Frankfurt Airport to Heidelberg and Schwetzingen: Day trip

At the top of every visitor’s list is the symbolic heart of the city — the red-sandstone Heidelberg Castle, which is consistently voted by foreign visitors as the top tourist attraction in Germany. Visitors can wander the grounds and from the castle walls, marvel at the views of the Old Town that never fail to thrill. The Old Town itself is a must see in order to sample the charms of the elegant churches, picture book lanes, and alleyways set against the backdrop of the beautiful Neckar River. This area of the city also contains the longest pedestrianized shopping strip in Germany. Slightly out from the center, but no less impressive is Philosophers’ Way, the name given to the path just above the city that allegedly inspired the philosophers of old. The path offers fabulous views and is often described as ‘peaceful, romantic and beautiful, a place to commune with nature’.

The gardens provide a fascinating mix of styles and have undergone extensive remodeling over time to arrive at what is today known as an “Anglo-Chinese” style. Among the more unusual sights found in the gardens are the pink mosque featuring two elegant minarets that flank the stylish dome, temples to the Greek gods and the Bath House, which represents an era of fine style and luxury. There are numerous artistic sculptures on display and for a real merger of architectural styles then check out the castle theater, built in 1753. When strolling along the garden paths (be prepared for the peacocks and the occasional parrot that wander the gardens) and the paths around the lakes it soon becomes apparent that nearly everywhere are luscious avenues of perfectly symmetrically trimmed trees. The result of this architectural grandeur is a graceful and harmonious piece of German cultural history.