Heidelberg: top attractions & road trip guide
Heidelberg is a university city on the Neckar river, home to Germany's oldest university and to the ruins of Heidelberg Castle, a red sandstone complex overlooking the old town that has drawn Romantic-era poets and painters for centuries. Its baroque old town, largely spared from wartime destruction, is one of the most intact historic centers in Germany.
Top attractions
Heidelberg Castle
A partly ruined Renaissance castle of red sandstone above the old town, damaged by war and lightning centuries ago and left as a picturesque ruin ever since.
Old Bridge (Karl Theodor Bridge)
An 18th-century stone bridge across the Neckar with a gate tower on the old-town side, offering a classic view of the castle above the rooftops.
Philosophers' Walk
A hillside path on the north bank of the Neckar, once favored by university scholars for walks, with views across the river to the castle and old town.
Heidelberg University
Founded in 1386, Germany's oldest university, whose historic Old University building and student jail (Studentenkarzer) are open to visitors near the market square.
Heidelberg Tun
A giant 18th-century wine barrel in the castle cellars, historically used to store wine collected as tax from the region's vineyards.
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