Question 1

Heidelberg on Your Own

Accepted Answer

Independent visitors usually start at Bismarckplatz and walk the length of the old town, then ride the funicular up to the castle. If your ship is at Mannheim, the S-Bahn train takes about 15 minutes to Heidelberg's main station, and trams and buses run from there to the center. Hauptstraße: The pedestrian main street runs about 1.6 km from Bismarckplatz across the old town. The old university stands on Universitätsplatz in the old town. The castle: Ride the mountain railway from the Kornmarkt station in the old town to the castle station, or climb the stairs. The castle grounds give a wide view over the city and the river. The Old Bridge: Cross the 1788 sandstone bridge, entering through its medieval gate, to the Neuenheim side of the river. Philosophers' Walk: The path on the northern slope looks across the oldest part of the city. Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own. Allow for the transfer: If you came by train or tram, add the ride back to your ship to your timing.

Question 2

Getting Around

Accepted Answer

Heidelberg has a compact network of trams and buses, and a two-section funicular climbs from the old town to the castle and on to the Königstuhl. Ticket machines take cash and cards and have English instructions. From the station: Trams run from the main station to Bismarckplatz, and buses 32 and 33 run to the old town. The funicular: The lower section runs from Kornmarkt via the castle to Molkenkur. There you change to the upper section, with wooden cars of historic design, for the Königstuhl. The Königstuhl: The summit, 568 meters high, looks out over Heidelberg and the Rhine valley. On foot: The old town is easy to walk, but the castle and the Königstuhl are steep climbs.

Question 3

Tipping in Germany

Accepted Answer

In Germany a tip is not obligatory but is usual in restaurants, bars and taxis. Many people simply round the bill up, and tips rarely go beyond 10 percent. Restaurants: Round the bill up, or add up to about 10 percent. Taxis: About 5 to 10 percent, at least €1.

Question 4

Culture and Local Life

Accepted Answer

Heidelberg is a university city first, and student life has shaped it for more than six centuries. Its castle and old town earned it a name as a Romantic town, and UNESCO has made it a City of Literature. The university: Founded in 1386, it is Germany's oldest. Its library, founded in 1421, is the oldest public library still in existence in Germany. The student jail: Until the early 20th century the university had its own jail for students. Its walls are covered with the names, portraits and fraternity crests of the students held there, who came to see a stay as a badge of honor. The Great Tun: In the castle cellar stands a wine barrel built in 1751 that held about 221,700 liters when new. Legend makes the court jester Perkeo its eternal keeper. Writers and the ruin: Victor Hugo walked among the castle ruins in 1838, and Mark Twain described them in A Tramp Abroad. Philosophers' Walk: Vines have been planted again along the path since 2000.

Question 5

History

Accepted Answer

People lived near Heidelberg hundreds of thousands of years ago, but the town itself is first recorded in 1196. It grew as the seat of the Electors Palatine, was wrecked in the wars of the 17th century, and survived the Second World War with little damage. Heidelberg Man: A jawbone found at nearby Mauer in 1907 belonged to a human who died between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago. The 5th century BC: Celts built a fortified refuge and place of worship on the Heiligenberg, north of the river. 1196: The first written record of Heidelberg appears in a document of Schönau Abbey. 1386: Rupert I, Elector Palatine, founded the university. 1518: Martin Luther took part in a disputation at Heidelberg in April, a few months after he proclaimed his Ninety-five Theses. 1622: The Catholic League under Tilly took the town after a two-month siege and sent the famous Bibliotheca Palatina library to the Pope. 1689 and 1693: French troops took the town and castle and left them almost completely destroyed. 1720: The Elector moved his court to Mannheim, and in 1764 lightning set fire to parts of the rebuilt palace. 1788: Elector Charles Theodore built the present Old Bridge, the ninth bridge on the site. March 1945: German troops blew up three arches of the Old Bridge on March 29, and the US Army entered the town the next day. The bridge was later restored. To learn more ashore: The Kurpfälzisches Museum, at Hauptstraße 97, covers the region's history from a cast of the Mauer jawbone to its Roman finds and an art collection.

Question 6

Heidelberg with Children

Accepted Answer

Heidelberg gives children a funicular, a castle and a giant barrel, all within a short ride of the old town. Plan around the castle and add one walk to match their legs. Younger children: Ride the funicular to the castle, then go down to the cellar to see the Great Tun, a wine barrel big enough to have a dance floor built on top of it. School age: Visit the student jail, part of the university museum, and read the drawings students left on the walls while they served their time. Teenagers: Climb the Himmelsleiter, a stairway of about 1,200 steps from above the castle to the Königstuhl, then ride the historic funicular down. A picnic stop: On sunny days the Neckarwiese, the meadow on the north bank, fills with people relaxing by the river.

Question 7

Shopping

Accepted Answer

Shopping centers on the Hauptstraße, which runs from Bismarckplatz through the old town. Big chains and small independent shops line it side by side. Hauptstraße: At about 1.6 km, it is said to be the longest pedestrian shopping street in Germany. Christmas: In December the outdoor Christmas market fills squares in the old town.

Heidelberg

Good to know

Reaching Heidelberg