Heidelberg Castle Guide: How to Get There and What to See

A quick bit of background

The castle was the residence of the Electors Palatine, the rulers of this region, and it was extended over several generations. That is why you see Gothic and Renaissance buildings side by side around the same courtyard. In the late 17th century it was badly damaged during wars with France, and later lightning set fire to parts of it. It was never fully rebuilt, which is why so much of what you see today is a ruin with roofless halls and open window frames.

That mix of intact buildings and ruins is what makes it worth the climb. You are not visiting a polished palace. You are walking through something that shows its history openly.

Getting there: walk up or take the Bergbahn

Both routes start at Kornmarkt, a small square just off the Hauptstrasse in the Old Town. From there you have two options.

Walking up

A steep, cobbled path climbs from Kornmarkt to the castle. It is free and it is short, but it is uphill the whole way. If you are reasonably fit and wearing proper shoes, it is a pleasant walk. If you have small children, a pushchair, bad knees or it is a hot day, take the train. A lot of people choose to ride up and walk down, which is the easy direction.

The Bergbahn funicular

The Bergbahn is a funicular railway whose lower station is right on Kornmarkt. It stops at the castle, and the line continues further up the Königstuhl if you want to keep going. The ride up to the castle is short. Tickets, fares and running times change, so check what is included with your castle ticket on the official castle website before you buy anything separately.

What to see inside the castle grounds

The castle is a collection of buildings around a central courtyard, plus terraces and a garden. These are the parts most visitors come for.

The courtyard facades

Stand in the courtyard and turn slowly. The Ottheinrichsbau and the Friedrichsbau are the two facades people photograph most. Both are covered in sculpted figures, and they are the clearest example of how the castle grew over time, with each ruler adding his own statement. Take a few minutes here rather than rushing through.

The Great Barrel (Großes Fass)

Down in the cellar is the Great Barrel, an enormous wine barrel that is one of the castle's best-known sights. It is hard to picture its size until you are standing next to it.

The German Pharmacy Museum (Deutsches Apotheken-Museum)

Housed inside the castle, this museum covers the history of pharmacy in the German-speaking world: old apothecary rooms, jars, instruments and remedies. It is easy to skip because it is tucked away, but it is one of the few places where you get to see real interiors.

The garden (Hortus Palatinus)

The castle garden was laid out on terraces cut into the hillside. It was never fully completed, and today it is a quieter, green part of the visit. It is a good place to slow down after the courtyard, and it gives you a sense of how much of the hillside the castle once claimed.

There is more to see than this list, and your guide covers it at the end of the tour: which parts are worth your time on the day and which ones people tend to miss.

How much time to allow

Most visitors spend a couple of hours at the castle. That is enough for the courtyard, the Great Barrel, the Pharmacy Museum and a slow walk through the garden. If you join an official guided tour, add that time on top. If you plan to walk down to the Old Town afterwards, allow a little extra; it is quicker than the climb but still steep and cobbled.

Planning a full day in town? See our Heidelberg in one day itinerary for how the castle fits in with the rest.

Do you need a guide for Heidelberg Castle?

Honest answer: no, you do not need one. You can walk around the grounds on your own, and many people do. That said, a lot of what makes the castle interesting is the story behind the buildings, and very little of that is obvious from looking at a facade.

You have a few options:

• The castle's own guided tours. The castle offers official guided tours, and some interiors can usually only be seen that way. Times, languages and prices change, so check the official castle website.
• Go on your own, but prepared. Know what you are looking at before you go up, so you are not wandering past the best parts.
• Our walking tour, then the castle. We do not go inside the castle. Our tour is an English walking tour of the Altstadt that ends at the Bergbahn, where your guide gives you recommendations and explains what to see inside. You then go up on your own with a plan.

Combining the castle with our walking tour

This is the easiest way to fit both into one day. The tour takes about two hours through the Old Town: the Alte Brücke, the Heiliggeistkirche, the Hauptstrasse, the university, the Jesuitenkirche and more. It finishes at stop nine, the Bergbahn station on Kornmarkt. That stop is all about the castle: how to get up, what to see inside, and the spots most visitors walk straight past.

From there you can head up straight away, or grab lunch first and go up in the afternoon. By the time you reach the courtyard, you already know the city the castle ruled over, which makes the visit make a lot more sense.

The shared tour is €27 per person with a maximum of six guests. If you would rather have the guide to yourselves, a private walking tour is €100 for your group (up to five people). Tours are in English, and we meet at the Rathaus on Marktplatz (Marktplatz 10), by the fountain near the main door. Castle entry is not included.

Practical tips

• Wear proper shoes. Cobblestones in town, cobblestones on the path, uneven ground inside the grounds.
• Check the official site on the day. Opening hours, prices and closures change. Use schloss-heidelberg.de rather than older blog posts.
• Go early or later in the day if you can. Midday is usually the busiest time, especially when tour groups arrive.
• Ride up, walk down. It saves the steep part for gravity.
• Bring a layer. The castle is higher up and more exposed than the Old Town.
• Pair it with the other side of the river. If you still have energy afterwards, the Philosophers' Walk on the opposite bank is the classic next stop.