What to Do When Visiting Heidelberg in the Pouring Rain

~ Carmen

I must admit, I love a gray, rainy day. However when I’m touring a city, rain is not my friend. Although we had already experienced several episodes of rain on our tour of Bavaria, the weather we had in Heidelberg was by far the worst. We could have stayed in our hotel and rested up. After all, we had been going fast and furious on our 12 day trip. Joe and I however, aren’t ones to let weather stop us. We always travel with our rain gear (see 9 Daypack Essentials). Our 7th stop in our tour of Bavaria would end of being one of our most memorable, weather and all!

Stop 1- Vienna, Austria (read more)

Stop 2- Salzburg, Austria (read more)

Stop 3- Dachau Concentration Camp (read more)

Stop 4- Munich, Germany (read more)

Stop 5- Neuschwanstein Castle (read more)

Stop 6- Lucerne, Switzerland (read more)

Stop 7- Heidelberg, Germany

Stop 8- Rhine River Cruise (read more)

Stop 9- Cologne Cathedral (read more)

It started with an argument.

When I’m on a tour bus, I like to sit in the front. Not only does it keep me from getting car (bus) sick, but I can also hear the tour guide better. Upon our arrival into Heidelberg, our driver (who was Polish) started arguing with our tour director Julia from Germany. It went something like this:

Driver- Julia, I will not take my bus up the mountain. You will take the train.

Julia- No, we don’t want to wait for the train. Just drop us off at the top by the castle.

Driver- My bus is long and the road is short. My bus will fly off of the mountain. JULIA, I will not drive up the mountain. You will take the train.

Julia- I’ve already arranged with the bus company for us to be dropped off.

Driver- JULIA! The bus company is not driving my bus. My bus does not fly. You will take the train.

And with that, the driver parked by the train going up to Heidelberg Castle, put his keys in his pocket, and stepped off of the bus to smoke. We would be taking the train. Considering some of the hairpin, make you pray moments we had already had driving through the Alps, if the driver thought the bus was too long to go up the mountain, then we sided with the driver to take the train.

A Cool, Old Castle

Germany has over 20,000 castles dotting its countryside. One of the most iconic is Heidelberg Castle. First built in the 1400s as a royal residence, Heidelberg Castle is a mix of Gothic and Renaissance styles of architecture. It was destroyed several time during the Thirty Years War and at one point was even used as a quarry. Fortunately for us, preservation of the castle began in 1800 by Count Charles de Graimberg.

Heidelberg Castle

heidelberg-castle

Largest Wine Barrel in the World!

View of Heidelberg taken from the castle

Then came the rain!

After the tour of the castle, we went back down by the train (the bus driver was still not budging). Then came the rain. Not just a quiet little drizzle, but bucket loads of rain! My skills as an amateur photographer were definitely challenged. I did manage to get a couple of shots of the beautiful shops and pedestrian city center. A walking tour of the old downtown was out of the question. We spent the rest of the afternoon ducking into cafes and sweet little boutiques.

heidelberg

We finally settled in at a little shop that sold Rothenburg snowballs. The Rothenburg snowball is a 300 year old pastry that is baked in good ol’ healthy lard. The balls are baked in special snowball irons and were originally covered with powered sugar. Once a special occasion treat, now they are made year around with different fillings. I tried a lemon filled Rothenburg snowball, and it was so good! Imagine an airy shortbread cookie with lemon filling. Yum!

My stepdaughter, Holly, and me with our Rothenburg snowballs

So even though we didn’t do all of the touring we had planned, our rainy day in Heidelberg couldn’t have been more fun! We didn’t have any crowds, did some shopping, and ate a super delicious dessert!

When is the last time you have had to alter travel plans because of weather? Did you still have a good time or was it a disappointment? Please comment below. Keep up with all of our travel, camping, and cycling tips by following us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Leave us your email (blue box at the bottom of the post) to subscribe to our weekly newsletter and never miss a post!