The curated shortlist
Things to do in Heidelberg
Heidelberg is small, and that is its great advantage. The castle, the Old Bridge and the mile long pedestrian street sit within a few minutes' walk of each other, and the best view of all three is a short climb up the far bank of the Neckar. You can cover the essentials in a day and still not feel rushed.
This page is sorted the way people actually plan: the sights you came for first, then the views, then the neighborhoods most visitors never reach, then what to do when the weather turns, and finally what changes with the season.
Classic first-timer sights
Start at the castle, ideally in the first hour after opening, because it is the one place in Heidelberg that genuinely gets crowded. Everything below it runs along a single axis: the Hauptstraße carries you past the market square and Universitätsplatz to the Old Bridge, so you can walk the whole list without a map.
The Heidelberg Castle
The development of the castle complex into a medieval ancestral seat certainly began with the award of the electoral dignity to Rudolf II in 1329. (1306 - 1353), the first Palatine elector. Already Ruprecht I. (1309 - 1390), who also founded the University of Heidelberg, ordered various enlargements of the residential buildings and a considerable strengthening of the fortifications.
Old Bridge Heidelberg
At the place where the Karl-Theodor-Bridge has been located for many years now, there were already eight previous bridges. The bridges that stood before it on the spot were made of wood and were destroyed again and again by wars or ice aisles on the Neckar. Therefore, the Elector Karl Theodor ordered the construction of the stone bridge, which stretched from 1786 to 1788. At that time, the bridge was the most expensive building in the Electoral Palatinate after the Mannheim Castle and demanded a special tax from the citizens to make the construction possible.
Hauptstraße Heidelberg
One of Europe's longest pedestrian zones – Heidelberg's Hauptstraße runs 1.8 km through the Old Town, lined with historic buildings, boutiques, cafés and landmarks from the Church of the Holy Spirit to the Hotel zum Ritter.
Church of the Holy Spirit Heidelberg: the church on the market square
With its red sandstone, the Church of the Holy Spirit dominates the market square of Heidelberg's Old Town. A late Gothic hall church, former burial site of the Palatine electors, once home to the famous Bibliotheca Palatina and today one of the most visited churches in southern Germany.
Universitätsplatz Heidelberg: history & things to see
Universitätsplatz in the centre of Heidelberg is a historic meeting point with a rich past, from Martin Luther's disputation to the Nazi era, surrounded by university buildings, restaurants and the lively pedestrian zone.
Untere Straße Heidelberg
Located in the heart of Heidelberg's Old Town, Untere Straße (Lower Street) is a must-see for any traveler visiting the area. This old, cobbled street (colloquially known simply as "Untere") is lined with small stores, delicious restaurants and cafes. However, Untere Straße is best known for its pubs. Parallel to the Hauptstraße runs the pub mile with one bar in front of the other. There is something for everyone here, whether it's cocktails, wines or home-brewed and local beers. For centuries, Heidelbergers meet with their friends in this street at the end of work or on th
Tours & Tickets
Guided tours and tickets in Heidelberg
Castle tickets, walking tours of the Old Town and day trips into the region, bookable in advance.
* Tours & tickets by GetYourGuide. If you book through the markers, we earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Views and walks
Heidelberg is built on a slope, so the good views cost a climb. The Philosophenweg (Philosophers' Walk) on the north bank is the one that ends up on postcards, a hillside path of roughly two miles with the castle, the bridge and the red roofs all in one frame. If you would rather not walk uphill, the historic Bergbahn funicular carries you to the Königstuhl at 568 meters, about 1,860 feet. And when you want flat ground and no agenda at all, the Neckarwiese is a long stretch of riverside lawn where half the city sits out on a warm evening.
Philosophers' Walk Heidelberg: Best Views, Trails and Photo Spots
The Philosophenweg (Philosophers' Walk) runs along a sunny hillside on the far side of the Neckar and delivers the single most famous view in Heidelberg: the castle, the Old Bridge and the red roofs of the Old Town all in one frame. Here is how to get up there, when the light is best and how much time to plan.
Königstuhl Heidelberg
The Königstuhl (King's Chair) is a mountain in the city of Heidelberg. It is located on the eastern edge of the old town and is the highest point of the city with a height of 570 meters. Although this only makes it the 21st highest mountain in Baden-Württemberg, it is still the highest mountain in the small Odenwald region and offers an impressive view.
Heidelberg Bergbahn
The Heidelberg Bergbahn is one of the most modern funicular railroads in Germany. By using both mountain railroads, there is a relaxed ascent to the Königstuhl with a unique view of the Neckar valley.
Neckarwiese Heidelberg
Humboldt once said "Nature must be felt", because it was not only him who was so fond of the green. The Neckarwiese is one of the most visited and important places in all of Heidelberg, both ecologically and culturally. But why is that?
Thingstätte Heidelberg
The Thingstätte is a unique and historically significant open-air theater in Heidelberg. The theater was built in the 1930s, during the Nazi era, and was intended to be a place where the NSDAP could hold political rallies and other events in favor of National Socialism. Despite its controversial past associated with Nazi propaganda efforts during World War II, the Thingstätte remains an important and fascinating part of German history and is now a popular tourist destination.
St Michaelskloster Heidelberg
St Michael's Monastery in Heidelberg is a beautiful and historic monastery ruin that is definitely worth a visit. Just like the Thingstätte, the monastery of St Michael is located on the Heiligenberg, the second largest mountain in Heidelberg. The monastery was originally founded in the 14th century by the Order of St Michael and has a rich history that spans centuries.
