Introduction
Heidelberg is situated fifty-six miles south of Frankfurt in the state of Baden Württemberg. The wonderful town of former West Germany, it is situated on the river Necker river some 18 km south east of Manheim. The town of Heidelberg is famous for many historical reasons. These reasons also make the place one of the must visits while visiting the country. It has the country’s oldest university, founded in the year 1386 and the ruins of a 13th century castle that overlook the town. Heidelberg used to be for years, the residence of the electors of the Palatinate. According to a written record of 1196, Heidelberg is referred to as the protected settlement located close to a Worms castle. This settlement now is known as the modern day Heidelberg. Heidelberg today is one of the popular tourist destinations for the domestic as well as foreign travellers. The revered university of Germany, the Heidelberg University is said to have excellence in both its students as well as faculty. Heidelberg, the glittering residence of the Palatinate rulers along with its castles, the town still continues to exert its Romantic influence over the Neckar river region and this age-old town.

PART OF CIRCUIT
Heidelberg is on the south-western part of Germany and is in close proximity to the nearby Heilbronn, Stuttgart, Baden, Ludwigshafen, Mainz, Darmstadt and Wüzburg, etc.

What to do
While visiting Heidelberg, there are a number of things one can do. The itinerary has number of things to offer that will keep the visitor busy. Starting from the visit to the many sites of tourist attraction and places of historical importance it has countless number of things to do.

City at a Glance

Population 139,941 Language German, English Religion Christian Telephone Code 0049 6221

History
Heidelberg is famous for its history. According to the records of the findings in Heidelberg, it is said to have been inhabited for hundred of thousands of years. This is the place where the oldest human jawbone of pre-human Homo heidelbergiensis or Heidelberg man (approximately 500,000 years old) was found. The jawbone is now at display at the Kurpfälziches Museum of the Heidelberg town. The town was inhibited by numbers of tribes. The Celtic tribes are said to be the first who settled in the town and later Teutons and Romans followed the race. Heidelberg is famous for its many historical monuments and establishments. Beginning with the small settlement near and under the protection of Worms Castle, in the year 1196, Heidelberg flourished rapidly and by the year 1214, Heidelberg became the political centre point of the Palatinate. The famous Golden Bull famous for proclaiming that in the absence of Holy Roman Emperors, secular princes should be given the right to govern the territory is also known for its first effort to create a written constitution. The suggestion for the written constitution was meant to help the expanding empire and it gave rise to the Electoral College, a group of archbishops and lay princess who were given the power to elect the German King. The Electoral College was controlled by the court Palatinates for near about 500 years for their unbeatable power. With the passing of time, being the patrons of development, Heidelberg proudly established Germany’s first university named as Heidelberg University in the year 1386. The credit for the good work goes to the founder of the university Rupert I, count Palatine at Heidelberg. The history of Heidelberg also has seen the activities of the German protestant movement and the conflict or the gap between the German nobility and the Catholic Church. Moreover, the Palatinate was the driving force of the Protestant movement here. The conflict gave rise to the greed for power and the Church started to rapidly form alliances with the lesser nobility with the hope of regaining its authority. By the end of the Reformation, the nobility along with the palatinate became the ruling power in the entire country. Later the division of the empire into Lutheran (related to Martin Luther), Calvinist and Catholic factions made unity among them increasingly difficult. This was perhaps one of the major reasons of tension during this period in Germany. Taking advantage of the inner conflicts and unrest, number of foreign colonialist tried to attack Germany. The upcoming diplomatic intrigues and threats from the outside countries made most of the princess entered into an alliance called ‘Union’. Nothing was worked out and the town of Heidelberg was attacked by Count Johann Tserclaes von Tilly in 1622. The powerful rule of the Palatinate ended in Heidelberg in 1720. The citizens of the town have seen many ups and downs. In the 18th century, they tried to rebuild their loving town again. But the war of French Revolution and Napoleonic invasion again ruined the city to a greater extent. In the year 1848, a group of German liberal nationalists met to form the Heidelberg Committee popularly known as the Vorparlament. Here, an electoral law was produced which called for the governments of each state to organise election for the National Assembly at Frankfurt. Although this step worked out for sometimes, the assembly was again dissolved in the year 1849. Later, Heidelberg was invaded again, this time by Prussia. It remained under their control for almost four years. The six centuries of eventful history, the town of Heidelberg and the resident of the town had seen its share of construction and destruction. However, the perseverance of rebuilding and preserving its history and rich culture has made the town one of the most preferred tourist itineraries of the country.

Weather and Best Season to Visit
Rain, sunshine, snow, hail are the characteristics of the town. However, the weather never gets extreme in Heidelberg and hence one can visit the town all year through. However, May and September are the best period to visit the place as the rainfall is lesser and sun shines bright during this period. The Christmas time is the busiest time for Heidelberg as a herd of visitors come to visit the site and shop in the Christmas market.

