Hauptstraße Heidelberg

The Hauptstraße

Probably the central point in Heidelberg’s Old Town: the pedestrian zone along Heidelberg’s Hauptstrasse. If you want to stroll through the Old Town of Heidelberg, you cannot avoid it. Because the street runs completely from one end of the Old Town to the other and is thus, with a length of approximately 1.8 kilometres, one of the longest, most used and above all oldest pedestrian zones in Europe.

Even before the city was founded in the 13th century, there was a traffic route at the place where today’s Hauptstrasse is located, which was retained as a street after the foundation. At that time, the street only ran from Karlstor to today’s Universitätsplatz until it acquired its current length with the expansion of the city in the 14th century. At that time, there was a large gate at each end, like the Karlstor at the eastern end, which is still well preserved and is considered a Heidelberg sight.

Although Heidelberg had to be rebuilt after the Palatinate War of Succession in the 17th century, the Hauptstrasse was retained in its original course and width. Until 1969 the road was considered a main traffic axis, mainly for motorised traffic, including a tram. From 1969 onwards, through-traffic was closed and further traffic was restricted more and more until 1976, when the Hauptstrasse and many of the alleys became pedestrian zones. An exception is the section between Kornmarkt and Karlsplatz, which can still be used normally.

If you walk through the Hauptstraße, the many elderly buildings that decorate the image of the street with their good preserved condition will catch your eye. These include, for example, the Haus zum Riesen, the building of the Hotel zum Ritter St. Georg, the Church of the Holy Spirit, the City Hall and many more, which have lasted along the Hauptstraße for many years.

Besides all the history, annual events are also taking place in the Hauptstraße. For example, the Christmas market with its own ice rink on Karlsplatz, or the Heidelberg Autumn, with an Sunday open for business, an arts and crafts market and many musical performances. There are also many places in the street where you can watch the fireworks from the Heidelberg Castle Illuminations.

Shopping

Those who want to spend a day strolling will probably get their money’s worth in Heidelberg. And most probably also at the expense of your wallet. Because whether fashion, accessories, decoration, sweets or other knick-knacks, you can find almost everything in the Hauptstraße. And if not, there are still the small branching alleys where you might find odd treasures.

Indeed, there are surely not as many small boutiques as once, but there are still some privately managed shops in the Hauptstraße. By this way, one can distinguish oneself from the big concerns in a small tea shop, some lovingly arranged flower shops, some chocolaterias, a unique sugar shop at the side of the Hauptstraße and an antiquarian bookstore. And if one is already strolling through the street, it is also worthwhile to visit the Kurpfälzisches Museum that you pass by anyway.

But if you would rather go to the classic shops, you will be happy here too. In addition to the popular interior design stores such as Depot and Butlers, you will also find fashion chains such as Mango, H&M, Pimkie, Marc O’Polo and Desigual in the popular pedestrian zone. Douglas, Lush, Snipes and Henschel also have a store on Heidelberg’s Hauptstrasse.

So if you really want to have a look at several shops in the Hauptstraße and not just run through them quickly, you should perhaps have a little plan of which shops you really want to visit. Because, who is not familiar with it, while strolling through shops you can easily forget the time and the day is over faster than expected.

Gastronomy

If you get hungry or thirsty during shopping, sightseeing or in between during the day, there is a wide choice of restaurants, cafés and also bars in the pedestrian zone. Many of the bars, such as the Jinx, BOHO or Shooter Stars are located in the side streets or the famous Untere Straße just a few meters from the main street.

For those who want to “just” eat out, there are larger restaurant chains in the Hauptstraße, such as MoschMosch (Japanese), Hans im Glück (burger grill) or Pizza Hut. There are also plenty of independent restaurants like Gino’s (Mexican), emma Café-Bar or the Restaurante Papi (Italian). If you are in a hurry, there are of course kebab shops and even two Subway branches in the Hauptstraße.

In the many historical buildings there are also some restaurants that have been in existence for several decades. For example the Gasthaus zum Roten Ochsen near Karlsplatz. The restaurant is considered a traditional student restaurant and is now run by the sixth generation. The Gasthaus zum Seppl is also considered to be a historic restaurant in Heidelberg.

In summer many of the cafés and restaurants also have outdoor seating. So if you get a seat during warm weather, you can comfortably watch the hustle and bustle in the popular pedestrian zone over a coffee or a meal.

Location & Directions

Due to the length of the Hauptstrasse, you can reach it quite well, whether by train, car or bus. At the eastern end is the S-Bahn station Heidelberg-Altstadt, which is served by several trains from the main station.

At the western end is the Bismarckplatz. The big bus and tram station is served by many lines and thus you have a good connection here as well. Stops such as Universitätsplatz, which is relatively close to the centre of the main street, are also easy to reach by bus.

But if you prefer to travel with your own car, there are many parking possibilities close to the Hauptstraße. For example, you can park in P12 at Kornmarkt, or in P13 at Karlsplatz.