The city of Heidelberg lies along the Neckar River in southwest Germany beneath the expansive and scenic ruins of Heidelberg castle. The city also is the home of Germany’s oldest university, founded in 1386, and one of the oldest surviving universities in the world. The philosphors and university professors were fond of walking a path along the side of the mountain Heiligenberg, with sweeping views of the town, a route that became known as the Philosopher’s Walk.

On the fourth day of our Rhine River cruise, we moored at Ludwigshafen, Germany after an overnight run from Strasbourg, France and took a bus into Heidelberg. There we hiked up to the mountain Heiligenberg where we visited a Nazi-era amphitheater and enjoyed the views along the Philosopher’s Walk.

Below are trip highlights from December 26th,2019 in Heidelberg, German. Click any image for a larger view, or click the position to view the location on a map. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.

Ludwigshafen Position: 49°29.21’N, 8°26.80’E The AmaMora moored at Ludwigshafen, Germany for our bus ride into Heidelberg.

Karlstor Position: 49°24.84’N, 8°43.06’E Karlstor (“Carl’s Gate”), erected in Heidelberg in the late 18th century to honor Prince Elector Carl Theodor.

Current Position: 49°24.97’N, 8°42.99’E Heidelberg lines both sides of the Neckar river, a major tributary of the Rhine. The current in the Neckar is running swiftly this time of year.

Keltenweg Position: 49°25.33’N, 8°42.39’E Walking the Keltenweg (“Celtic Way”) trail to the summit of the hill Heiligenberg on the north side of the Neckar. We were lucky to have a sunny and relatively warm day for the hike.

Heidelberg Thingstatte Position: 49°25.44’N, 8°42.41’E Heidelberg Thingstatte is an amphitheatre at the summit of the hill Heiligenberg built by the Nazis in 1935 with a capacity for 8,000 seated or 15,000 standing. Although the acoustics weren’t as good as the designers had intended, when someone on the stage speaks in a normal voice level, you can still clearly hear them when standing well up in the stands.

Heiligenberg Tower Position: 49°25.18’N, 8°42.25’E The Heiligenberg Tower atop the hill Heiligenberg, built as a lookout in the 19th century.

Heidelberg from Heiligenberg Position: 49°25.18’N, 8°42.25’E The view to Heidelberg and the Neckar river from atop Heiligenberg Tower. We’ve been walking above a fog bank that is just staring to dissipate.

Heidenloch Position: 49°25.17’N, 8°42.20’E The 180-ft deep (55m) Heidenloch (“Heathen Hole”) near Heiligenberg Tower. The age and purpose of the pit is unknown, although some historians believe it is a Roman well or cistern.

No Horse-Drawn Carts Position: 49°25.24’N, 8°42.21’E Prohibiting motorcycles and automobiles in the nature reserve makes sense, but we wouldn’t have expected horse-drawn carts to be a big problem here.

Fuchs Rondell Lookout Position: 49°25.08’N, 8°42.04’E Great view west along the Neckar river from the Fuchs Rondell Lookout.

Philosophers’ Path Position: 49°25.05’N, 8°42.53’E A view to historic Heidelberg along the Heidelberg famous Philosophers’ Path. At left are the ruins of Heidelberg, dating from the 13th century. At right is the Karl Theodor Bridge, also known as the Old Bridge, built in 1788. The bridge gate visible at the far side of the bridge dates from the Middle Ages.

Aussichtspunkt Schlangenweg Position: 49°24.96’N, 8°42.53’E Descending back to the Neckar river along the narrow and walled Aussichtspunkt Schlangenweg (“Snake Path”) that connects the Old Bridge with the Philosophers’ Path.

Christmas Market Position: 49°24.73’N, 8°42.70’E A Christmas Market in Heidelberg with the ruins of Heidelberg Castle in the background.

Dinner Position: 50°2.12’N, 8°10.91’E Another delicious meal on the AmaMora. We’ve really been enjoying the cruise.

Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise. On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.