Popular Tour Itineraries Featuring Heidelberg

Heidelberg is an extremely safe city (even by German standards). However, women walking alone at night should take the usual precautions they would do anywhere else.

One night tends to be sufficient, but people often spend two nights in Heidelberg, to make room for day trips.

Tourists visit the beautiful city of Heidelberg throughout the year, but May to late October is perhaps the best time to visit when the weather is at its best and also the city celebrates innumerable festivals. The summer in Heidelberg is warm and sunny with the average temperature of 20°C.

Distances are short in the city center, and most journeys can be made on foot. For 50 percent of the city’s inhabitants the bicycle is their favorite mean of transportation. You can also get around Heidelberg easily thanks to the city's trams, buses, and S-Bahn network. Most services run into Bismarkplatz in the Altstadt, making the system easy to navigate, and single fares are just 2.30 EUR with day passes costing 6 EUR.

Compared to the U.S, most Germans still prefer to pay cash and many shops and cafes do not accept cards. An estimated 80% of all transactions in Germany are in cash. The quickest, easiest and usually cheapest way to exchange money is to use an ATM. They are ubiquitous in German cities and can be accessed 24/7. They are present at U-Bahn stations, grocery stores, airports, malls, shopping centers, train station, etc. You can exchange foreign currency and travelers' checks at German banks or exchange bureaus. They are not as common as they once were, but can still be found at airports, railway stations, and major hotels.

In recent years, the shopping hours of Heidelberg and Germany as a whole have become rather more relaxed. Many shops around the city now remain open until as late as 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, although specific hours do vary, with smaller local shops often choosing to close earlier and may also take a long break at lunchtime. Most shops are not allowed to open on Sundays, although some local bakeries do open early in the morning.

You should plan to spend around €113 ($134) per day on your vacation in Heidelberg.