Some Tips Before You Visit Heidelberg

For Valentine's Day Scott surprised me with a trip. Our first since moving to Germany and he refused to tell me where we were going. We arrived in Heidelberg and I was whisked away into the beauty of the place... and a Thai Massage, but that's a different story. I am in love with this city! Historic old towns lined with cute shops, a cool castle with beautiful grounds and, my favorite, surrounding hills lined with hiking and biking trails giving gorgeous views of the river and city below! It's pretty much an outdoor lovers / photographers playground. I couldn't have asked for a more fun weekend or a better Valentine's Day.

Inside Heidelberg Schloss

View of city from the castle.

Old Town

Old Bridge

Philosophers' Way

A FEW TIPS WHEN VISITING HEIDELBERG:

PARKING:
If your first stop in Heidelberg is the castle, don't try driving right to it. There are a lot of houses and residents who live next to the castle and you wont find parking, but their are plenty of garages scattered in Old Town.
http://parken.heidelberg.de/

P12 or Kornmarkt / Schloss is the garage located below the castle and connected to the funicular that will take you straight up to the castle entrance. Weekends and holidays are crowded in Heidelberg so I wouldn't count on finding an available space in P12, but any of the parking garages highlighted in blue or red on the site above make for an easy and enjoyable walk through old town on your way to the castle.

GETTING "UP" TO HEIDELBERG SCHLOSS:
You can pay a few euros to take a round trip on the funicular to get to and from the castle. I had never been on one before and it was a fun and quick way to get up and down the hill. If you have small children or are stroller bound, I recommend it. If you're feeling a little more adventurous, directly to the left of the funicular is a small road that leads you to a staircase (around 300 stairs) that will also take you straight to the castle ground's entrance.

MY "MUST DO" WHILE EXPLORING HEIDELBERG LIST:
- Do walk the castle grounds. It's free and lovely.
- Do pay the few euro to go inside the castle and take a peek at their very very large wine barrel, the Heidelberg Tun and their historic pharmacy museum. Neither take long and the view just before you leave the castle is very picture worthy.
- If you have time, do walk across and admire the "Old Bridge" just down from Old Town. On and just after the bridge are great photo locations with a nice view of the castle, so snap a few "selfies."
- Right across the street from the bridge you'll find a cobbled walled trail that leads you to Philosophers Way. DO hike it! Even a portion of it! This was one of my favorite finds in Heidelberg! The path is beautiful and has plenty of opportunities to admire the city below. Scott and I walked the entire path. We were leisurely about it so it took about an hour, however, if you don't wish to walk the entire thing, even 10 minutes up would be well worth the view!

 I hope you enjoy your trip to Heidelberg as much as we did! Did you find something not mentioned on my "Must See" list that was a highlight of your trip? Please share! Happy Travels!

"Ich hab' mein Herz in Heidelberg verloren..." (I've lost my heart in Heidelberg).

Panoramic view from the bridge.