So after seveal years in Germany I'm finally finding the time to hit Köln, Heidelberg, and Rothernberg a.d. Tauber!
Now of course there's tons of tourist stuff in the tourbooks, and course I'll do my best to see as much as I can. My question for the wise & informed people of Toytown is if anybody can give additional firsthand insider tips on especíally interesting things to do in any of these cities.
What were your nicest impressions of these cities? Any neat things to do off the beaten path? Any must-see cool places for eating/hanging out at in the evenings?
I'm flexible & spontaneous when I hit the ground, but if I've compiled an informed list I'll try to check things off of it too.. Any tips?
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Tips for Heidelberg / Cologne / Roth a.d. Tauber
Insider tourist info off the beaten track
If my memory serves me correctly Rothenberg is a wonderful walled town, small enough to wander round without any danger of getting lost. I can't remember much though because the last time I was there was about fifteen years ago!
Ah -- another Q I should ask if there are any good tips on places to stay.. or not to stay. For that matter I should also ask if there are things *not* to do there..
Koala: Yep, everybody I know who went there said it was a wonderfully-preserved city & swore I should put it high on my list. Which is what I'm finally doing now that I can wedge some travels into my schedule.
For that matter I should also ask if there are things *not* to do there..Koala: Yep, everybody I know who went there said it was a wonderfully-preserved city & swore I should put it high on my list. Which is what I'm finally doing now that I can wedge some travels into my schedule.
i am actually working close to heidelberg and recommend visiting the castle here. set on a hill, with a lovely view of the neckar. tour is quite nice too. there is a whole section in the old city part devoted to pubs and such. heidelberg is a student city.
a walk through the 2 km pedestrian zone is nice b/c of the cobble-stoned streets & old buildings, etc. but that isn't so interesting once you've seen it a dozen times. there is a starbucks here however!
i've stayed in at least 4 hotels in heidelberg, all under €65 a night w/breakfast (single). i stayed in one place for €50 a night and for business it was horrible, but as a cheap tourist, doable. lady who runs it chatted me up in english. very friendly.
a walk through the 2 km pedestrian zone is nice b/c of the cobble-stoned streets & old buildings, etc. but that isn't so interesting once you've seen it a dozen times. there is a starbucks here however!
i've stayed in at least 4 hotels in heidelberg, all under €65 a night w/breakfast (single). i stayed in one place for €50 a night and for business it was horrible, but as a cheap tourist, doable. lady who runs it chatted me up in english. very friendly.
Dear Mind's Eye,
I lived and studied in Heidelberg for a year and a half total. It is an absolutely fabulous city. It is also very touristy, but still very worth visiting. Heidelberg is a student town and it has the highest percentage of foreign student of any German university. It is also the oldest university in Germany. Therefore, the city is very cosmopolitan.
Heidelberg lies right on the Neckar River which runs through the center of town. Heidelberg is probably most famous though for its castle and scenic Old Town. There are guided tours of the castle daily in English. The castle is a ruin now, but there are still many furnished rooms to see. I think it is worth going on the tour. Plus it doesn't cost much. I would definitely go up to the castle regardless just for the view of the Old Town and the Neckar River from above. There is a cable car (Bergbahn) that goes up the side of the mountain to the castle and it also goes up higher. It is kind of expensive though.
There is a Heidelberg pass that you can get at the tourist info. building outside of the train station. I can't remember what it in includes exactly, but I think it has public transport included and I think it includes the Bergbahn or atleast at a discounted rate.
There is nothing to see around the train station in Heidelberg. Just just on a Straßenbahn and go to the Old Town. The stop to get off at is Adenauerplatz. You can also walk from the train station to downtown, but the walk isn't very exciting/interesting.
There is a student prison in Heidelberg where students were actually imprisoned, but it later got to be sort of a joke I think and it wasn't a serious punishment. I never went to it. But that might interest you. It is right in the Old Town area by the square where the big church (the Heilig Geist church) is.
Heidelberg doesn't have any clubs worth going to in my opinion. There is one called Schwimmbad which is located right next to the swimming pool, but it is out near the big student dormintories on the other side of the river from downtown and it isn't that great there.
All of the student pubs are pretty much in the Old Town on the small street that is parallel to the main street that is the direction of the river right off of square where the Heilig Geist church is. It is called the Untere Straße. Although there are a couple pubs on the other side of the river if you go over the Theordor Heuss Brücke (right down the street from Adenauer Platz where all the Straßenbahns and Bus connections are) There is an Irish pub and also a German restaurant with some nice German food there on the Neuenheimer Landstraße.
