Heidelberg, Germany

Photo Credit -Wikipedia

The town of Heidelberg, sits along the Nekar River south of Frankfurt, and is known for the stunning pink castle upon the hill.

We arrived by train from Tres-Karden, on the Mosel River after visiting Burg Eltz  The train ride was 2 1/2 hours and did not require a reservation with our rail pass.  The train station in Heidelberg is not near the historic part of town, so we took a taxi to reach our pub hotel in the pedestrian only area near the cathedral.  During this European adventure we wanted to stay in unique places that were close to the action.

We missed our pub at home so we stayed above one.

The Dubliner Hotel and Pub has eight rooms and is in the historic center walking distance to all the main sights.  We could not hear the pub from our room, but it was a Tuesday night... Our room was a suite with an attached bathroom for 80 euro a night.  There are not many places to stay in this area and we would totally recommend it.

Vetter is a restaurant brew pub in Heidelberg and is known for the Strongest Beer in the World!   I visited this restaurant with my family the first time I was in Germany and knew that Kirk and I would eat dinner here during our trip.  The Vetter 33 is super strong and is worth a taste, but the other beers under 10% were more my speed.  The place was packed for a Tuesday and we finally got a table after 45 minutes.  Good beer, brats and potatoes were worth the wait.

Now on to the Castle!

Photo Credit

 How to get there:  If you are super sporty you can climb hundreds of step to the castle (not in this tunnel but in the open air.)  Or if you are like us who are not that sporty and who do not particularly care to be out in the rain we took the funicular: a special tram engineered to go up and down steep grades.

Heidelberg's gardens were once described as the eighth wonder of the world and can be accessed free of charge.

Most of the castle is still in ruins after many wars pummeled the pink stone walls.  The only areas that you can go inside to see is the vat, or barrel room, and the pharmacy museum.  Both areas are worth visiting - especially to see the largest barrel in the world at 55,345 gallons. The barrel room is also said to be haunted.

After viewing the castle courtyard you must go out to the viewing platforms to see the vista of the town and river below.

The castle does not take that long to see since many areas are not open to visitors but we still recommend a visit.  The town is quaint and offers a Christmas market from November 25th until December 23.

Have you visited Heidelberg?  Would you recommend it?  Have you tried the Vetter 33?

Cheers,

Amy

Our other stops in Germany: Cologne, The Rhine River by ferry and train, Burg Rheinfels - traveling the Rhine, Marksburg Castle, Burg Eltz

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