Heidelberg on the Neckar
Perhaps the most beautiful city on the Neckar - discover it interactively
Heidelberg-Interaktiv is your city portal to one of Germany's most romantic cities. From the castle and the Old Bridge to the Philosophers' Walk, from Germany's oldest university to the 15 distinctive districts between the Neckar and the Odenwald.
Photo: Holger Uwe Schmitt · CC BY-SA 4.0
15 districts
From the castle to Wieblingen
Every district with its own character, landmarks and history.
Attractions
What makes Heidelberg
The castle, the Old Bridge, the Philosophers' Walk, the Königstuhl and more.
Events
Festivals, fairs & markets
The Castle Illumination, Heidelberger Frühling, the autumn fair and Christmas market.
Background
Good to know about Heidelberg
The university, Romanticism, the Homo heidelbergensis, student life.
Quarters
Heidelberg's districts
Old Town
The historic heart of Heidelberg between the Neckar and the Königstuhl - with the castle, the Old Bridge, the Church of the Holy Spirit and the longest pedestrian street in Europe.
Bergheim
The former industrial quarter is now Heidelberg's liveliest district - with the main station, the Bismarckplatz and plenty of bars and cafes.
Weststadt
Elegance and the Gründerzeit era - grand villas, quiet residential streets, the Friedrich-Ebert-Platz and easy access to the main station.
Südstadt
In transition - from a US barracks site to a creative quarter with a market hall, the Mark Twain Center and the Bahnstadt-Süd campus.
Neuenheim
Directly opposite the Old Town on the north bank of the Neckar - the university campus, the Philosophers' Walk, Tiergartenstrasse and many students.
Handschuhsheim
Heidelberg's northernmost quarter, with a village feel - the Tiefburg ruin, old farmhouses, vineyards and the Mühlbach stream.
Highlights
Attractions
Old Town
Heidelberg Castle
Heidelberg's most famous landmark - the part-restored, part-romantically-ruined castle complex standing 80 meters above the Old Town.
from €9
Old Town
Old Bridge (Karl Theodor Bridge)
The stone Neckar bridge of 1788 with its two white towers and its bridge monkey - one of the most photographed sights in Heidelberg.
Free entry
Neuenheim
Philosophers' Walk
The famous hillside path on the Heiligenberg with the finest view of the Old Town, the castle and the Neckar valley - inspiring poets and thinkers for centuries.
Free entry
Themes
Discover by theme
Stay
Top hotels in Heidelberg
Old Town
Boutique Hotel Heidelberg Suites
Three restored townhouse villas on the Neckar - an Italian-inspired boutique hotel right by the water, with views of the Old Bridge and the castle.
from
189 € / night
9.3
540 rev.
Old Town
Hotel Europäischer Hof Heidelberg
The storied grand hotel on the Friedrich-Ebert-Platz - Heidelberg's first address since 1865, with classic elegance and family-owned charm.
from
219 € / night
9.1
1820 rev.
Schlierbach
Boutique Hotel Hirschgasse
The storied Hotel Hirschgasse on the Neuenheim side, opposite the castle - an inn since 1472, now a five-star boutique.
from
195 € / night
9.0
470 rev.
Food & drink
Heidelberg restaurants
Old Town
Vetters Alt Heidelberger Brauhaus
A brewpub with its own beer and hearty Baden-Palatinate cooking - Heidelberg's liveliest brewhouse, right in the Old Town.
Old Town
Schnitzelbank
An original Heidelberg student tavern in a former joinery - wood paneling, long benches and hearty cooking.
Old Town
Zum Roten Ochsen
Since 1703 - probably the best-known student tavern in Heidelberg. Mark Twain, Bismarck and countless generations of fraternity students have eaten here.
Dates
Festivals & events
June / July / September
Castle Illumination
Three times a year the castle is bathed in Bengal light and a huge fireworks display is set off over the Neckar - one of Heidelberg's most spectacular events.
March / April
Heidelberger Frühling
An international music festival in March and April with classical music in the Stadthalle, the castle and many other historic venues.
Last weekend in September
Heidelberger Herbst
Heidelberg's biggest Old Town festival on the last weekend of September - crafts, a flea market and a stage program across the whole Old Town.
Background
Good to know about Heidelberg
Ruperto Carola - Germany's Oldest University
Founded in 1386 by Elector Ruprecht I, Heidelberg University remains one of the most prestigious research universities in Europe to this day.
Heidelberg Romanticism
Brentano, Arnim, Eichendorff - how Heidelberg became the cradle of German Romanticism in the early 19th century.
Homo heidelbergensis
The jawbone found in 1907 at Mauer near Heidelberg made the city the namesake of an entire species of early humans.