If you like hiking or taking a walk, there is a nice walk up the mountain/big hill across the river from Old Town. From that path there is a nice view of Old Town and the castle. It's a great walk for taking pictures. The path is called Philosophenweg (philosopher's path). At the top of the hill there is even further is a amphitheater built by the Nazis. But I've never been there.
Here's a good webpage telling you the things you can see in Heidelberg:http://www.e-heidelberg.com/attractions/attractions.html
There are fireworks at the castle and over the Neckar River several times in the summer. There are a ton of tourists who come. There are especially a lot of Americans. Most of them live on the U.S. Army bases that are in Heidelberg and they bring their families out and have a picnic along the river and wait for it to get dark for the fireworks to start. The fireworks are worth seeing if you like fireworks and the weather is nice. According the above webpage the fireworks are:
first Saturday in June
second Saturday in July
first Saturday in September
The zoo in Heidelberg is not worth going to in my opinion. It is small and not that nice. There is a youth hostel right next to the zoo. I think it is an okay place as long as there are no big school groups visiting, because then it can be loud from what I heard. I don't think the museums in Heidelberg are really worth going to either. It's more fun to go and see the town. There is one museum with a bunch of Roman stuff and it tells the history of the Romans in the area, if you really like Roman stuff.
Have a great time in Heidelberg!
I definitely lost my heart in Heidelberg, as the old saying goes...
Melissa
I lived and studied in Heidelberg for a year and a half total. It is an absolutely fabulous city. It is also very touristy, but still very worth visiting. Heidelberg is a student town and it has the highest percentage of foreign student of any German university. It is also the oldest university in Germany. Therefore, the city is very cosmopolitan.
Heidelberg lies right on the Neckar River which runs through the center of town. Heidelberg is probably most famous though for its castle and scenic Old Town. There are guided tours of the castle daily in English. The castle is a ruin now, but there are still many furnished rooms to see. I think it is worth going on the tour. Plus it doesn't cost much. I would definitely go up to the castle regardless just for the view of the Old Town and the Neckar River from above. There is a cable car (Bergbahn) that goes up the side of the mountain to the castle and it also goes up higher. It is kind of expensive though.
There is a Heidelberg pass that you can get at the tourist info. building outside of the train station. I can't remember what it in includes exactly, but I think it has public transport included and I think it includes the Bergbahn or atleast at a discounted rate.
There is nothing to see around the train station in Heidelberg. Just just on a Straßenbahn and go to the Old Town. The stop to get off at is Adenauerplatz. You can also walk from the train station to downtown, but the walk isn't very exciting/interesting.
There is a student prison in Heidelberg where students were actually imprisoned, but it later got to be sort of a joke I think and it wasn't a serious punishment. I never went to it. But that might interest you. It is right in the Old Town area by the square where the big church (the Heilig Geist church) is.
Heidelberg doesn't have any clubs worth going to in my opinion. There is one called Schwimmbad which is located right next to the swimming pool, but it is out near the big student dormintories on the other side of the river from downtown and it isn't that great there.
All of the student pubs are pretty much in the Old Town on the small street that is parallel to the main street that is the direction of the river right off of square where the Heilig Geist church is. It is called the Untere Straße. Although there are a couple pubs on the other side of the river if you go over the Theordor Heuss Brücke (right down the street from Adenauer Platz where all the Straßenbahns and Bus connections are) There is an Irish pub and also a German restaurant with some nice German food there on the Neuenheimer Landstraße.
If you like hiking or taking a walk, there is a nice walk up the mountain/big hill across the river from Old Town. From that path there is a nice view of Old Town and the castle. It's a great walk for taking pictures. The path is called Philosophenweg (philosopher's path). At the top of the hill there is even further is a amphitheater built by the Nazis. But I've never been there.
Here's a good webpage telling you the things you can see in Heidelberg:http://www.e-heidelberg.com/attractions/attractions.html
There are fireworks at the castle and over the Neckar River several times in the summer. There are a ton of tourists who come. There are especially a lot of Americans. Most of them live on the U.S. Army bases that are in Heidelberg and they bring their families out and have a picnic along the river and wait for it to get dark for the fireworks to start. The fireworks are worth seeing if you like fireworks and the weather is nice. According the above webpage the fireworks are:
first Saturday in June
second Saturday in July
first Saturday in September
The zoo in Heidelberg is not worth going to in my opinion. It is small and not that nice. There is a youth hostel right next to the zoo. I think it is an okay place as long as there are no big school groups visiting, because then it can be loud from what I heard. I don't think the museums in Heidelberg are really worth going to either. It's more fun to go and see the town. There is one museum with a bunch of Roman stuff and it tells the history of the Romans in the area, if you really like Roman stuff.
