Heidelberg

Heidelberg castle, the Alte Brücke and the Philosophenweg

Two days give Heidelberg enough time. Take the first Bergbahn up to the castle for the Ottheinrichsbau facade, the great barrel and the German Pharmacy Museum, then walk Hauptstraße to the Old University and its student prison. Keep time for the Alte Brücke and the Philosophenweg, with its view back over the old town.

First morning. Be at the Bergbahn station on Kornmarkt for the first cars, or walk up the stairs. The castle courtyard shows two great facades, the Gothic Ruprechtsbau and the Renaissance Ottheinrichsbau, scorched by French troops in the 1690s and later by lightning. See the great barrel in the cellar and the German Pharmacy Museum, then walk the terrace gardens for the classic view over the roofs.

Afternoon. Drop down to the Marktplatz and the Heiliggeistkirche, then follow Hauptstraße west. Stop at the Haus zum Ritter, a rare Renaissance facade that survived the fires, and the Old University and its student prison. The University Library has richly illuminated manuscripts on show.

Evening. Cross the Alte Brücke, touch the bronze monkey at the southern end for luck, and climb the steep Schlangenweg to the Philosophenweg for sunset. Dinner in Neuenheim or back on Untere Straße.

Second day. Ride the Bergbahn all the way to the Königstuhl for the long view over the Rhine plain to the Palatinate hills, and walk down through the forest. In the afternoon, cross to the Heiligenberg for the Thingstätte, the ruined St. Michael monastery and the Celtic ring wall. Or take a Weisse Flotte boat upriver to Neckarsteinach, a village with four castles on its ridge, and catch the S-Bahn back.

In the castle cellar, the Heidelberg Tun was completed in 1751 for Elector Karl Theodor. It held 221,726 litres when new and about 219,000 once the wood had dried, and three earlier barrels stood here before it, the first built between 1589 and 1591. A statue of Perkeo watches over it: the Tyrolean court dwarf supposedly got his name by answering "Perché no?" when asked whether he could drink the whole barrel. The second barrel, built in 1664, even had a dance floor on top.

What to eat in Heidelberg, from Studentenkuss to Schäufele

Heidelberg's food souvenir is the Studentenkuss, a nougat-filled chocolate first made in 1863 and still sold at Café Knösel on Haspelgasse. Meals lean towards Baden and the Palatinate: Schäufele with potato salad, Maultaschen, Flammkuchen and, in spring, white asparagus from Schwetzingen. The historic student taverns give the most atmosphere.

The city's sweet souvenir is the Studentenkuss, a chocolate with a nougat filling first made in 1863 by the confectioner Fridolin Knösel, so the story goes, as a discreet present from students to the young women they could not kiss in public. The Café Knösel on Haspelgasse still sells them in their paper wrappers.

Savoury food leans towards Baden and the Palatinate. Schäufele, smoked pork shoulder with potato salad, Maultaschen, the large pasta parcels of Württemberg, and Flammkuchen from the Rhine all feature, and in spring every menu offers white asparagus from the fields around Schwetzingen. Bakeries along Hauptstraße sell fresh Brezeln for a cheap lunch.

For atmosphere, the two historic student taverns at the eastern end of Hauptstraße, Zum Roten Ochsen and Zum Seppl, have dark panelling carved with generations of names and fraternity photographs on the walls. They are touristy but authentic. Local brewpubs in the Altstadt brew their own beer, and some pour very strong bocks.

Wine comes from the Badische Bergstraße, the sunny slope running north towards Weinheim; ask for a Riesling or Grauburgunder from there. In summer, buy cold drinks, picnic food and a disposable grill and join the crowds on the Neckarwiese, across the Theodor-Heuss bridge from Bismarckplatz, the cheapest dinner with the best castle view in town.

Heidelberg events and day trips along the Neckar

Heidelberg's best-known event is the Schlossbeleuchtung, when the castle is lit with red flares and fireworks on a Saturday in early June, mid-July and early September. The Heidelberger Frühling music festival runs from March into April, the Heidelberger Herbst fills the old town in late September, and Neckar valley castles make easy day trips.

Three nights a year the castle seems to burn again. During the Schlossbeleuchtung, on a Saturday in early June, mid-July and early September, red flares light the ruin to recall its destruction, and fireworks follow over the Alte Brücke. The best free spots are along the north bank and on the Philosophenweg; arrive early.

Spring opens with the Heidelberger Frühling, a classical music festival from March into April. At the end of September the old town hosts the Heidelberger Herbst, a one-day street festival with music stages and a flea market along Hauptstraße. Advent brings Christmas markets to several squares, with an ice rink on Karlsplatz under the castle.

Weather follows the Rhine plain. Highs average 26 °C in July and August and 5 °C in December and January, while frost is rare in town. Rain is spread through the year, peaking in July with about 80 mm, much of it in thunderstorms.

Day trips are easy. The Neckar valley upstream is lined with castles: Neckarsteinach has four, and Hirschhorn and Eberbach follow by train. Schwetzingen, a short bus or train ride west, has a baroque palace and formal gardens and celebrates the asparagus harvest in May. Speyer, on the Rhine, holds one of the largest Romanesque cathedrals in Europe, and Ladenburg is a half-timbered Roman town a short way downstream.