As of right now, the only city in Germany that I actually is Heidelberg. Gasp! Again, as I said, for right now. I visited Munich for Oktoberfest and also made my way around Hamburg where I stayed at some incredible hotels like The Gastwerk and The George Hotel. Don’t get my wrong, Hamburg is insanely beautiful and every shopaholic’s dream, but it didn’t quite “do it for me.” I have not been to Berlin and have certainly not traveled too extensively throughout Germany, so I can only to speak to what I know which is this… I’m obsessed with Heidelberg!
For starters, I truly feel that miscellaneous external factors can play a huge part in one’s overall experience and impression of a city. These external factors can range from things such as weather to even who you are traveling with. In Heidelberg, even though I was traveling solo, everything just seemed to come together perfectly. Heidelberg is the type of city where you can easily enjoy it with others or by yourself. I’m a huge nature girl – I love being in the outdoors. Throw a glass of wine in the picture and I’m happy as clam! So here are all the reasons why I am completely in love with Heidelberg.
Lots of History
Nestled in the hill 300 feet above the city of Heidelberg stands the breath-taking Heidelberg Schloss (castle). The castle is a combination of several buildings surrounding an inner courtyard, put together with a haphazard look. Each building highlights a different period of German architecture.
Another important piece of the city’s history is Heidelberg University, which was founded in 1386 and is one of Europe’s oldest institutions. In fact, Heidelberg is the oldest university town in Germany.
City Plus Nature
To me, Heidelberg is the perfect balance of city and nature. As someone who loves to hike and get lost among the trees, I enjoyed spending my mornings at the bakery around the corner sipping on coffee and then going for runs through the forest. Yes, there is a forest. The city is located in the Rhine Rift Valley, on the left bank of the lower part of the River Neckar in a steep valley in the Odenwald forest (Naturpark Neckartal-Odenwald). It is bordered by the Königsstuhl and the Gaisberg mountains – like I said, a nature lover’s paradise!
On the northern side of the Neckar is Philosophenweg, or “Philosophers’ Walk” which runs along the side of the Heiligenberg “Saints’ Mountain.” Philosophenweg offers scenic views of the Old Town and Heidelberg Schloss. Traditionally, Heidelberg’s philosophers and university professors would walk and talk along the pathway. Farther up the mountain lie the ruined 11th-century Monastery of St. Michael, the smaller Monastery of St. Stephen, a Nazi-era amphitheater, and the remains of an earthen Celtic hill fort from the 4th century BC.
Fun Festivals
My visit to Heidelberg perfectly coincided with one of the largest festivals the city hosts. Every year on the last Saturday in September, Heidelberg’s Old Town Autumn Festival is held. The entire pedestrian zone becomes one giant party with live music, countless food stalls, concerts and even a cute little Medieval Market. When night falls, the entire Altstadt (Old Town) becomes one giant open air concert and every in Heidelberg comes out to party.
Easy to Navigate
If you get to stay in the Old Town, then you will find Heidelberg completely easy to navigate entirely on foot. I don’t mind public transportation and the more I’ve traveled the more comfortable I’ve become with just “winging it” on whatever contraption I need to be on to get form Point A to Point B – however, I still would prefer to walk. The Hauptstrasse, the main street in the Old Town, is a pedestrian only street and a lively one at that. I loved roaming up and down, perusing the shops and enjoying the beauty of this rather quaint city.
So those are my reasons why I absolutely loved Heidelberg. I felt as though I could go everywhere at my own pace, it was lively but not too overly city like, and the nearby nature routes were the icing on the cake.
Yummy Good
Even though I’m a vegetarian, I still found Heidelberg completely manageable for my diet – despite the fact that Germany is notoriously known to be a meat lover’s paradise and a vegetarian’s worst nightmare. Heidelberg had the most amazing Middle Eastern food! A little surprising! Be sure to stop by Saharah for some insanely good pita wraps! Nom nom.
While strolling through the Altstadt, you will also discover restaurants selling the typical German dish flammkuchen right from the windows. And these are some happy guys too…after all they were Italian. Pretty ironic to have Italians making the German version of pizza.
And of course you have countless stores selling gummy bears. Why? The gummy bear originated in Germany, where it is popular under the name “Gummibär.” So be sure to pop into one of the many stores and pick up a bag of treats!
From Around The Web
BLOGS YOU’LL LOVE: The Overseas Escape is written Margo from Virgina moved to Europe in 2013 and currently calls Heidelberg home.
POSTS YOU’LL LOVE: The Romantic Ruins of Heidelberg Castle by one of my favorite bloggers and the incredibly talented photographer Rhonda Krause of Travel? Yes Please.
