The Heidelberg Blog

The best things about living in Heidelberg part 2

Going out in the old town on a summer's evening, eating at an outside table, taking a stroll to the old bridge, an Italian ice cream and cycling home in the wee small hours of the morning. Lovely.

Being a vegetarian in Heidelberg - difficult?

Well, people often think (well people I know anyway) that it must be very difficult to be a vegetarian in Germany. Well have I got news for you - it isn't at all. Germany caters very well for us veggies. There will always be veggie options for you on most menus and those veggie options will be delicious. In the summer, the salads on offer are just the best - even the smallest, most unsavoury looking place will do the most amazing salads.

The only time you really lose out is at the Christmas Markets - there are veggie options of course - but the sausages really do look good and I have to say I have been tempted in the past.

So, if you're a veggie, you'll be fine in Heidelberg - there are even a couple of veggie restaurants.

The best things about living in Heidelberg part 1

When I lived in Heidelberg there were many things that I really liked about the place. One of the things I liked the most was getting around by bicycle. I'd go by bike to work, to the shops and out in the evening. There are bike lanes everywhere and German drivers are very considerate towards cyclists, so it is relatively safe. 

You'll see bikes everywhere in Heidelberg, particularly by the train station. If you have time, you can rent a bike from Eldorado and see Heidelber and the surrounding area by bike.

There are lots of really nice bike excursions you can do - the ones to Schwetzingen, Speyer and Weinheim were my favourites as you spend most of the time on country roads restricted to farm vehicles.

Credit crunch?

A lot of visitors to Heidelberg (and to e-heidelberg.com) come from the USA and the UK. With the economic uncertainty of the last few weeks and the weeks/months (hopefully not years...) to come, it will be interesting to see the impact on tourism to Heidelberg. Heidelberg is a very popular destination for visitors from all over the world, but no matter how popular, if people are concerned about paying their mortgages and keeping their jobs, less money will be spent on luxuries and let's face it, weekends away are a luxury. So far, the number of reservation requests being made on e-heidelberg.com hasn't dropped off, so perhaps things aren't so bad or is it too early to tell?

Should you buy a Heidelberg travel guide?

You can buy travel guides for Heidelberg - all the bookshops in town will sell them - but I wouldn't bother if I were you. You can get all the information you need about Heidelberg at sites lilke this or Wikipedia. You'll just end up carrying a book around Heidelberg that is probably out of date anyway.

How long should your visit to Heidelberg be?

Most people visit Heidelberg for a long weekend. Arrive Thursday evening, have a nice dinner then 2 full days looking around - the castle, the shopping, Philosophenweg, etc - then head off home on Sunday. You could stay longer, but any shorter would leave you feeling that you hadn't seen everything or had seen everything in a bit of a hurry.

Favourite German Dish?

My absolute favourite German dish has got to be kase spaetzle. It's like macaroni cheese (kind of) - with fried onions on top and normally served with a side salad. Very, very filling and best eaten on a cold winters day! Not to be eaten if you're on a diet......

If you're going to try this dish, I'd recommend Thanners.

Where should you stay in Heidelberg?

There are a lot of options for your stay in Heidelberg - as with any hotel, anywhere in the world, the price will be determined by the location and standard of accomodation.

In my opinion the most desirable area to stay as a visitor is in the old town - you're near the castle, the restaurants, bars, shops, etc. However at peak periods it can be noisy and you will pay a premium. Heidelberg is pretty small, so even if you're not staying in the old town, you won't be more than 10 to 15 minutes from the action.

In terms of the types of hotel on offer, the main categories are the luxury, international hotels - Crowne Plaza and Hotel Europa are good examples. These are very comfortable, well located hotels just on the edge of the old town and near all the shopping.

The other main category are the traditional, German hotels dotted in and around the old town. There is a clulster of hotels near the old bridge - Vierjahreszeiten, Holländer Hof, Hotel Ritter, Hirschgasse, Hackteufel and Hotel Acor are all examples. These hotels range from good mid-range to luxury.

And then finally (oder endlich) we have the hotels that are one-offs, located outside of the old town. If you're driving, parking will be easier at these hotels and they will tend to be better value. They will also probably be a little quieter. Good examples include Hotel & Restaurant Auerstein, Hotel Central and Holiday Inn.

So, in summary, you have a lot of choice - it all depends upon what's important to you.

I'd love to hear about your experiences staying in Heidelberg, how you found your hotel and whether you would recommend it.

Welcome to the e-heidelberg.com blog!

It has taken me a while to understand the power of blogs and why visitors to e-heidelberg.com might benefit from my thoughts and insights into visiting Heidelberg and the surrounding area.

Be patient with me as I'm embarking on a personal journey into blogdom and I'm not sure where this is going to take us, however I hope it will be fun - let's see!