Heidelberg is the classic German university town: a red sandstone castle ruin overlooking a river valley, a cobblestone old town that survived the Second World War almost untouched, and centuries of student life woven into every corner.
Why visit Heidelberg
Heidelberg Castle, a ruined Gothic-Renaissance palace on the hillside above the Neckar river, has inspired writers and Romantic-era painters for two centuries and remains one of Germany’s most visited landmarks. Below it, the Old Bridge (Alte Brücke) crosses to the Philosophers’ Walk, a path along the opposite bank with the best photo of the town, castle, and river together. Heidelberg University, founded in 1386, is Germany’s oldest, and its student history is preserved in the old town’s former student prison, the Studentenkarzer.
Getting to Heidelberg by train
Heidelberg is around 15 minutes from Mannheim and less than an hour from Frankfurt, sitting just off the main high-speed line through western Germany. It’s an easy half-day or full-day trip from Frankfurt, or a stop on the way south toward Munich or west into France.
Top things to do in Heidelberg
- Tour Heidelberg Castle and its Great Vat, one of the largest wine barrels ever built
- Walk the Philosophers’ Walk on the north bank of the Neckar for the classic castle view
- Cross the Old Bridge and pass through its historic gate towers
- Explore the pedestrian old town along Hauptstrasse, one of the longest in Europe
- Visit the Studentenkarzer, the university’s former student jail