Attractions
Heidelberg University
Heidelberg University is the first University of Germany. In the middle of the fourteenth century establishment of Universities started and in the year 1386 the University of Heidelberg under the patronage of founder Rupert I was established. Being Germany’s oldest university, it played an important role in the religious, cultural and political life of the country. The Heidelberg University is best known for its maintenance of excellence in both its student and faculty.

Monastery
Heidelberg is famous for its number of religious holdings, which are spread on the Neckar Valley. The Lorsch Monastery was founded in 764, which was followed by the Michaelskloster. The later is a monastery founded by the abbey of Lorsch on the Heiligenberg or “Holy Mount” inside an ancient double Celtic Rampant estimated to date from 5th century BC with its wonderful architecture, these monasteries definitely are some of the most recommended site to visit in Heidelberg town.

Castles
Equally important as a site to visit, is the Heidelberg Schloss or castle. Overseeing the Neckar River ford and ferry. This castle is a stronghold of Heidelberg and is a majestic one that stands with its ruins also says its humble beginning. The architecture of the castle signifies the style of different times. The most famous part of the castle was built during 1556 to 1566. Its façade is a living example of Renaissance architecture.

Heidelberg Fass
The Heidelberg Schloss or castle of Heidelberg houses the world’s largest wine vat, the Heidelberg Fass. The barrel is constructed out of 130 oak trees. The use of this vat has its own historical origin. The barrel is said to have the capacity to hold 55,000 gallons of wine and this was to filled by the Palatinate’s wine producer and growers.

Church
The town of Heidelberg is also famous for its many wonderful churches. Among them, the Heiliggeistkirche or the Church of the Holy Ghost is the most important one. This church was constructed from 1399 to 1441 as per the request of elector Rupert III. The base and the walls of the church are gothic while the roof and steeple are baroque. The galleries of the church built in 1440 holds the growing library of the Palatinates.

Ornate Karl-Theodor Bridge
A walk down the Karl-Theodor Bridge is a must while visiting Heidelberg. Its fabulous arched gateway, bordered by two cylindrical Baroque towers makes it a site worth visiting. The towers, one of which holds several dungeon cells, is said to be the part of the medieval town fortification. The stone bridge that spans over the Neckar River completed its construction in the year 1788. From its center one can get the full view of the castle that rises above the treetops. The oldest sections of this are date back of 15th century.

Philospher's Road
A walk along the famed Philosopher's Road is a must do while visiting the town. It’s a woodland walking path traversing a hillside across the river. The beautiful flower garden alongside gives you the wonderful feeling of being with nature. The view of the entire town gives you a breathtaking panorama of the place.

Kurpfalzisches Museum
The Kurpfalzisches Museum is another site to visit. The most obvious thing to see here is the jawbone of around 500000 years old. The featured jawbone of "Heidelberg Man", one of the oldest humans ever unearthed and works of art by Vander Weyden and Durer draws horde of visitors every year. There is also a spectacular 15th century Gothic altarpiece on display.

IMPORTANT FESTIVALS AND EXHIBITIONS
Castle Festival
The castle festival of Heidelberg is one of the major events of the town. During the summer the festival runs for over a number of weeks and it offers selection of music and theatre productions in the Castle grounds. Both German and English theatres are on.

Castle Illumination
Another important event of the town is the fireworks with the Castle Illumination. The quite spectacular is a must see if visiting the place. The whole town becomes crowded with visitors from all over during the event.

The Heidelberger Herbst
The Heidelberger Herbst is the big wine festival that celebrates the arrival of the new wine. Heidelberg celebrates this festival or event by the huge outdoor party that takes over the old town with live music, flea market, drinks and lots and lots of sausages. This is the time when Heidelberg has the busiest of time receiving visitors from all over.

GETTING AROUND
Zaanse Schans
Heidelberg is relatively small. One can get around Heidelberg mostly by walking or on the odd occasion by taking a reasonably priced tram or a bus. As the town is not big enough, one can easily plan to go to the nearby areas of the town. A great way to spend the vacation would be by visiting the slightly off the tourist trail places. One can also hire a bike and get around on two wheels. Bike hire costs are reasonable.

AFTER HOURS
There are loads of after hour activities in Heidelberg to choose from. Going for a cinema, theatre, dance, bars and cafes are some of them. The most important thing to keep in mind while going for a cinema in Heidelberg is that, all the cinema halls in Heidelberg town are non – smoking. However, drinking of beer is allowed here. Cinemas like the Gloriette and Gloria often show film in their original version. Dance is another thing you can go for in the after hours as there are a good number of hip dance clubs here that play a variety of music ranging from techno to pop to rap. There are a number of discos that are open until early morning. Ice-skating and roller blading are some of the other favourite pastimes one can opt for. Hanging out at the bowling alley or just walking around the post occupies the time of most travellers after hours.

