Explore Heidelberg Germany in one day

Heidelberg is a vibrant University city, home to one of the oldest and most reputable Universities in the country.

It is a popular tourist destination because of its Romantic cityscape, and it’s famed castle overlooking the town, perched up on the hills.

There are quite a few things to do in Heidelberg, and it’s the perfect day trip to add to your itinerary when planning a visit to Germany.

On the blog, I will share the top things to do in Heidelberg Germany in one day. You can easily explore all of the main attractions on a day trip, which makes it the perfect stop on your road trip through Germany.

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Top things to do in Heidelberg Germany

Explore Heidelberg Castle

The town of Heidelberg is dominated by it’s Castle ruins. The minute you drive into the city, the Castle is the first thing you see, and it’s absolutely stunning!

Built around the early 13th-century, Heidelberg castle was one of the most grandest palaces of the Renaissance period.

A series of lightning strikes have played a part in this Castles demise and is now left in ruins.

Tickets to Heidelberg Castle

If you want to go on a self guided tour of the castle grounds, there is an entrance fee which includes the funicular railway, the Palace Courtyard, the Great Tun, and the Germany Apothecary museum as well. Tickets cost 9 euros for adults, and children cost 4.50 euros.

You can also go on a guided tour, which comes with an additional fee. Guided tours costs an additional 6 euros for adults, kids 3 euros, or you can purchase a Family ticket which cost 15 euros.

How to get to Heidelberg Castle

There are a few ways to get up to the castle. You can make your way up on foot, or take the funicular. The funicular is the fastest way to make it up to the castle, especially if you’re visiting with kids.

The funicular is located along the Kornmarkt. From there, take the Heidelberg funicular railway up to the first stop, which is the castle. If you’re planning to get there on foot, you can follow the Burgweg path that leads up to the castle.

Visit the German Apothecary Museum

The castle grounds admission comes with entry into the German Apothecary museum. Located within the castle grounds, you will learn about the history of pharmacy and medicine.

On display are over 20,000 exhibits on 2000 years of medical science & pharmacy, including glass apothecary flasks. It was pretty amazing, we spent awhile here just mesmerized by all the history.

See the Worlds largest wine barrel

Don’t miss seeing the “World’s largest wine barrel”. The Heidelberg Tun was built in 1751 to house the wine paid as taxes by the wine growers of the Palatine.

The barrel stands 22 feet high, and 27 feet wide, and holds about 58,000 gallons of wine. It was one of the biggest wine barrel we’ve seen, and you can even climb to the top, which was a highlight for our little one.

Explore the Altstadt (Old Town) of Heidelberg

After a long day exploring the castle grounds, we make our way back down to the city.

The town is full of narrow streets, Market squares, and alleyways just waiting to be explored.

The Main Street of Heidelberg is lined with shops and restaurants, and many beautiful, historic buildings.

The highlight is the early 15th-century Heiliggeistkirche, the Church of the Holy Ghost, located in the Marktplatz.

We also bumped into a carnival going in the town square, which our little one enjoyed.

Visit the Old Bridge in Heidelberg

One place not to miss on your sightseeing tour of Heidelberg is the Old town bridge. Built around the 18th century, the old bridge connects the two historic sides of Heidelberg.

Don’t miss visiting the statue of a monkey and mice located along the entrance to the bridge. According to local legend, if you touch the mirror of the bronze monkey, it is rumored to bring you wealth.

Similarly, if you touch it’s finger, you will return to Heidelberg. Touching the mice is said to bring you lots of children, according to local folklore!

Go for a hike at the Königstuhl Hills

If you have more time, I recommend taking another funicular ride up to the Königstuhl hills for the best panoramic views of the city!

The Königstuhl is the highest peak in the Lower Odenwald Forest, and it’s the perfect place to take in the city views.

You can also go for a hike on one of the many nature paths in the area. We loved the Forest adventure trail, which is perfect to do with the little ones.

There are many opportunities for outdoor adventures in the area that include hiking, biking and more.

We got to explore Heidelberg Germany in one day, and it was the perfect amount of time to see all the main sights. If you have the chance to visit Germany, take a day trip to Heidleberg, and explore this charming little town.

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