Have a great time in Heidelberg!
I definitely lost my heart in Heidelberg, as the old saying goes...
Melissa
Last time I was in Heidelberg there was a wine cellar in the castle with huge casks. Plus you can get wine with your own label on it. Well a label with your name on it. Horrifically touristy but amusing none the less. Great town!!
I don't want to do the power tour thing where you get there, take a few pics, and leave the next morning not having really learned the city. If I wanted to canvas enough & get the spirt of it all, is there a minimum number of days anybody would recommend?
Here's my feel for it:
Rothenberg = small town. 1 day is my guess
Heidelberg= 2-3 days?
Köln.. um big city. 2-3 days for the essentials?
Wow, that's a week already...
Here's my feel for it:
Rothenberg = small town. 1 day is my guess
Heidelberg= 2-3 days?
Köln.. um big city. 2-3 days for the essentials?
Wow, that's a week already...
@Mind's Eye.
I think you can easily do Heidelberg in 2 days at a leisurely pace. It isn't very big.
I think you can easily do Heidelberg in 2 days at a leisurely pace. It isn't very big.
these two cities are easily done on weekends (get there friday, leave on sunday)
my estimate: 1.5 for heidelberg.
there really isn't much to see in köln either 'cept the dome, but the night-life is superb. but if you can wait, do köln during carnival time. i'm not a big fan myself, but i hear it is absolutely worth it. köln also used to host the popcom, but i think this year it is moving. that was a great way to see lots of bands in one local.
my estimate: 1.5 for heidelberg.
there really isn't much to see in köln either 'cept the dome, but the night-life is superb. but if you can wait, do köln during carnival time. i'm not a big fan myself, but i hear it is absolutely worth it. köln also used to host the popcom, but i think this year it is moving. that was a great way to see lots of bands in one local.
Oh, I disagree, I think Köln has a couple of fab museums near the Dom. The modern art museum and the Roman history museum are great. Köln was a Roman colony, that's how it got its name, and there's some impressive ruins there, including a whole mosaic floor they found when building a bomb shelter during WWII. The fact that preserving it whilst bombs were falling was a priortiy, is impressive too.
Climbing the Dom tower is fun too, as long as you have stamina and aren't afraid of heights.
Climbing the Dom tower is fun too, as long as you have stamina and aren't afraid of heights.
Hiya
I used to work in Köln and it really does have great nightlife. It also has a branch of Habitat and a great English Shop (due to the amount of Brits there because of Ford, which was why I was there too). I lived in the Hyatt Regency with occasional visits to the Crowne Plaza but these might be out of your price range as my employer paid (the Hyatt is better than the CP but the CP has a lovely fish restaurant in the cellar which gets fresh supplies daily, is quite famous for it).
The IBIS in the centre will probably cover your basic needs and is close to some great nightlife.
Or for something more unusual (and should you have the available money): Hotel Im Wasserturm
The museums are good, particularly for modern art and yes the shopping is great.
More sites:
Köln tourist site.
Klöner - probably the best Stadtmagazin for the area
Express - local newspaper with what's on section
Has anyone explained Kölsch to you yet? You can always get in practice at Schmock, a Kosher restaurant in Augustenstr. which sell draught Früh Kölsch (why, I don't know).
BTW Popkomm is now in Berlin, a network card for public transport will cover you for D'dorf, Bonn...a big area. And if you get bored, Aachen is worth a visit.
As for Heidelberg, I like that microbrewery next to the river and the bar in Heidelberger Druck which is in end effect my "local" in Heidelberg (i.e. I always end up there)..
Rothenburg ob der Taube is an awful tourist hellhole in my opinion (mainly due to the fact that the guy who runs the Christmas shops married the daughter of a large Japanese tour operator thus the town is very famous in Japan and first stop on all those bus trips), Coburg is less overrun and more interesting (because that is where the the current British Royal Family comes from). Or try Landshut or Regensburg (both being nicer and nearer than you think).
