Heidelberg Travel Guide, Germany

Heidelberg Travel Guide - Introduction

Located in the Southwestern part of Germany on the river Neckar, Heidelberg is one of the most attractive old cities with a varied cultural scene and international reputation. Home of the country’s oldest university, the city has a high level of student population and the old, red-roofed townscape, the historic locations throughout the city and the half-ruined castle that is a beautiful part of the landscape, attracts many local and foreign tourists all year. This Heidelberg Travel Guide will show the enquirer the reason why this old city is such a famous and sought-after location in Germany.

Heidelberg Travel Guide - General Overview

Heidelberg is a small town of 109 square kilometers with about 145,000 inhabitants out of which around 20% are students giving the city an energetic, full of life atmosphere. Many of the citizens are non-German nationals, not to mention the tourists whose number exceeds 3 million in high season and who come mainly from the US and Japan, the UK, Italy and Switzerland among others. Due to such a diversity in visitors, the city's attitude and aspcet, Heidelberg is considered the cosmopolitan center of the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis rural district.

Heidelberg Travel Guide – Transportation to and in the City

Only an hour distance from Frankfurt, the largest city of Germany, and just a few miles from Stuttgart, Heidelberg is a fairly reachable location. One has the possibility to travel to the city by plane from the Frankfurt Airport (Flughafen), being the closest international airport to the city; by train, first to Mannheim then from there with a regional train to the city and of course by car, exiting from the A5A6 motorway (autobahn). Heidelberg is a small town with a pedestrian zone and plentiful public transport, though you may get around more easily on foot, especially in the Old Town (Altstadt) where there is no parking place. There are also trams and busses you can use if you would like to move about the city without a car or if your hotel/lodgings is farer from the city center. The prices are quite reasonable and you can also buy special tickets and save some money. Another great way to see the city is by hiring a bike. There are several cycle routes, you don't have to be afraid of the traffic and you can get around more easily, visiting places that are not reachable by car.

Heidelberg Travel guide - A Developing Metropolis

The city is also seen as an economically developing location where business, education, science and research centers give the aspect of a city of the future. World famous enterprises have their location heres, such as the Heidelberg Druckmaschinen, HeidelbergCement, Henkel, Lamy, ProMinent and many others. The international research institutions such as the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) must be mentioned too. Heidelberg is truly a city of the future and a constantly developing district worth visiting.

You can see now through this Heidelberg Travel Guide why is this city so beloved and visited by so many people around the world.