a picnic, generally relaxing. You can swim in the Neckar but it’s a bit, well, brown. If you’re a water baby a better option is one of the outdoor pool complexes – either the Tiergarten pool (near the zoo, hence the name) or the Thermalbad near the station, a wonderful place where the water is heated to 27 C for your bathing pleasure.
There isn’t much of interest across the river from the town, except for the Philosphenweg, or Philosopher’s walk. This is a path high up the mountain side which offers amazing views of the town area below. The only disadvantage is the climb up to it – either a steep winding path or a steep winding road depending on which end you start at. Best to go early in the morning or early evening (I was there at 7.30am on Easter Monday) to avoid both the crowds and the mid day temperatures.
EATING AND DRINKING
Whatever your cuisine of choice, you should be able to eat well in the town. Among other things we have 3 McDonalds, a Hard Rock Café and various All-you-can-eat-Chinese-buffets. The department stores have self service restaurants, offering good food and low prices, and there are various take away stands along the streets. My favourite two restaurants can be found at the base of the Heiliggeistkirche . Both have similar (Italian) menus and offer astoundingly large, tasty portions for scarily low prices.
Wherever I go I rarely end up having 3 restaurant meals a day, and some of my most enjoyable dining experiences have involved supermarket bought food and impromptu picnics. Heidelberg center has various food shops (bakers, delis, butchers, greengrocers) but many are quite pricey for what you get. Luckily there are also 2 large supermarkets available, Lidl across from the main station, and Penny Markt down a side street from Bismarkplatz. Both have in store bakeries, fresh fruit sections and good choices of general groceries. If you’ve buying bottles or cans of drink from one of these (or indeed any shop or stall) don’t be surprised if it’s more than twice the marked price. Since January this year sales of these items come with a legally required “Pfand”, or deposit. Which is only refunded when you return the empty container to the place you bought it from (usually with the receipt). Even if for some reason you don’t / can’t get back there, you won’t be too much out of pocket as the drinks still work out cheaper than at home – a can plus deposit at Penny Markt usually costs 43 cents, or around 30p.
YOUR HOME FROM HOME
If you live here and are home sick, or are on holiday but already missing the comforts of home, you’re in luck in Heidelberg. Due to the large English speaking population (all the Americans, plus a million translators and other professionals working for various corporations who have their headquarters near by) you can usually find your “needs” catered for. There are various British shops selling everything from imported crumpets to Walkers Shortbread, and all the large book shops have English language sections. Papers are available on the date of publication from the newsagents in the station. There are half a dozen Irish pubs in the center, serving among other things “proper” Guinness to all day breakfasts, and chains like Subway and Pizza Hut mean that you can even get your usual (un)healthy fast food choices here too.
Heidelberg very much caters for non-German tourists. Almost all restaurant menus are in English as well, and many shops boast the rather worrying “English speaked here” signs. Guides for museums are available in various languages, and there’s also a bilingual town magazine published seasonally. This includes info of the Heidelberg Welcome Card but this is not really worth buying for the benefits it offers unless you’ve not booked your accommodation in advance and also enjoy dining in fine restaurants (both of which attract discounts for card holders, but not so much that I’d recommend you take the risk of not booking your lodging in advance). Even without the care, Heidelberg is not an expensive destination. Museums cost less than 5 Euros (~ 3 GBP) for adults, and concessions can gain access for 60p or so. Restaurants have pretty similar prices throughout the town and 10 Eur (~6 quid) will get you a filling main course and your choice of (non)alcoholic drink.
HEIDELBERG THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
The town is a place you can enjoy all year round. Summer and autumn differ slightly in temperatures and tourist numbers but both are pleasant. By November it’s getting quite cold but this is the month when the Christmas market opens which just gives you another reason to come rather than stay away, and then we’re back round to Easter and the joys of springtime. It’s a year round tourist destination so unless you’re desperate to make it to the markets, the best time to come is whenever is most convenient for you. All year round there are different events and attractions here and nearby. This coming weekend is Speyer’s annual Brezel festival, and in August and September many neighbouring towns and villages have wine and sausage festivals. 3 weekends during the summer (in June, July and September) we have the Schlossbeleuchtung, or fireworks display after which the castle is illuminated for a while so that it glows brightly in the night sky. There’s also an annual film festival, and open air shows (opera and ballet as well as movies) take place in the summer months. From February to November the surrounding suburbs and neighbouring towns have various Strassenfest and Kerwe style celebrations – basically any good reason to have mini fairgrounds and stands selling goodies. In February we have Fasching, a carnival parade where everything shuts for a day and most people get the day off work to dress up in colourful costumes and, well, get very drunk.
CONCLUSION
Heidelberg has everything you’d expect, but on a smaller scale. So while there are various art galleries, for example, you’d be hard pushed to spend a morning in them, a stark contrast with, say, the Met in New York where I could happily live for a few days. But then you don’t come to Heidelberg for the art, do you? You come for the atmosphere. For the people. For the ice cream. For the scenery. For lots of little things that truly make Heidelberg a place worth visiting.
For more information, see the websites below or any guide book on Germany. Or leave me a comment or guest book message, and I’ll reply to you, and update the op if necessary.
www.heidelberg.de
www.cvb-heidelberg.de/
**** **** **** **** **** **** **** Final Note: Does familiarity breed contempt?
There are two conflicting theories circulating in my head at the moment. The first is that the more contact you have with someone or something, the better you get to know them. The other is that over-exposure leaves you unable to see what’s really there. This one is best highlighted using a word, say “tortoise”. Repeat it to yourself over and over again. And then some more. What often happens is that the word in question stops making sense. It looses its meaning and becomes just a clump of sounds. I’m thinking about this, because when I arrived in Heidelberg, I thought I’d wait until I was back in the UK a year later before I wrote an op on it, reasoning that I would, at that point in time, know the most about the town. But the other night I was walking back home when I saw one of the cities landmarks. Or rather, I didn’t see it. It’s always been there, and I must pass it at least half a dozen times each week, but just that is why I don’t really notice it anymore. It’s familiar, not special. It’s part of everyday life. It’s barely worth mentioning in an op. Except of course it is, because 99.9% of people reading this don’t live here (damn you, John, for messing up my stats). Which is my rather roundabout way of explaining why, although I’m not done with the town just yet, I’ve written this op now.
More details
Family Friendly
Evaluate this review
How helpful would this review be to someone making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