Katrina
I used to work in Köln and it really does have great nightlife. It also has a branch of Habitat and a great English Shop (due to the amount of Brits there because of Ford, which was why I was there too). I lived in the Hyatt Regency with occasional visits to the Crowne Plaza but these might be out of your price range as my employer paid (the Hyatt is better than the CP but the CP has a lovely fish restaurant in the cellar which gets fresh supplies daily, is quite famous for it).
The IBIS in the centre will probably cover your basic needs and is close to some great nightlife.
Or for something more unusual (and should you have the available money): Hotel Im Wasserturm
The museums are good, particularly for modern art and yes the shopping is great.
More sites:
Köln tourist site.
Klöner - probably the best Stadtmagazin for the area
Express - local newspaper with what's on section
Has anyone explained Kölsch to you yet? You can always get in practice at Schmock, a Kosher restaurant in Augustenstr. which sell draught Früh Kölsch (why, I don't know).
BTW Popkomm is now in Berlin, a network card for public transport will cover you for D'dorf, Bonn...a big area. And if you get bored, Aachen is worth a visit.
As for Heidelberg, I like that microbrewery next to the river and the bar in Heidelberger Druck which is in end effect my "local" in Heidelberg (i.e. I always end up there)..
Rothenburg ob der Taube is an awful tourist hellhole in my opinion (mainly due to the fact that the guy who runs the Christmas shops married the daughter of a large Japanese tour operator thus the town is very famous in Japan and first stop on all those bus trips), Coburg is less overrun and more interesting (because that is where the the current British Royal Family comes from). Or try Landshut or Regensburg (both being nicer and nearer than you think).
Katrina
The Stadtmagazin is called Kölner not Klöner - SORRY!
I was wondering if everyone who read the magazine was a clone...
Actually Klöner would work as "klönen" is a Northern German (Plattdeutsch) word for Quasseln (nattering, gossiping, chatting).
I'm showing off now
I'm showing off now
Thanks people for the info on the above cities. Finally went and saw some of them. Since I can't pay back, here's my payforward for posterity's sake:
On Heidelberg -- Everybody is right about it being amazingly beautiful. My camera was magically possessed and could not shoot a single bad picture. See it when there aren't too many tourists. It's now in the middle of May, and I found the crowds to be easily bearable. I didn't have to stand in line, but I think that in 4 weeks' time that will change dramatically.
A warning about housing -- it's way hard to get. Even though there were few tourists around, the entire town was booked to the gills due to a conference somewhere in the region. People told me this was not uncommon. Call ahead.
My super-neeto-keen housing finds:
1) The Ziegelbräu, a cafe/pub/club has secret housing above, and it's supercheap. 42 Euro for a double, and it's modern and clean and at one end of the pedestrian zone of the inner city by Bismarckplatz. Very quiet -- I didn't even hear the salsa dancing going on somewhere below. Call ahead anyway.
2) The historic Zum Seppl' has housing above it as well. Didn't stay there, but considering the bar is the coolest I've been to in Germany, I will the next time I'm there. Call way ahead. Not as cheap.
Hope this helps touring TT-ers sometime in the future...
On Heidelberg -- Everybody is right about it being amazingly beautiful. My camera was magically possessed and could not shoot a single bad picture. See it when there aren't too many tourists. It's now in the middle of May, and I found the crowds to be easily bearable. I didn't have to stand in line, but I think that in 4 weeks' time that will change dramatically.
A warning about housing -- it's way hard to get. Even though there were few tourists around, the entire town was booked to the gills due to a conference somewhere in the region. People told me this was not uncommon. Call ahead.
My super-neeto-keen housing finds:
1) The Ziegelbräu, a cafe/pub/club has secret housing above, and it's supercheap. 42 Euro for a double, and it's modern and clean and at one end of the pedestrian zone of the inner city by Bismarckplatz. Very quiet -- I didn't even hear the salsa dancing going on somewhere below. Call ahead anyway.
2) The historic Zum Seppl' has housing above it as well. Didn't stay there, but considering the bar is the coolest I've been to in Germany, I will the next time I'm there. Call way ahead. Not as cheap.
Hope this helps touring TT-ers sometime in the future...
any last minutre tips for Heidelberg... anyone know anything about Bed And Breakfast Kerle and Sudpfanne Hostel, that's where I'll be staying
QUOTE
anyone know anything about Bed And Breakfast Kerle and Sudpfanne Hostel, that's where I'll be staying
its absolutely terrible
just kidding, I have no idea. Have a good time
I think it may be terrible though... at least the pics dont look the greatest, but they're both cheaper then the huge like 400 room hostel, so I figured I'd try them out
Isnt that where they found that dead body?
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