Top 4 Things to do in Heidelberg Germany

When planning our recent trip to Europe, we knew visiting Germany’s Black Forest was a must on our travel itinerary. After much research on the numerous towns sprinkled throughout this region, we settled on Heidelberg as our home base. And it was the perfect setting for our short stay in Deutschland!

Situated along the Neckar River, Heidelberg is known as a University town, and it is bustling with activity. We were thrilled to stay at the Hollander Hof Hotel, right in the heart of the action.

While the hotel was the perfect blend of old world charm and modern day amenities, we had limited time in Heidelberg, so we made the most of it and set out exploring!

The top 4 things that we recommend every visitor to Heidelberg checks out:

1. Heidelberg Castle

Beautifully perched atop the city, Heidelberg Castle is not to be missed. While the castle now stand in ruins, even what remains is enchanting, and you can easily imagine this massive structure in it’s former glory.

For just 8 euros we rode the funicular up the steep hill and received access to the castle grounds and several interior spaces.

Even with light rain falling, we found the castle to be delightful and the view of Heidelberg breathtaking.

Being the wine lover that I am, I had to check out the enormous wine vat in the lower level of the castle. Capable of holding 58,574 gallons of wine, I can only imagine the royal parties once held here!

Of course, I bellied up to the adjacent bar for a little wine tasting of my own. I savored 3 sweet wines while Brent enjoyed the dry variety paired with chocolates.

I must say, the wine was divine!

After wine and numerous selfies with a backdrop fit for royalty, we descended back down the hill.

This was our second time riding a funicular in Europe and I must say this mode of transportation is aptly named.

I find it much more FUN to ride the funicular than to scale large hills!

2. Philosophers’ Walk

While the funicular provided an easy route up the hill to the castle, I had to use my own energy to ascend Philosophers’ Walk. And I burned quite a few calories in the process!

This charming, winding, up-hill path was historically much more than a fitness course. University professors were known to walk the path while pondering deep thoughts and engaging in enlightening conversation. My husband took this opportunity for a few deep thoughts of his own!

Aside from the calorie burn, the real reward is the view at the top of Philosophers’ Walk. Simply breathtaking!

Watch this short video to experience part of my journey on Philosophers’ Walk.

3. The Bridge Monkey

A trip to Heidelberg is not complete without visiting the Bronze Monkey statue near the entrance to the Old Bridge, which happened to be right out front of our hotel!

The perfect spot for a selfie, visitors are encouraged to slip their head between the monkey’s body and behind his face to become one with this stationary creature.

Legend has it that visitors who touch the monkey’s mirror will be blessed with wealth. Touch the adjacent mouse statute for fertility and touch the sign of horns made by the monkey’s right hand and you will return to Heidelberg one day.

I was happy to take an obligatory selfie inside the monkey and was sure to graze the mirror and the sign of horns. Not being fond of mice and not desiring any more children, I left the mouse alone!

4. Altstadt (Old Town)

I am quickly learning that Old Town tends to be my favorite area in most European towns. Old Town in Heidelberg, also called Altstadt, was no exception.

Littered with a variety of restaurants, cafes, specialty food stores, and other dessert spots, we found plenty of delicious food to fill our bellies in Old Town.

We dined on some amazing German delicacies and also enjoyed authentic Italian food, and of course more wine. Even though it was a bit out of season, I was able to find Gluhwein, a traditional German wine served hot.

I took home several of Heidelberg’s signature chocolates, the Studentenkuss. Back when public displays of affection were frowned upon for the young ladies attending Heidelberg’s finishing schools, a local chocolatier created these delicious chocolates to be given as a symbol of affection among students.

We also found a shop selling Schneeballs, which means snowballs in English.

These are ball-shaped pastries that come in a variety of flavors, making it a difficult choice for this indecisive lady with a compulsive sweet tooth! We enjoyed one Schneeball in Germany and shared a bit of tasty German culture with our daughters by bringing several back to the U.S. in cute decorative tins.

There is more than food in Old Town…as there arealso plenty of opportunities to shop! Tons of shops featuring classic German gifts as well as high end modern boutiques line the Hauptstrasse. This mile long pedestrian only street is a shopper’s paradise.

I’ll admit I fell in love with Heidelberg as I strolled down the Hauptstrasse and embraced how the Old World cobble-stoned streets and architecture seemed to intermingle with modern day delights.

Bonus!! A Stop in Triberg

The first leg of our our European adventure included stints in Paris (France) and Lucerne (Switzerland), which we navigated between in our not-so-roomy rental car (that’s a blog post for another time!). While renting a car and driving in a foreign country has its challenges, the bright side on this trip was that it allowed us to drive through Germany’s Black Forest…and make a stop in Triberg before landing in Heidelberg.

Before making our way to the main strip, we popped into the Eble Clock-Park for our first round of German souvenir shopping and to check out the World’s Biggest Cuckoo Clock. While impressive, I found the coin operated cuckoo clock at the back of the shop even more charming.

We then ventured on to Triberg’s main stretch, which features the House of 1000’s (Cuckoo) Clocks, Triberg is a fabulous spot to spend an afternoon, and shopping is a must!

I spent time roaming in and out of the numerous stores admiring intricate German handiwork. From wood carvings to cuckoo clocks to beer steins and more, you can easily find souvenirs for everyone on your list in this charming German town. And you can blow through quite a few euros on these massive works of art!

And since we were in the Black Forest, I couldn’t resist the urge to feast on the signature cake of this region.

I must say it was delicious! I’m not sure if it was the sugar rush or the baked in liqueur or just vacation euphoria, but I was feeling pretty good after a decadent piece of Black Forest Cake!

Time to say Auf Wiedersehen to Deutschland!

If the Bridge Monkey legend is correct, we will be back to Germany one day. And I believe we will!

Enjoy more photos of our time in Germany, and then start planning your own trip across the pond!

Have you visited Germany? I’d love to hear which towns are your favorites!

Wherever the road takes you, make it a joyous journey,
Traveling Tanya

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