Heidelberg Travel Guide: Castle Ruins & the Neckar River

Heidelberg

Heidelberg pairs a ruined hilltop castle with one of Europe's longest pedestrian shopping streets, the whole scene framed by the Neckar River and the wooded slopes of the Heiligenberg.

Heidelberger Schloss looms over the Old Town from a terrace halfway up the Königstuhl hill, a patchwork of Gothic and Renaissance wings that was never fully rebuilt after French troops blew up its fortifications during the Nine Years' War in 1689 and 1693, then a lightning strike in 1764 finished off what rebuilding had resumed. Inside the ruins sits the Großes Fass, a wine barrel with a capacity of roughly 220,000 liters, built in 1751 to store the Palatinate's wine-tax payments and topped with a dance floor once used for celebrations. The castle terrace is the single best viewpoint over the Old Town and the Neckar, especially in late afternoon when the light catches the red sandstone. Below the castle, the Hauptstraße runs for about 1.6 kilometers through the pedestrian core, lined with baroque townhouses rebuilt in stone after the same 17th-century wars leveled most of the Palatinate.

‹›

The castle ruins rising above the Old Town's rooftops, seen from street level

The Alte Brücke — officially the Karl Theodor Bridge — crosses the Neckar on nine sandstone arches completed in 1788, guarded on the Old Town side by twin medieval gate towers that predate the current bridge by centuries. A bronze monkey holding a mirror sits at the bridge's town-side end, a centuries-old joke aimed at anyone who thought too highly of themselves crossing into the city; rubbing it is supposed to guarantee a return trip to Heidelberg. Across the river, the Philosophenweg climbs the Heiligenberg in a series of switchbacks to a viewpoint that mirrors the castle's own outlook — this is the walk that gave Heidelberg University's philosophy faculty its reputation for thinking on the move, and it's still the quietest way to see the castle and Old Town together in one frame. Heidelberg University itself, founded in 1386, is Germany's oldest, and its old student prison — the Studentenkarzer, used until 1914 to lock up unruly students for offenses like dueling or public drunkenness — is covered floor to ceiling in a century of student graffiti.

Where to take photos

• Heidelberger Schloss — the ruined Renaissance castle above the Old Town, half-demolished by 17th-century wars and a lightning strike, with the 220,000-liter Großes Fass wine barrel inside.
• Alte Brücke — the 1788 sandstone Old Bridge over the Neckar, guarded by medieval gate towers and a bronze monkey statue said to guarantee a return visit.
• Philosophenweg — the Philosophers' Walk climbing the opposite hillside, the classic mirror-image viewpoint of the castle and Old Town across the river.
• Studentenkarzer — Heidelberg University's 19th-century student prison, its walls covered in generations of inmates' graffiti and silhouette portraits.

When to go: Late spring or early autumn on a clear afternoon, when the light on the castle's red sandstone is best from the Alte Brücke and the Philosophenweg isn't crowded with summer tour groups.

Where to stay: Base yourself near the Marktplatz or lower Hauptstraße, within a flat walk of the Old Bridge and the path up to the castle.

What to eat: Order a Studentenkuss ("student's kiss") — a chocolate-wrapped praline sold since the 1860s at a confectionery on the Hauptstraße, invented so university students could flirt with the shop's customers without their chaperones noticing.

Tip: Walk up to the castle rather than taking the funicular, then ride the funicular back down to the Kornmarkt — the uphill path through the Old Town gardens is free and better for photos than the queue for the train.

More guides to explore

Ulm, Germany

Ulm Travel Guide: The World's Tallest Church Spire

Bremen, Germany

Bremen Travel Guide: Hanseatic Gables and Grimm Fairy-Tale Streets

Munich, Germany

Munich Travel Guide: Marienplatz Spires and the Royal Residenz