Wow. The castle is stunning!!!! Our daughter lives in the area and we decided to walked up to the…read morecastle when we visited. It is steep walk up but very doable. It took us less than 10 min to get to the top. The grounds where buzzing with tourists but even tho there where a lot of people it didn't feel crowded. We walked around the grounds for a while and I honestly couldn't get enough of the view! It is out of this world-- it is overlooking beautiful, historic Heidelberg and Neckar river!!! To get the whole experience we opted to tour the ruins and castle courtyard. The 11Euro to go inside the castle is totally worth it. The giant wine barrel in one part of the castle is insane-- it is so big that the is even a dance floor on top of it! Overall, an unforgettable experience and a must-see if you're in the area!

It was quite walk , a 15 mins to climb from downtown square up to the castle. There's alternative…read morethe train round trip. Only setback long line by the time you get to the castle you wasted 30 mins and you have to pay the fee. It was worth the steepest stair and cobble stone walk. The castle was well preserved. Beautiful color scheme of the old wall . Once your on top the entire view of Heidelberg was mesmerizing. Bring water and apply sunblock it was hot this month of visit.

This is an interesting place to visit if you are in Heidelberg. It is the old student jail where…read morethey used to put students who had broken university, and also town, laws (the university was in charge of punishing students for their misdemeanours, unless they were of a very high charge). The incarcerated students spent their time covering the walls of their cells in graffiti, which has been well preserved. So when you enter now you can see the names the students gave each room, along with slogans scrawled on the walls and lots of amusing scenes.

Heidelberg Xmas Market is just the best. Spanning multiple locations down the busy Hauptstrasse,…read moreyou have to visit all to avoid missing out on the unique offerings. There is an ice rink right below the castle location. The church location offers the Heidelberger Fass experience, where you can chill in giant barrels. The university location has my favorite tea shop, carousel, champignon booth, and the best "steak" sandwich. Next to Cafe Extrablatt, you can get your photos taken with a fake Santa. Last but not least, you haven't lived if you haven't tried the Flammlachs (flaming lox) at the Bismarkplatz location. Maybe I'm biased because I grew up here, but in my book, this is the best Christmas market experience in Germany--period.

It was the highlight of our recent 3-day weihnachtsmarkt trip to West Germany and Luxembourg, and…read moreit was one of the best ones among seven cities (and I'm counting altogether five markets we visited in Heidelberg as one) we visited in total. We parked and started our route at Karlsplatz just under the Heidelberg Castle (photo). Fortunately, the entrance line was not too long since we arrived sort of early in the evening before the crowd. Heidelberg Christmas Markets are the only one that mandated 2G+ COVID Requirement during our trip. That meant you had to have a negative PCR test results as well as vaccination certificate. Due to that requirement the entry point was a little congested and slow for checking everyone with proper paperwork, but once you got cleared to enter, you were given a wrist band that would allow you go to enter any other markets in town. That saved us a ton of time later. There were some PCR Testing sites near some markets, but since we have gotten it done earlier, we didn't have to bother with that, either. As the evening progressed, there were long lines at both testing sites and entrances. Now, weihnachtsmarkts were wonderful. There were some very nice vendor huts and food choices. I enjoyed some potato pancakes, Glühwein and Nürnberger lebkuchen. I believe ice skate rink was very popular. All five markets were nicely placed within about three city blocks along the main street (Hauptstraße) from Karlsplatz to Marketplatz. It was very enjoyable.

Like other great finds in Germany Schnitzelbank was a Yelp recommended find. Tucked into a side…read morestreet off the main drag we found our way back to this hidden gem. With only a few tables in the place you quickly make new friends and end up dining next to strangers. We originally sat with a couple of local Germans and after they left a musician from the local college joined for her meal. Great schnitzel options here and true charm stood out for us. Would highly recommend this place to others in Heidelberg.

Schnitzelbank is the highest rated restaurant in Heidelberg, and with just cause…read more We lucked out coming here around 1430 HRS because we just missed the lunch rush and just beat the early dinner crowd. The weather was beautiful for sitting outside. I wish I had gotten our server's name because he was outstanding. Friendly, witty, and willing to help navigate the menu - he made our dining experience even better. We started with a couple of local wines that were amazing - a red and a rosé. Some bread and butter came to our table with our escargot starter and side salad. The bread and starter were delicious. Our snails were hot and garlicky with plenty of juice to sop up. The side salad was also very tasty and fresh. For our mains I went with the Schnitzelbank Platter and my lady went with the Pepper Schnitzel. My platter came with a local delicacy called saumagen, as well as roasted pork, sausage, roasted potatoes, and sauerkraut. The saumagen was the highlight for me. Our server was also excited we got it. It is a local offering consisting of various meats and other items wrapped up in a stomach and served as a loaf-style meat. The pepper schnitzel was also outstanding - the sauce was indeed peppery, but it didn't smother the schnitzel, which was breaded nicely and not dry, as some schnitzels can be. And after all that food, still, an apple strudel. This was so worth it. I don't even like sweets in the USA, but in Europe, they are something else. This was something else. We had a lot of great meals on our trip, but this was probably the best. Not just for the food, but for the overall experience, it's easy to see why this is the shining star in Heidelberg.