One famed American traveler, Mark Twain, toured Europe extensively, and Heidelberg was one of his favorite places there. He came here in May of 1878 and stayed for the entire summer, rafting down the Neckar and worked on the book that would become The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. (It's no coincidence that Heidelberg's name is derived from Heidelbeerenberg, which means Huckleberry Mountain.) You might enjoy theming your own visit around Mark Twain and what he wrote of Heidelberg in A Tramp Abroad, an unofficial sequel to The Innocents Abroad, the product of his first trip to the Old World and the book that made him famous both in America and Europe.
What to See & Do Around Town
If you plan to be here for two days or more, buy a Heidelberg Card. A two-day version costs €12 ($16.32), the four-day version costs €21 ($28.57), and the two-day card for families runs €26 ($35.38). The card bundles together transportation costs and attraction admissions to reduce your overall expenses. You get free travel on all buses and trams in the city and entrance to the castle, the Old University, museums, theaters, concerts and festivals. The card also garners a ten percent discount in some shops and restaurants. You can buy the card in many hotels, including the Crowne Plaza, and at least a dozen other places around town. You can view what's included online either at www.europeancitycards.com, a great resource for similar discount cards for destinations all over Europe, or at Heidelberg's tourism site at www.cvb-heidelberg.de.
In the town center, be sure to see Heidelberg Castle dating from around 1225 but now mostly in ruins. Here are the world's biggest wine barrel and the fascinating Ruprecht Building built in 1400. I suggest you take the funicular up, but walk back down. During the summer, you can view fireworks and castle illumination on certain Saturdays to commemorate the building's destruction at the hands of the French more than 300 years ago. Visitors will find the best observation spots on the opposite bank north of the river or up on the open-view segments of Philosopher's Walk. Schedule dates include June 4, July 9 and September 3, 2005.
From July through August 2005, there's the annual Castle Festival, which holds a series of choral performances, plays and movies amongst other activities. You can view the schedule online at www.heidelberg.de/theater.cms/festspiele.php.
Back in the heart of town, check out at least one student tavern, which will be filled with other travelers in summer, and consider ordering lunch while there. Other highlights include the Old Bridge (ca. 1786), the Holy Ghost Church (original from 1398), the Town Hall (ca. 1710) and the Kornmarkt.
Ruprecht Karl University (www.uni-heidelberg.de/index_e.html) has more than 25,000 students, ten percent of which are non-German, and dates back to 1386. Its famous lecturers have included Hegel, Max Weber, Max Planck and Karl Jaspers, among many others. Be sure to check out the Students' Prison where the last inmate was housed in 1914 and its graffiti and then look at the Old University building dating from the early 18th century. Most students today take their classes at the new campus across the river from the Old Town, in Neuenheimer Feld.
Now you can imagine you're Twain, but with the modern ability to harness the power of the sun. As of June 2004, you can now cruise up and down the Neckar River from Heidelberg on the second biggest solar powered boat in the world, with closed and open decks and two bars. Contact them on the riverfront just downstream from the Old Bridge. Currently, there are 50-minute sailings from March through October scheduled for 2005. You can get more information online at www.hdsolarschiff.com.
If you have a chance, take in a concert at the Holy Ghost Church in the town center, typically on Saturday evenings in summer. Communication mavens may want to visit the Print Media Academy here, which has an overwrought nightclub/restaurant on the top floor called the Print Media Lounge.
Where to Stay & Dine
You can stay at the same hotel Mark Twain used (for just one night, then he moved to the Schlosshotel near the Castle), though its name has changed and it is thoroughly modernized. The Crowne Plaza stands across the street from the old railway station that greeted Twain's arrival. Typical January 2005 daily rate, €99 ($134.68) for a double room, sleeping a maximum of four persons. Contact them at 1 Kurfursenanlage; 69115 Heidelberg; tel. 49 06221/91700; website www.crowneplaza-heidelberg.de.
More atmospheric are two marvelous spots, one on either side of the Neckar, and both featuring fine restaurants.
The Hirschgasse, perched on the side of the hill overlooking the city center from across the river, dates back to 1472, and was the site of many duels between university students in the days when a scarred cheek was de rigueur for a young gentleman scholar. (Great care was taken to assure that only a superficial scar resulted from the duels, and not blinded eyes or missing noses.) As mentioned in A Tramp Abroad, Twain ate here, as did Bismarck and other notables, who carved their names in the restaurant tables. Since 1972, the Kraft family has owned and operated both hotel and restaurant. When you leave your Laura Ashley-decorated room, you'll find the beginning of the Philosopher's Walk just up the hill from the front door. Suites from €195 ($265.27), buffet breakfast €17 ($23.12).
Try the Mensurstube in the hotel for authentic gourmet cuisine like the standout sturgeon on rugola salad with chanterelles vinaigrette. The restaurant also decants exquisite wines from the Krafts' own vineyard. The Hirschgasse is a member of The Small Luxury Hotels of the World, contact information Hirschgasse 3; 69120 Heidelberg; tel. 49 06221/4540; website www.hirschgasse.de.
The gorgeously-facaded Zum Ritter St. Georg, opposite the Holy Spirit church on the Hauptstrasse in the very center of the Old Town, is said to be the only building there to remain unscathed during the sacking of Heidelberg in 1693 by the French. It has five stories with 40 rooms, many with views of the castle, each equipped with cable TV, minibar and other amenities. The ground floor Ritterstube restaurant may be the most charming part of the hotel, which was built in 1592, though renovated several times since. Double rooms start at €141 ($191.77), double with shared bath at €91 ($123.77). Breakfast buffet costs €9.50 ($12.92). Contact them at 178 Haupstrasse; 69117 Heidelberg; tel. 49 06221/1350; website www.ritter-heidelberg.de.
You can't beat the Zum Roten Ochsen (The Red Ox Inn), for traditional German-style pub grub and great beer, in business since 1703. It closes mid-December through mid-January, but otherwise it's open daily except Sundays from lunchtime to about midnight, with an afternoon break, located on Haupstrasse 217. If you can't get through the crowds here, try next door, Zum Sepp'l, at Number 213. The building dates from 1634, when the restaurant began serving customers.
Getting There
The closest airport is about 55 miles north in Frankfurt, from which you can get to Heidelberg by car, bus or rail. Lufthansa (www.lufthansa.com), Air France (www.airfrance.com), British Airways (www.ba.com) and SAS (www.sas.com) all are currently offering restricted, economy class flights to Frankfurt out the New York City area from under $300 for travel through March 15. Continental (www.continental.com) has similar flights through the end of May starting from $536.
For an affordable package tour, look to the "Germany Fly and Drive" combo sold by Go-Today (www.go-today.com/site_gtweb/pub_detail.asp?id=10932) that runs from $389 for a seven-day car rental and roundtrip flight NYC into Frankfurt through March 13. Prices go up to $799 per person during peak season from May 30 through August 31.
In addition to the Heidelberg tourism site mentioned earlier, you can find information through the German National Tourist Office, www.cometogermany.com.
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