Heidelberg

Walking Tours

Look behind the scenes of Heidelberg! If you want to discover the exciting, romantic, funny and always entertaining stories Heidelberg has to offer, join this guided tour of the old town and learn more from the qualified guides. Enchanting alleys and squares, small gardens that pop up unexpectedly, museums and galleries: Heidelberg’s old town has many facets. This tour will breathe life into the city’s past, adding rich detail to the contours of today’s city. Whether it is the Church of the Holy Spirit, the Jesuitenviertel, Germany’s oldest university with its Students’ Prison, or other sightseeing attractions: every place of interest in the old town has a unique ambiance and history well worth immersing yourself in for a few minutes. The tour also passes along the main street, one of the longest pedestrian zones in Europe. Many detours into the alleyways of the old town confirm the truth of the old saying “you only truly learn about the countryside by taking the back roads.”

First enjoy a comfortable bus tour with a certified guide, where you will learn more about the history of the city. Enjoy an unobstructed view of the spectacular Heidelberg Castle. Then, visit the grounds of Heidelberg Palace and admire its beauty up close. See the elegant inner courtyard and the famous Great Heidelberg Tun (wine barrel.) After exploring the castle, ride the funicular railway back to the Old Town.

Make the most out of your visit to Heidelberg with this interactive smartphone app tour. Discover the city as you complete location-based riddles on this walking tour. Walk through the greenery of Bismarckplatz Park and the charming cobbled streets of Heidelberger Altstadt (Old Town). Complete riddles outside attractions to find 10 of the most important sights in the city. Uncover clues at each attraction to find your next destination. Enjoy the challenge of using logic, imagination, observation, and team spirit to finish the game.  Feel the thrill of solving each riddle. Start or pause the tour whenever you want. See the city at your own pace. Find out interesting information and facts about the city. Take the time to snap as many pictures as you want.

Discover Heidelberg and immerse yourself in the fascinating history of the old town. In just a few hours you can explore all the historical sights. Learn interesting information and get great insider tips that won’t be found in any guide book – specifically tailored to your wishes. Stroll along one of the longest pedestrian zones in Germany directly through the picturesque old town and admire the magnificent Baroque buildings. See the beautiful Old Bridge and the impressive Church of the Holy Spirit, which once housed a collection of valuable documents. Walk through the former Hortus Palatinus (Garden Palatinate) to Heidelberg Castle ruins. After a detour to Scheffel Terrace with breathtaking views of the city and the Rhine River, you will head to the castle complex itself. Here you can see the largest ever wine barrel and enjoy wine tasting in the castle cellar or visit the Pharmacy Museum in the courtyard.

Enjoy a very special walking tour with ghost stories of Heidelberg. Join the Hangman’s Daughter on one of her walks and search for old haunted houses and witches hidings. Hear stories of poltergeists who wreak havoc in town houses, the souls of burned witches, and evil dogs in the darkest corners of the old town. Explore Heidelberg’s romantic old town and learn about dreadful crimes and cruel punishments during the Middle Ages. Find out how an executioner could make a living with his “services” in the old days and get to know the dark side of the town.

Immerse yourself in the spooky world of werewolves, ghosts, and vampires. Enjoy a tour guided by a night watchman through Heidelberg’s most famous lore and legends, and visit the creepy locations of murder and myths. Dressed in a lovingly made and detailed costume, the night watchman reveals the dark side of the romantic old town. Listen to stories that will truly give you goosebumps. Visit the locations of vicious murders and learn all about wild students and terrible monsters. Dare to venture down the picturesque streets in the evening and discover their secrets. Feel a cold shiver down the spine at the mention of supernatural beings and events.

Explore the dark side of romanticism with the Commissar and discover spectacular criminal cases from the old town of Heidelberg. Take a look behind the romantic, picturesque facades and unearth human chasms and criminal intrigues. Hear spooky stories about old ladies who slaughtered cats and sold them as meat, students who killed a respectable guardsman, and an antique dealer who sold the sword of the Hölzerlips dozens of times to unsuspecting tourists. Discover the main attractions of the old town including the Town Hall, the Market Square, the Church of the Holy Spirit, the Jesuit Church, the Old University, the New University, St. Peter’s Church, the Old Bridge, and Marstall. A guide in historical costume with high-quality props relates the aforementioned exciting anecdotes.

Savor the flavors of different street foods and craft beers on a tasting tour of Heidelberg that can tailored to your desires. Get an introduction to the food and drinks scene, from strong stouts served in a metal head bar to traditional German brews served at rustic inns. Join other travelers and local students in the melting pot of the Old Town, and get the chance to visit quarters that other tourists often miss. Follow your guide to the city's Little France area, where bistros and French cuisine are the order of the day. Alternatively, cross the river to explore the organic food restaurants of a district that resembles Brooklyn in New York. Sample authentic currywurst, frankfurters and other types of sausage. Savor local schnitzel, flammkuchen (flat breads), cakes and candies. You can visit a candy or chocolate manufacturer, watch a baker at work or peep into a distillery to see how craft beer is made.

Take a city tour of a different kind in the footsteps of murderers, witches, executioners and of course, students. Get to know famous and lesser-known places of Heidelberg's history, like the "Faule Pelz" prison, the "Studentenkarzer" university prison, the Witches' Tower, the Brückentorverlies and the Hinrichtungsplatz. Let your guide lead you on this walking tour as a medieval night watchman with centuries-old historical knowledge and anecdotes about the mystical places in the beautiful old city of Heidelberg.  The walking tour goes through the city and past the castle according to a variety of myths and legends of particular interest to young participants, and includes visits from other famous characters.

In past centuries, the walls of Heidelberg Castle learned many dark secrets of their inhabitants and heard of murder, intrigue, and unholy connections. The chattering night watch of the Dukes Palace invites you on a tour around the castle and gardens and tells you everything about these gruesome legends and events. Of course, the night watchman have noticed some piquant details about state affairs and they like to dish the dirt about the dukes and their family business. Look forward to a tour with eerie legends, anecdotes, and spicy details around the long-forgotten inhabitants of the most romantic ruin in the world. Of course, the night watchman will also report bloody battles and the destruction of the castle, and if you always wanted to know what pipe smoking and bombing has to do with the finding of French uniform buttons in the vaults, then you should acompany the night watchman on their way around the dark walls and through the dark trenches.