SHOPPING
If feeling like getting some tit bits to act as memorabilia of the visit to this town, one can always go shopping. Downtown would be the ideal spot to shop ‘till one drops with its many stores on the shopping district. The market place (Marktplatz) is an attractive cobblestone square with a variety of lively cafes and restaurants. The centre of the square holds the Hercules’s Fountain, where accused witches and heretics were burned in the 15th century. With the two oldest buildings and a 15th century church, the market place is a lively area to spend the after hours. Flea markets (Flohmarkt) take place on the Messplatz on Kirchheimer Weg. One would find an array of different bits and bobs on sale. Sometimes one can actually find great bargains.

VISITOR INFORMATION AND IMPORTANT ADDRESSES
The postal service in Germany is efficient. Post boxes are yellow and are scattered around Heidelberg. The main post office is located to the Castle side of Bismarkplatz, behind Hortens department store. Stamps for postcard, etc can be bought here.

Tour Operators
The main tourist office is located at the Hauptbahnhof near the main train station. One can get any information related to touring in Heidelberg. It also gives lots of information on current special offers for tourists. The office is open from 10.00 until 19.00 from Monday to Saturday and from mid-March until mid-November it is open on Sundays from 10.00 until 18.00.

Hotels
There is a wide range of accommodation available in Heidelberg. Prior booking is always advisable. If not possible, the Heidelberg tourist office also helps one to make reservations. Hotel Auerstein Crowne Plaza Heidelberg Kurfürstenanlage 1, Telephone: 9170 Der Europäische Hof Hotel Europa Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage 1, Diagonally across from the Crowne Plaza Telephone: 5150 Heidelberg Marriott Hotel Vangerowstr. 16, Slightly away from the centre Telephone: 9080 Hirschgasse Hirschgasse 3, Almost opposite the castle across the river Neckar Telephone: 4540 Romantik Hotel zum Ritter St. Georg Hauptstr 178, Right in the heart of the old town Telephone: 1350 Weisser Bock Große Mantelgasse 24 Just off Unterestr. in the old town Telephone: 90000 Hotel Auerstein Dossenheimer Landstasse 82, Located slightly outside of the centre of town Telephone: 6499700 Denner Hotel Bergheimer Str. 8 Telephone: 604510 Goldener Hecht Steingasse 2 Telephone: 53680

RESTAURANTS
Altstadt, Hackteufel Steingasse 7, Telephone: 905380 Le Palme Hauptstr 187, Telephone: 22244 Restaurant Pop Untere Strasse 17 Telephone: 25559 Simplicissimus Ingrimstr 16, Telephone: 183336 Thai Restaurant Siam Steingasse 1, Telephone: 25003 Weisser Bock Große Mantelgasse 24 Just off Unterestr. In the old town Telephone: 90000 Neuenheim, Da Claudia Brücken Str 14, Telephone: 413429 Le Coq Brückenstr 17, Telephone: 411133 Dorfschenke Lutherstr. 14, hidden down a back street in Neuenheim! Telephone: 419041

TRAVEL INFORMATION
Heidelberg is located approximately 80 km to the south of Frankfurt. Getting to and from Heidelberg is easy by plane, train or road.

By Air
The nearest airport to Heidelberg is Frankfurt and Stuttgart. The town is placed roughly between Frankfurt and Stuttgart airports making both the airports easily accessible from the town centre. The most preferred one is the Frankfurt airport, which is also the major hub for Lufthansa airlines. Frankfurt airport is a well thought out one with easy get away facilities. Frankfurt airport has two terminals, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Terminal 2 is the more modern of the two having been designed by Sir Norman Foster not too long ago. Use the skyline to travel between the terminals. If arriving with checked luggage, one will have to pass through passport control before collecting luggage from the "Baggage reclaim" area.

Land and Water
There is an option where one can take the train directly from the airport to Heidelberg main station Hauptbahnhof. This will take between 45 and 80 minutes depending upon the type of train. One can also opt for the many luxury buses and coaches available in the airport area. The train service to Heidelberg is excellent. The entire country has a very punctual rail infrastructure. Most of the major train routes drops one off at Mannheim where he can jump onto a regional train that takes around 15 minutes to get from Mannheim to Heidelberg. The Heidelberg main station (Hauptbahnhof) is located a 10-minute tram ride from the centre of town. Heidelberg is well served by the German autobahn or motorway or highway infrastructure. The closest autobahns to Heidelberg are the A5 and A6. A656 takes one directly into the centre of Heidelberg.

Local Transport
Luxury buses, coaches, cars and taxis are the commonest mode of local transport here. The prices vary and the comfort of travelling is guaranteed.