Heidelberg Travel Forum

Hi,

I would probably be traveling down to Heidelberg during Easter long weekend (21-24th March 2008). Do I make the right choice by choosing Heidelberg as my trip destination? :)

And, are 3 nights, 4 days too much for exploring Heidelberg? Any recommendation of where (fave places) to visit?

I heard it is a beautiful city over there...
:)

Thanks!
Shige

You're definitely not making a mistake! But you won't be the only visitor there. Expect Heidelberg to be crowded with tourists.

3 nights mean two full days, not four, so that isn't too much.
See the palace, stroll through the old town. Walk the Philosophenweg on the other side of the Neckar, which offers amazing views.

You could always do a day or half-day trip from Heidelberg if you want to see more than just the town. Recommendations:
# Check if the Neckar boats to Neckarsteinach or Hirschhorn are already running at Easter, that would be a nice half-day trip to enjoy the landscape of the valley and see a pretty small town further up the river. Good weather needed.
# The baroque palace and park of Schwetzingen (train via Mannheim) is another recommended destination: http://www.schloss-schwetzingen.de/en/palace-schwetzingen/Palace-Garden/249363.html. Again, good weatehr needed.
# Speyer with its amazing Romanesque cathedral is easy to reach by S-Bahn, too.

I made the mistake of going that weekend last year, nothing was open. I would say that 3 nights and 4 days is a day too much unless you may want to relax that extra day, but then again your going on the Easter long weekend so you do have a day to relax.

Your choice of destination is an excellent one. Your choice of travel times is a very, very busy one. Even as Heidelberg is a busy tourist area, you should still expect some closures during that time though. I love Heidelberg, but that length of time is a bit excessive, even for me. The suggestions made for day trips, ( the walk, & the cruise), are excellent ones. You might wish to look at the Heidelberg tourism site, and : www.whatsonwhen.com, to see what events are planned during the weekend. Gary

Easter weekend. Good Friday up to the following Tuesday is the Easter holiday for Germans. I agree with the other posters, you'll have to check the HD website to see what are open during that time frame. I know that stores are closed and some restaurants are open, but tourist sites I am not sure about.

One day is all it takes to see the castle and its garden, walk up and down the Hauptstrasse, see the Old Bridge, boat tour, etc. Then take the day trips to neighboring towns mentioned by Kathrin E.

But if you do come to our city, go up the bergbahn to Königstuhl, have lunch/dinner and enjoy an awesome view of the city. You'll find the bergbahnhof at the end of the Hauptstrasse (Kornmarkt). People should be able to direct you to the right area.

Are you driving once you get here? Then consider going to Dillsberg as well. There's a castle up there and the drive along the Neckar should be relaxing (roads are usually almost empty on holidays).

Wishing you fair weather. Have fun!

Ahaaa...

Thank you all for very fruitful replies.. Really appreciate it.

You guys are right, I would probably need to check out the website before I go there.. hehe.
Unfortunately, I haven't got myself a car (as I just arrived here 2 months ago) & still trying to settle down! =)

But I will see what I can do during the Easter weekend. The worst case is to end up at home during the whole weekend! :-)

P.S. What a great weather we have today in Bonn!

Tschüs...

You could always do a cruise to Koeln, and visit the Cathedral, then take the train back home. Combine that with a day trip to Heidelberg, and you would have a full weekend. You also could go to the following website, and find another activity, and/or location, as well: www.whatsonwhen.com. Gary

The ticket 24 from the local transportation network will be valid four days, from Good Friday to Easter Monday. It's 13 Euro for one person, valid for the whole area, covering Speyer, Schwetzingen, Mannheim, Heidelberg, Neckarsteinach etc.
A map can be seen here:http://www.vrn.de/fahrausweise/wabenplan/
A very good deal for the Easter Weekend.
Remember to validate the ticket when you first use it.

If you take the furnicular up to the castle: This is privately run, so the ticket is not valid, but if you show it, you get some reductions on the fare.

Okay, so I have decided to visit Heidelberg, probably from 21-23rd March

Any recommendation for nice hostel?

How about Sudpfanne Hostel?

:)
Thanks!
Shige

I looked at the website: www.hostelworld.com. They listed 4 hotels in Heidelberg. The Sudpfanne, I would not have a problem with. The Schnookeloch Hotel, however, has an even better location. You might search "Heidelberg Hostels" on the internet. I'm sure there will be more sites listed. Gary

The Sudpfanne was also not showing vacancies for the 22nd on the hostelworld site. You might go the the hotel website to verify that. Gary

Thanks, Gary.

Yea, I have been doing some "research" on Heidelberg hostels. Apparently, it seems like they are quite limited in term of quantity. I emailed the guys in Sudpfanne, and they replied that they still have room for 21st and 22nd (I hope they still have it now).
But I read they've got some mixed reviews on the website, although it won't matter so much on me, as I will only be staying for 2 nights.

Just would like to have a little idea of which is usually the ideal location to stay in Heidelberg for exploring around? Altstadt? City center?

:)

Shige (aka Leny)

Leny. I would choose the Old Quarter. You are near the Castle, the pedestrian zone, and the river. There is also a small market near the church, (I can't remember the name, but it's the only one down there). They have a good webcam of the Castle and surroundings at: www.panoramablick.com. Gary

Gary,

What a cool website that you gave! We can have the everyday picture of cities in Germany, cool!
Uhmmm.. well...I've settled my choice on Sudpfanne....
:D

Leny

Leny, If you go to the hostelworld site, I think it has a map of the hotel's location. I know I've seen it somewhere. I 'll look and see how many of my Heidelberg travel notes still make sense, and send you some of them if you'd like. Heidelberg was the second place I visited in Europe, Luxembourg City was the first. I used to love to visit the Castle. The webcam site has quite a few countries you can view. They had a "PopeCam" when he visited Austria. Gary

Gary,

Will be more than happy to recive your little notes.
:')

Yep, I will find out how to go to hostel and stuff later on.
Prolly, Luxembourg and Amsterdam will be in my next list (as they are still in vicinity of NRW area)

Leny

Leny, Both are excellent destinations. I didn't spend nearly enough time in Amsterdam. I saw none of the art, or museums. Luxembourg City is pretty unique in it's own right. Trier is also pretty close to you. It was founded by the Romans, I believe. I think it's supposed to be the oldest city north of the Alps. Gary