Ten Reasons Heidelberg Became My Favourite German City

I arrived in Heidelberg in 2013 for what was meant to be a six-month stay, and left with a favourite city. This blog exists partly because of that year: the first thing I ever published here was a poem about the Neckar. Since then I have recommended Heidelberg to anyone who asks where to go in Germany, and I have lost count of the number of times I have said, simply, that it is my favourite place.

Frankfurt is the nearest airport and Mannheim the nearest major rail junction, so it is easy to reach. What follows is my own list — ten reasons the city works, whether you have a weekend or a week.

The excuse for my most recent visit was a friend from Switzerland who had heard me talk about Heidelberg often enough to want to see it herself. We picked a September weekend in 2015 when the castle illuminations were scheduled, booked a hostel near the station, and spent two days walking. Staying as a tourist in a city where I had lived felt strange, and joining a guided walk through streets I already knew turned out to be worth it: the guide supplied stories I had never heard.

1. The city sits inside green hills

Heidelberg is small, but it is surrounded by woods and vineyards, which makes it unusually good for anyone who likes walking or cycling. The Heiligenberg rises about 330 metres opposite the castle, with trails, viewpoints and, higher up, much older remains. Halfway up is the Philosophenweg — the Philosopher's Walk — a path that has inspired poets for two centuries. I climbed it via the Schlangenweg, the winding path, and can confirm that it is not a gentle stroll for anyone who avoids exercise. The view is worth the effort.

2. The castle and its summer illuminations

Mark Twain wrote that nature knows how to garnish a ruin to best effect, and Heidelberg's Schloss is the proof. You can walk up or take the historic funicular. Three times each summer the ruin is lit up to mark its destruction by French troops in the seventeenth century, and the evening ends with fireworks — a tradition that goes back to the marriage of Friedrich V and Elizabeth Stuart. Arrive about an hour early and claim a spot on the riverbank opposite the castle, or higher up on the Philosophenweg, where the view is clearer.

Inside the castle grounds are the Heidelberg Tun, a wine barrel said to hold 220,000 litres, and the German Pharmacy Museum.

3. A 125-year-old funicular to the top

The Heidelberger Bergbahn climbs to the Königstuhl, the 1,863-foot hill in the Odenwald, with stops at the castle and at Molkenkur on the way. From the summit the whole city and the Neckar valley open out below you. There is a café for a drink, a bird-of-prey show, and forest paths to wander. You can also hike or cycle up; you will pass plenty of people doing exactly that. Whenever friends visited me, this was the first thing we did.

4. An old town full of stories

The Altstadt rewards slow walking. There is the Studentenkarzer, the university's own prison for rebellious students, its walls covered in graffiti and poems by the people once locked inside; the old churches, museums and galleries; and the Mensa, a university canteen that was originally a king's stables. Near the Universitätsplatz you will find a plaque commemorating Martin Luther. If your German is not up to the poems in the student prison, ask someone to translate — they are worth it.

5. Celtic, Roman and medieval ruins on one hill

The Heiligenberg has mattered to this region since at least the fifth century BC. Follow the Keltenweg, the Celtic trail, and you pass ruins from Celtic, Roman and medieval times, including a monastery. Higher still is the Thingstätte, an open-air amphitheatre built by the Nazi party in 1935. Its acoustics are extraordinary: a voice on the stage carries clearly to someone standing two hundred metres away. It is a beautiful and unsettling place at once.

6. One of Europe's oldest universities

Heidelberg University was founded around 630 years ago, making it the oldest in Germany and the fifth oldest in Europe. The main building and the Aula are open to the public, and both are worth a look. The staircases list the city's Nobel laureates; the Aula ceiling depicts each faculty. The university library, with its grand entrance, reminded me strongly of Hogwarts.

7. A city that remembers

Heidelberg is often called Germany's most romantic city, and the river, castle and hills explain why. But look down as you walk and you will find Stolpersteine — small brass cobblestones set into the pavement in memory of Jewish victims of the Holocaust, and of others who resisted the Nazi regime. They are easy to miss and worth looking for.

The city has a sweeter memorial too. In the windows of confectioners you will see red boxes of Heidelberg Student Kisses, chocolates made by Café Knösel and once exchanged as tokens of affection. The café still exists.

8. The food, and the drinks

I could write a separate post about eating in Heidelberg, and in fact I have. The short version: the best falafel wrap I have ever eaten came from Arbil, on Bismarckplatz opposite the Galleria. Raja Rani serves excellent, affordable Indian food, and you should order a mango lassi with it. Mr Woo covers Chinese, friends swear by Sahara for African cooking, and Café Extrablatt does good ice cream and peppermint tea. If you have a sweet tooth, find the shop on the main shopping street selling Schneeballen — snowballs — and try the cinnamon one.

For drinks, the regional wine is excellent and Heidelberger wheat beer is easy to find at Perkeo, a restaurant named after the centuries-ago keeper of the castle's great barrel. In summer I order Hollerblütenschorle, elderflower spritz, sometimes with a splash of Sekt.

9. The river, seen from a solar-powered boat

The Neckarsonne is a solar-powered boat that takes passengers along the river for about fifty minutes, with refreshments on board. It is a calm, low-effort way to see the hills, the bridges and the castle from the water, and it works well on a warm afternoon when you have already done a lot of walking.

10. The houses, the balconies and the people

What I remember most from my six months is walking along the riverbank to clear my head, and the pink flowers spilling from almost every balcony in the old town. It looks as though the whole quarter was planted to a single plan. More than the scenery, though, it was the people I met there who made the city stick — generous, curious, and happy to talk. I still feel attached to Heidelberg, and I still would not mind a house overlooking the Neckar with geraniums above the door.

If you go, the Heidelberg Card covers public transport and gives discounts at several sights. My thanks to Heidelberg Tourism for help with re-exploring the city and for some of the photographs above.

Related: what the castle illuminations are like, and the poem that started this blog.