You flew into Frankfurt, took the train into Heidelberg and now you’re ready to do some exploring. Where do you start? Most any local (who doesn’t operate a riverboat cruise) will immediately say Hauptsrabe.
Running straight through the heart of downtown Heidelberg, Hauptsrabe is the very definition of Main Street. Stretching at least a mile alongside the Neckar River, this street offers every imaginable type of shop. All the usual suspects are there — restaurants (including a questionable Hard Rock Café), two Starbucks (natch) and several bars — but it also has several custom bakeries, a place that makes its own flavored liquors (including a delicious Egg Nog) and even a watering hole that serves beer in a horn. On some days, they even have farmer’s markets.
Despite all its commercialization, Hauptsrabe is also where you will find many of its historic buildings. It’s got the Church of the Holy Spirit, the Haus zum Ritter, Heidelberg University classrooms, the start of the stairway to the castle and, on a side street, the yummy Schnitzelhaus. You’ll also find one of the oldest streets in Heidelberg coming up from the side, and beautiful buildings that in general date back centuries. I mean, if you’re going to have a Frappuccino, you might as well have it in style.
Unlike other downtowns that are set up like a square grid, Heidelberg is a long narrow corridor with Hauptsrabe in the middle and various side streets jutting out short distances along the way. Whether you want a dentist or a tattoo, a beer or a pretzel, you’ll find it all in the city’s mother of all Main Streets.