HEIDELBERG
We'll admit Heidelberg was on our radar since there's a restaurant in our hometown by the same name that serves beer in a glass boot. We're also suckers for a university town, especially one with castle ruins and a medieval Old Town, so a visit here was high our on list when in Germany.
When planning this trip, we had tirelessly debated whether to sign up for the half-day tour to Heidelberg during our stay in Frankfurt or to stop in the town overnight on our way to Munich. We ultimately decided we wanted to see the town at our leisure. We booked an early train from Frankfurt, arrived in Heidelberg 1.5 hours later, and spent the rest of the day exploring the town.
When planning this trip, we had tirelessly debated whether to sign up for the half-day tour to Heidelberg during our stay in Frankfurt or to stop in the town overnight on our way to Munich. We ultimately decided we wanted to see the town at our leisure. We booked an early train from Frankfurt, arrived in Heidelberg 1.5 hours later, and spent the rest of the day exploring the town.
Accommodation: Holiday Inn Express Heidelberg - City Centre
Adventures: Hauptstrasse - world's longest continuous shopping street, Church of the Holy Spirit, Rathause (Town Hall), Marktplatz, River Neckar, Karl Theodor Bridge, Bridge Monkey, Vetter's Brewery, Heidelberg Castle, Great Barrel - world's largest wine barrel
Takeaways: 1) This is a tourist town as much as it is a university town. 2) All the main tourist attractions can be seen in one day. 3) The view from the castle alone was worth the stop in the town. 4) Traditional German food includes a lot of meat.
Memorable Moments: 1) Drinking large beers and eating traditional food at the brewery. 2) Waiting in line to touch the monkey. 3) Enjoying the view from the castle! 4) Taking pictures in front of a huge wine barrel only to later realize the world's largest (much bigger) wine barrel was in the room next to us. 5) Shopping on Hauptstrasse.
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| ^^ The Bridge Monkey. Legend says if you touch his fingers, it ensures your return to Heidelberg. Touch the mirror for wealth and touch the mice (not pictured) to ensure fertility. ^^ |
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| ^^ Homemade big "German bratwurst" with fried potatoes and sauerkraut ^^ |
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| ^^ The Great Barrel that once stored up to 130,000 liters (about 34,342 gallons) of wine! ^^ |
Restaurant Picks:
Hotel Restaurant Krokodil (good choice of wines)
Kleinschmidtstraße 12Recommendations:
1) Consider taking the train and visiting this town on your own. The half-day trip from Frankfurt would likely have been too rushed. 2) Take the cable car from Kornmarkt to avoid the 15 minute uphill walk to Heidelberg Castle. 3) Visit Vetter's Brewery.
Next Time: Cross the Old Bridge to Philosopher's Walk via the Schlangenweg for its scenic views of the Old Town and castle.
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