District
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.
Nestled on the bank of the Neckar, Heidelberg's Old Town is the historic heart of the city. With its cobblestone streets and the imposing castle watching over the town, the Old Town offers a journey back to the Renaissance. It is home to Ruprecht Karl University, Germany's oldest university (founded in 1386). The castle, the Old Bridge, the Church of the Holy Spirit and the Hauptstrasse shape the townscape.
Attractions in Old Town
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
Old Town
Old University & Student Prison
The historic main building of the Ruperto Carola on University Square, with the Old Aula and the famous student prison in the rear courtyard.
from €3
Old Town
Church of the Holy Spirit
The striking late-Gothic parish church on the Marktplatz - Heidelberg's religious and architectural center.
Free entry
Old Town
Kurpfälzisches Museum
City-history museum in the baroque Palais Morass - home to the cast of the Homo heidelbergensis jawbone and works by Tilman Riemenschneider.
from €3
Old Town
Student Prison
The old detention cells for Heidelberg students - in use from 1778 to 1914, now a cult sight covered in artful wall graffiti.
from €6
Old Town
Marktplatz
Heidelberg's civic center with the town hall, the Church of the Holy Spirit, the Hercules Fountain and a fresh farmers' market twice a week.
Free entry
Old Town
Hauptstrasse
At 1.6 kilometers, one of the longest pedestrian streets in Europe - Heidelberg's central shopping and strolling boulevard through the whole Old Town.
Free entry
Hotels in Old Town
All hotels →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
Old Town
Hotel Holländer Hof
Right by the Old Bridge with views over the Neckar - the Hotel Holländer Hof has been a classic Heidelberg town hotel since 1730.
from
129 € / night
Old Town
Hotel zum Ritter St. Georg
Stay in the Old Town's only Renaissance townhouse (1592) - directly opposite the Church of the Holy Spirit on the Marktplatz.
from
145 € / night
Old Town
Hotel Goldener Hecht
Right at the bridge gate of the Old Bridge - a historic family-run hotel with castle views from the upper rooms.
from
89 € / night
Old Town
Hotel Hackteufel
A charming family hotel in a historic Old Town house with its own wine cellar and a restaurant on Steingasse.
from
98 € / night
Restaurants in Old Town
All restaurants →Old Town
Vetter's Alt Heidelberger Brauhaus
Brewpub at Steingasse 9 with beers brewed on site, Bavarian cooking, regional specialities and a beer garden that takes no reservations.
Old Town
Weinstube Schnitzelbank
Wine tavern at Bauamtsgasse 7 in a former cooperage from 1882: you sit at historic workbenches and wine comes by the quarter litre.
Old Town
Zum Roten Ochsen
Student tavern at Hauptstrasse 217, built in 1703 and owned by the Spengel family since 1839. The kitchen is open on Fridays and Saturdays.
Old Town
Wirtshaus zum Seppl
Historic student tavern at Hauptstrasse 213, now part of the Kulturbrauerei and currently available for private events only.
Old Town
Chocolaterie Knösel (Café Knösel)
Chocolaterie at Haspelgasse 16, founded in 1863 and home of the Heidelberg Student Kiss. The city of Heidelberg calls Café Knösel the oldest café in town.
Old Town
Café Schafheutle
Coffee house and confectioner at Hauptstrasse 94, founded in 1832, with its own bakery, a courtyard garden café and table reservations.
Discover other districts
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.