There is a lazier version of the same idea. A boat tour on the Neckar lines up the castle, the Old Bridge and the wooded slopes from the water in about 50 minutes, with no climbing involved.
Neighborhoods worth an afternoon
Almost every visitor stays inside the Altstadt, which means the rest of Heidelberg is quiet, cheaper and often more interesting. Cross the river to Neuenheim, walk one district further to Handschuhsheim, or head south into the Weststadt and Südstadt. None of these are more than a tram ride away.
Altstadt →
The historic heart of Heidelberg between the Neckar and the Königstuhl – with the castle, the Old Bridge, the Church of the Holy Spirit and one of Germany's longest shopping streets.
Neuenheim →
Right across from the Old Town on the north bank of the Neckar – university campus, the Philosophers' Walk, Tiergartenstraße and lots of students.
Handschuhsheim →
Heidelberg's northernmost quarter with a village feel – the Tiefburg ruin, old farmsteads, vineyards and the Mühlbach stream.
Weststadt →
Elegance and Gründerzeit grandeur – stately villas, quiet residential streets, Wilhelmsplatz and easy reach of the main station.
Südstadt →
In transition – from a US barracks site to a creative quarter with the Mark Twain Center, Karlstorbahnhof and new housing.
Ziegelhausen →
The easternmost district on the Neckar between vineyards and the Odenwald – almost an idyll, and home to Stift Neuburg abbey.
All 15 districts have their own guide, from the passive house quarter of Bahnstadt to the hillside village feel of Ziegelhausen.
When it rains
A wet day in Heidelberg is not a lost day. The Kurpfälzisches Museum für Kunst und Stadtgeschichte, the Palatinate museum of art and city history, sits directly on the Hauptstraße in a baroque townhouse and is indoors from start to finish. The churches along the same street give you further dry stops without leaving the main route, and the university library holds one of the great book collections in Germany. If you have a full day and a train ticket, the Technik Museum in Speyer, with aircraft, a submarine and a space shuttle, is the region's best bad weather escape. It is covered in our guide to day trips from Heidelberg.
University Library Heidelberg
The library achieved great fame in the 16th century, when Elector Ottheinrich brought together various book collections to form the Bibliotheca Palatina. Through further purchases, donations and inheritances, the library grew to become “the most important book treasure of scholarly Germany”. However, the end of the collection was approaching in the Thirty Years War. In 1622 the Catholic League under General Tilly conquered the city of Heidelberg. As a result, almost the entire book collection was confiscated and transported to
St. Peter's Church Heidelberg
The St. Peter's Church is the oldest church of Heidelberg and the former version of this building was first documented in 1196. It was a Romanesque church in the middle of a small villlage. The city of Heidelberg was founded in the beginning of the 13th century by a dynasty called the Wittelsbacher. The church was located outside the city walls for a long time. The environs of St. Peter's Church were used as a cemetery until the opening of the mountain cemetary in 1844. Even today you can find graves and monuments of the past centuries if you take a walk around the building
Sternwarte Heidelberg
Blood moon: If the sun, the moon and the earth are in one line, then there is a blood moon to see. Thereby the moon must be in front of the earth. Afterwards the sun comes. For example, on 16.05.2022 there was the special possibility to see a blood moon. This began at 03:32 o'clock and ended at 06:52 o'clock. While the partial eclipse could be seen until 08:52.
Heidelberg Bergfriedhof (Mountain Cemetery)
The Bergfriedhof in Heidelberg is more than a cemetery - it is a historic park and the city's largest open-air history book. More than 13,000 figures from science, politics and culture have found their final resting place here, among them Friedrich Ebert, Robert Bunsen, Max Weber and Carl Bosch.
Seasonal highlights
Three dates a year the castle is lit in red and fireworks go up from the Old Bridge. In summer the courtyards of the castle become an open air stage for the Schlossfestspiele, and the Metropolink street art festival puts new murals on the walls of the outer districts. Fall brings the Heidelberger Herbst, and from late November the market square turns into one of the better known Christmas markets in the region.
Heidelberg Castle Illumination
In June, July and September of each year, the Heidelberg Castle lights up in blazing red. As soon as the red Bengal lights fade, the fireworks display starts from the Old Bridge. The castle illumination including the fireworks takes about 15 minutes, but is worth every single second, even for a slightly longer journey.
Heidelberg Christmas Market 2026: Dates, Locations and What to Expect
Heidelberg's Christmas market spreads across six squares in the Old Town, from Bismarckplatz to Karlsplatz, with roughly 140 stalls, an ice rink under the floodlit castle and the smell of cinnamon and mulled wine in the cobblestone streets. Here are the 2026 dates and everything a first time visitor should know.
Castle Festival Heidelberg
In addition to the castle lighting, which takes place three times a year, the so-called Heidelberg Castle Festival is also held every summer. The Heidelberg Castle, provides the perfect atmosphere for the most famous and most visited open-air theater games in the north of Baden-Württemberg....a cultural flagship of the first rank for the city and the region. Gerhard Stratthaus(2001, former finance minister Baden-Württemberg)
Heidelberger Herbst
Heidelberger Herbst
Metropolink Heidelberg
In the following article, we'll tell you everything you need to know about the famous street art festival.
In summer the whole city moves outdoors. Our guide to beer gardens in Heidelberg explains how a Biergarten works and where the good ones are.