Best Travel Guide Heidelberg | ArrivalGuides.com

HeidelbergGuide was updated: 2026-08-06

"The city in its setting and entire surroundings may be said to have something ideal." (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1797). Scarcely any other European city has had its praises so often sung as Heidelberg. The mysterious Heidelberg Castle, the picturesque Old Town, and as Goethe himself stated, the perfection of its setting – in the nineteenth century, all of this attracted the German romanticists, who immortalized Heidelberg in poetry, music, and art. Today the charm of Old Heidelberg is combined with a future-oriented and international focus.

Do & See

Heidelberg is considered one of Germany’s most beautiful cities. The harmonious ensemble of Castle, Old Town and river in the midst of mountains was an inspiration to the poets and artists of the Romantic period, and has lost none of its fascination today for millions of visitors from all over the world. The symbol of the city, Heidelberg Castle, lies some 70 meters or 230 feet above the Neckar on the hillside of Heidelberg’s local mountain, the Königstuhl (King’s Chair). The ruins of the Castle towering above the town are among the most impressive sights that a trip through Germany can offer the marveling traveller. The city of the oldest university in Germany (founded in 1386, and since 2007 officially a University of Excellence) looks back on more than 800 years of history: from the former residence city of Germany’s Prince Electors up to today’s modern and future-oriented center of knowledge and economic growth.

Heidelberg Castle (with the Barrel Cellar and the German Pharmacy Museum)

The Castle was erected on a medieval fortress complex high above Heidelberg. For five centuries, the powerful Prince-Electors of the Palatinate region, members of the House of Wittelsbach, resided here. In 1693, during the War of Palatinate Succession, the Castle with its towers was destroyed. The magnificent ruins became the symbol of an entire epoch, the German Romantic period. Today during the annual summer Castle Festivals the Castle is an enchanting stage setting for numerous open-air performances.

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The Old Bridge

Together with its famed Bridge Gate, which was once a part of the city wall, the Old Bridge has always been a symbol of Heidelberg. The statues of Karl-Theodor (who built and gave his name to the current stone bridge) and of Pallas Athena, the goddess of wisdom and culture, stand enthroned here above the Neckar. The Bridge Monkey, re-erected in the 1970s on the Old Town side of the bridge, is one of the most popular photo motives. On the closest bridge column, below the statue of Karl-Theodor, are chiseled the impressive flood markings of recent centuries.

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Market Square with the Church of the Holy Spirit

One of the city’s oldest squares, Market Square is framed on the east by the town hall and on the west by the Church of the Holy Spirit. In the center of the square stands the majestic Hercules Fountain, erected between 1706 and 1709 as a reminder of the immense efforts required to rebuild the city after its almost destruction in the War of Palatinate Succession, 1689-1693. The Church of the Holy Spirit was constructed from 1400 by Ruprecht I as both a collegiate church and a final resting place. The distinctive feature of the church is its loft galleries, where originally the famed Bibliotheca Palatina was housed as a safely enchained library, until its abduction and transport to the Vatican during the Thirty Years’ War. Today the Church of the Holy Spirit is the city’s main Protestant church and attracts visitors in large numbers to its concerts and church services.

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Heidelberg Funicular Railway and the Königstuhl Mountain

Aim High – Reach the Top with the Heidelberg Funicular Railway For over a hundred years, a ride on the Funicular Railway has been a special experience in Heidelberg. From the romantic Old Town, the railway takes Heidelberg’s visitors and residents first to the Castle station, then to the Molkenkur station, and finally to the top of the Königstuhl (King’s Chair) Mountain, at a height of some 400 meters or 1,300 feet above the Neckar valley. Along the way, there is much to discover. With the attractively priced Castle Ticket, the newly renovated railway transports you quickly and comfortably to the Castle and back again to the Kornmarkt station. The entrance fee for the Castle courtyard, the Barrel Cellar, and the German Pharmacy Museum is included in the price. Those wishing to go higher can take the railway up to the next stop, Molkenkur. Here, where in earlier times guests partook of a coveted whey cure (Molken-Kur) in the hotel, today’s visitors can enjoy coffee and cake on the spacious, sunny terrace looking onto the town. While the lower funicular presents its streamlined form in dynamic silver grey, a change of trains at the Molkenkur station propels you into nostalgia. From here onward, the historic original car designed of venerable wood in 1907, and completely restored in 2005, takes the visitor to the peak of the Königstuhl and the surrounding forests. The spectacular view, from a height of 567 meters or 1,860 feet above sea level, is sublime. From the terrace of the funicular station, the panorama stretches over the entire Rhine-Neckar area to the chain of hills of the Palatinate Wine Route.

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Kornmarkt with Madonna statue

The Madonna statue on Kornmarkt was erected in the course of recatholisation efforts under Prince Elector Karl Philipp. Created by Peter von den Branden in 1718, the Corn Market Madonna is considered the most beautiful baroque statue in Heidelberg. On the western side of the Kornmarkt stands the stately Palais Prince Carl – from 1788 an inn, till 1915 one of Heidelberg’s leading hotels, today an event venue with a magnificent Mirror Hall - and on the far eastern corner is the pale yellow house of the French Count de Graimberg. Charles de Graimberg became by his own volition and immense efforts the conservator of the castle and the founder of the city’s art collections. Graimberg died in 1864, having lived to see his dream of preserving the castle come true.

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The Old University

In the Alte Aula, the hallowed old lecture hall of the Old University building, famous graduate students have defended their doctoral theses and received their degrees for some 300 years. Today the Alte Aula is the ceremonial hall of Heidelberg University. Mural paintings on the ceiling and front wall of the wood-panelled room represent the history of Germany’s oldest university. On the ground floor of the building, the three exhibition rooms of the University Museum trace in pictures, documents and German texts the history of the University.

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