Botanischer Garten (Botanical Garden)

This Botanical Garden, established in 1593, is one of the oldest gardens in Germany. It was initially used for the purpose of cultivating medicinal herbs, given the university's strong reputation in the medical field. However, it has evolved into today's concept of "conservation of plant diversity". It is maintained for academic and recreational purposes, a great place to stroll through on a warm sunny day!

Die Altstadt (Old City)

 Hauptstraße is the main street in the old city, lined with hotels, shops, and cafes. This brick road has been well-preserved and maintained by local residents since the 1700s. The old city is mainly pedestrian oriented , there are endless touristic attractions, historical sites, great restaurants/bars etc. one can visit. There is always some sort of entertainment here, whether it may be street performers, cultural events/vendors, student activities (concerts, movies, comedy nights) etc. If you are a history buff, you should visit the Old University Museum- provides the history behind the university when it was first founded and how it has evolved to where it is today; the Student Prison; church of the Holy Spirit and so much more.

Night Life

While Heidelberg is a smaller, more historic city, that does not mean there is no night life. This college town is filled with bars and clubs. However, Heidelberg is more low key when it comes to the club scene. Bar hopping is a popular trend in this old town, in the evening the main street is flooded with college students.

Tuesday nights is student night at Brass Monkey, erasmus and exchange students gather here to socialize/ watch major soccer games and take advantage of the great student deals! There are plenty of other bars that offer fun activities, such as trivia night, karaoke, live shows etc.

@ O'Reilly's for St. Patricks day!

The university has a lot to offer as well, make sure you check out the Marstall Mensa too. They play weekly movies for only 1 euro, and some weekends there are open mic nights and live bands performing. If you are into live music, make sure you check out Karlstor bahnhof regularly. Every weekend there is live music/DJ for different genres of music, anything from drum and bass, to dubstep, to rap!

Traveling to the surrounding towns...

What's great about the semester ticket is that you have the opportunity to travel to the surrounding towns of Heidelberg. You should definitely take advantage of this, your semester ticket works on the bus, tram, and bahn. A great place you should check out is the Schwetzigen Castle/Gardens, less than an hour outside of Heidelberg. This castle was built in the early 1700s as a summer get-away for the Electors Palatine Karl III Philipand Charles Theodore. These French influenced gardens are a sight to see; the best time of year to visit is within the month of April when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. These enormous gardens are lined with marble statues, fountains, and beautiful blossoms. There is also a theater in the castle- still in use today, and this is where the electors would come to enjoy operas and concerts. Every summer from May to early June, numerous events are held at the palace, also known as "Schwetzigen Festival". People gather here every year to attend opera shows, piano concerts, orchestras etc. Schwetzigen is quaint town, much smaller than Heidelberg, it's a cute place to travel for sightseeing at the castle/castle gardens, and enjoying a typical german meal in town!

Universitätsbibliothek (University Library)

The university library, also known as the "uni-bib" was built over 100 years ago and has been growing ever since. It started out with only 600,000 books and now it has over 10 million books and is growing rapidly. The building was modeled after the Heidelberg Castle, and has been enlarged several times to create more space. During the 16th Century, the Bibliotheca Palantina was greatly valued by scholars in all of Germany. The library was founded by elector Ottheinrich, which included several book collections of his own, and eventually the library grew and surrounding countries would donate or sell their collections to the Bibliotheca Palantina. Devastatingly, in 1622, during the Thirty Years War, a majority of the archive was stolen when the Catholic league conquered Heidelberg, and it was brought to the Vatican in Rome. A few books and manuscripts are all that remain of the collection, and these can be found at the University Museum.

Marktplatz (Market Square)

The center piece of this square is the statue of Hercules built in 1703; this strong, heroic figure is supposed to symbolize Heidelberg's non-stop efforts in rebuilding the city after it was destroyed in the 1700s. Markplatz is the main square located at the end of Hauptstraße, next to the Rathaus. Many pedestrians and tourists gather here to dine in the outdoor cafes and enjoy the warm weather. During the summer, local farmer's markets are held here twice a week- best spot to buy fresh fruit and vegetables!

Karlstor (Carl's Gate)

This triumphal arch was built in honor of Prince Elector Karl Theodor in 1775-81by Nicolas de Pigage. He incorporates Roman elements in this neo-classical structure with the use of Roman triumphal arches crowned by four lions. Nearby is the Karlstor Bahnhof.. where there are often live bands performing. A great club for dancing, different types of music every week.