Heidelberg in 2 days

Kurpfälzisches Museum about 1 hour

Heidelberg's main regional museum, on Hauptstraße, spanning archaeology (including a replica of the 'Homo heidelbergensis' jawbone) through Old Master paintings and Rhineland Baroque art.

Hauptstraße about 1 hour · heart of the city

A 1.6km pedestrian shopping street running the length of the Altstadt from Bismarckplatz to Karlstor — one of the longest pedestrian zones in Europe.

Alte Universität & Universitätsmuseum (Old University) about 45 minutes

The 18th-century main building of Heidelberg University — Germany's oldest, founded 1386 — with a small museum on the university's history and the ornate Alte Aula assembly hall.

Studentenkarzer (Student Prison) about 30 minutes

A former student jail where 19th-century students were locked up for pranks and duels — its cell walls are covered floor to ceiling in generations of graffiti, silhouettes and caricatures.

Marktplatz about 15 minutes

The Altstadt's central market square, framed by the Church of the Holy Spirit and the Baroque town hall, and home to a produce market on select mornings.

Heiliggeistkirche (Church of the Holy Spirit) about 30 minutes

The Altstadt's largest and most prominent church, on Marktplatz, with a climbable tower offering one of the best panoramic views over the old town.

Alte Brücke (Old Bridge / Karl-Theodor-Brücke) about 15 minutes · heart of the city

The Baroque sandstone bridge across the Neckar, commissioned in 1788 by Elector Karl Theodor, framing one of the classic postcard views of the castle and Altstadt.

Brückenaffe (Bridge Monkey Statue) about 15 minutes

A bronze monkey statue at the Neuenheim end of the Old Bridge, holding up a mirror — a beloved, slightly cheeky Heidelberg landmark with roots going back over 500 years.

Philosophenweg (Philosophers' Walk) about 1 hour

A scenic hillside path on the Neckar's north bank, said to be where Heidelberg's professors and poets once walked to think — famous for its sweeping views back across the river to the castle and Altstadt.

Heidelberger Bergbahn (Castle Funicular) about 15 minutes

Germany's oldest mountain railway still in original operation, climbing in two stages from the Altstadt to the castle and on up to the Königstuhl summit.

Schlossgarten (Castle Gardens / Hortus Palatinus) about 45 minutes

Terraced Renaissance garden grounds beside the castle, laid out in the early 1600s as the 'Eighth Wonder of the World' and now a free, leafy vantage point over the Altstadt and Neckar.

Heidelberg Castle (Schloss Heidelberg) about 2 hours and 15 minutes · heart of the city

The half-ruined Renaissance-Gothic castle above the Altstadt — one of Germany's most famous ruins, with the Great Barrel wine cask and terrace views over the Neckar valley.

Königstuhl Summit about 1 hour and 30 minutes

Heidelberg's local mountain (568m), reached by the upper section of the Bergbahn, with a viewing tower, forest trails and a small animal enclosure.