Heidelberg: A Perfect, Laidback City Break

Looking up a quaint street in the Altstadt | Heidelberg, Germany

Located on the banks of the river Neckar, Heidelberg is one of the most beautiful cities in Germany with its rolling hills, charming Old Town and imposing castle ruin. We spent four days in Heidelberg and are quite certain that we'll return to this lovely city one day.

Our reason for visiting Heidelberg was a roundabout one. Stephen visited in 2021 on a business trip and had such a great meal at Heid's Heidelberg that we began planning our trip the minute he returned home. He also mentioned, as a complete afterthought, that I'd probably love the fairytale surroundings too. He was absolutely right!

An ornate, dusky pink shopfront in the Altstadt | Heidelberg, Germany

We flew from London to Frankfurt on the Thursday night, staying at an airport hotel before catching a train to Heidelberg on the Friday morning. We checked into the grand old Heidelberg Marriott Hotel and whiled away the afternoon in the spa, enjoying views of the Neckar river. We headed straight to Heid's Heidelberg that evening and enjoyed a spectacular steak dinner before taking a long twilight walk back to the hotel.

Looking down a narrow walkway in Altstadt | Heidelberg, Germany

We woke up late on the Saturday morning and took a long walk along the Neckar river and into the Altstadt.

German bakery on the Hauptstrasse | Heidelberg, Germany

We grabbed pretzels, kardamom knopf and coffee at the bakery on the Hauptstrasse. Stephen loves pretzels.

Kornmarkt with Kornmarkt-Madonna fountain sculpture | Heidelberg, Germany

We strolled into the Kornmarkt where we found the Kornmarkt-Madonna fountain sculpture. The ruins of Heidelberg Castle lie up the hill in the background.

The ruin of Heidelberg Castle | Heidelberg, Germany

We then began the long, steep, winding path up to Heidelberg Castle. I couldn't work out why our journey was taking so much longer than Google Maps had suggested. It was only once we got down to street level again that we realised there was a funicular. I'm sure you can guess how disappointed I was not to have ridden on that funicular given my love of funiculars!

The view of Heidelberg from the grounds of the castle | Heidelberg, Germany

Still, we enjoyed every minute of our walk. The castle ruins and grounds were fascinating; it's free to walk around but you can pay extra to go inside. The views of Heidelberg city and the river from the castle grounds also made it all worthwhile.

A Bauhaus bus on Universitätsplatz | Heidelberg, Germany

We met my old high school friend Julie and her husband for lunch at Das Bootshaus on the afternoon of our third day. I had an excellent chicken schnitzel, Julie had a gigantic plate of prawns, and the men had burgers. That evening we returned to the spa for a sunset swim and superb Thai massage.

On our final morning, we walked into Altstadt again. We were several hours early for our lunch booking and stopped for sausages at MyCurrywurst on Hauptstrasse. It was very good!

Looking over the Neckar river from Heidelberg University | Heidelberg, Germany

We then strolled through the university and down the winding streets.

A narrow street in the Altstadt | Heidelberg, Germany

Stephen is right, Heidelberg is like a fairytale. There was something quaint and charming to see at every turn.

Alte Brucke | Heidelberg, Germany

We found our way to Alte Brücke, the old bridge that connects the Old City with the Neuenheim district. This arch bridge was built in 1788 and is named after its patron, Karl Theodor.

A river nymph at the base of the Karl Theodor sculpture on Alte Brücke | Heidelberg, Germany

The bridge offers 360° degrees of beautiful scenes from the river nymphs at the base of the sculpture of Karl Theodor (above) to a stunning glimpse of the ruins of the Heidelberg castle peeking out over the rooftops of the old town.

Heidelberg Castle viewed from the Old Bridge | Heidelberg, Germany

Below is the statue of Karl Theodor featuring the four river nymphs representing the Rhine and Moselle, Danube and Isar rivers.

The sculpture of Karl Theodor on Alte Brücke with four river nymphs below | Heidelberg, Germany

Looking in the other direction you can see the Bridge Gate protecting the bridge. In front of that stands the statue of Minerva, goddess of wisdom, erected as a homage to Theodore's love of art and science.

 | Heidelberg, Germany

Our final stop in Heidelberg was to enjoy eisbein at Vetter's Alt Heidelberger Brauhaus. This was another treat for Stephen! Our trip was over too soon but we know that we'll be back one day as Heidelberg offers the perfect, laidback city break experience.

15 comments on "Heidelberg: A Perfect, Laidback City Break "
  1. This looks like a beautiful place to visit :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's so lovely, Cherie. I would love to return one day

      Delete
  2. Your photos are perfect, Emm. The first time spouse and I drove around that part of Germany, Heidelberg Speyer and Worms stood out, for the architecture, river and history. But I must say the food and drink were rather excellent too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Reading up about Speyer and Worms, I see both have important Jewish histories. I must try see them if we revisit

      Delete
  3. Special reasons for going back. I like the one connected to food!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Food plays a big part in Stephen's enjoyment of travel!

      Delete
  4. Heidelberg sounds absolutely enchanting! Your detailed descriptions make me feel like I’m walking the charming streets and taking in the stunning views right alongside you. It's clear why this beautiful city left such a lasting impression. Here's to many more delightful trips ahead!

    I just shared a new travel post, please read: [https://www.melodyjacob.com/2024/10/visit-dumbarton-castle-scotland-historic-fortress-dunbartonshire.html] Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was absolutely lovely Melody. I'm glad you enjoyed it

      Delete
  5. Great photos! And you give a good feeling for the town too. I am always struck by how interesting it is to see the German take on fairytales. So many of "our" childhood fairytales actually come from Germany and when I once went to a fairytale exhibition I found so many new ones I didn't know about which were clearly very familiar to Germans. Those deep dark woods! And when I see certain styles of French chateau I realise what a "fairytale castle" ifit for Cinderella is all about.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The German take on fairy tales was certainly darker!!! You've inspired me to read some for Christmas!

      Delete
  6. So, since Germany is our eastern neighbor, I immediately asked Astrid where Heidelberg is in relation to where we live here in the Netherlands. HA! Maybe one year we'll decide to spend our 3-week vacation in that neck of the words (like we did in France and Denmark). You've whetted my appetite!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's so beautiful Ginnie and there are lots of castles and other interesting things to see in the area. I know for sure we'll be back as it's such a good base to explore the surrounding area

      Delete
  7. Thank you for showing Heidelberg from your point of view and I have to admit that it is a wonderful city and put on our list of 'things to do". I just checked and it is only a little over 5 hours drive from where we live. Doable to make it a weeks stay and enjoy the beauty of the city you just showed us. Outstanding photography as well, Mandy.
    Have a wonderful day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Five hours drive is certainly manageable! I've been planning a road trip from Kent through Paris to the Champagne and Reisling regions (France and Germany respectively). Perhaps next year will be the year!

      Delete
  8. what a lovely collection of photos, Mandy. my girlfriend loves pretzels too and i have to confess i began to enjoy a number of them : )

    ReplyDelete

Comments are welcome!

All comments are moderated and will be published once approved

Hint: Comment using Name / URL so that I can follow you back to your blog