Excursions
Each semester, the International Relations Office at Heidelberg University offers a diverse programme of cultural activities for international students. Our day trips give you the opportunity to discover numerous German towns and cities - a great way to familiarise yourself with Germany’s cultural diversity.
Zu viel Englisch? Klicke auf den Globus am rechten unteren Rand der Seite, um diese auf Deutsch zu lesen.
The number of places for each excursion is limited and tickets sell out quickly. Online reservations are not possible.
Registration and ticket sales (cash payment only) take place in the “Serviceportal für Internationale Studierende” (Room 33) in Carolinum, Seminarstraße 2.
The excursion programme is aimed exclusively at international students enrolled at the University of Heidelberg. Please present your student ID when purchasing your ticket!
Opening hours:
Tuesday 10am–1pm, Friday 2pm–3pm
Excursions
Start of the semester in Schwetzingen On April 13th 2024
ATTENTION: Ticket sale on 12 April from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the International Students service portal
The first excursion of the summer semester goes to nearby Schwetzingen. Experience the last days of the blossoming fruit trees in the beautiful baroque gardens of Schwetzingen Palace.
After a short journey by coach, you will enjoy an interesting, guided tour of the Palatine summer residence. The visit then continues with a guided tour of the spacious palace gardens.
The guided tours are offered in English and German!
After the informative part of the program, there will be enough time to explore the gardens and Schwetzingen's old town with its many cafés on your own before we head back to Heidelberg together in the afternoon.
SATURDAY, APRIL 20TH – GUIDED CITY TOUR HEIDELBERG
On the first Saturday after the start of term, you will have the opportunity to get to know Heidelberg and its history better.
This free city tour will give you an overview of the closely interwoven history of the city and the university. The tour takes place in German in the morning and in English in the afternoon. A binding registration by e-mail is required.
Registration is possible until Thursday, 18 April at exkursion@zuv.uni-heidelberg.de
You will receive an e-mail to let you know if your registration has been successful. The tour takes place regardless of the weather.
German tour: 10 am
English tour: 2 pm
Meeting point: Universitätsplatz, Löwenbrunnen
SATURDAY, APRIL 27TH – HEIDELBERG CASTLE
It towers majestically over the city and is the epitome of Heidelberg romance - Heidelberg Castle. Get to know Germany’s most famous ruin on a guided tour of the castle is probably this morning. The tour is offered in both German and English. Afterwards we will discover the vast castle gardens together.
Price: 5€
Registration and ticket sales from 16 April 2024
WEDNESDAY, MAY 1ST - TRIER
The first full-day trip of the summer semester takes you to the birthplace of Karl Marx on Labour Day. Discover the many traces of the 2000-year history of Germany's oldest city. The price of the trip includes a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites "Amphitheatre" and "Imperial Baths", as well as admission to the Rhineland State Museum. After the joint programme, you will have enough time to visit other museums or enjoy a glass of the famous Mosel Riesling.
Registration and ticket sales: from Tuesday, 16 April 2024
Price: €25 (incl. journey, city tour and admissions)
Departure: 8.00 am at Heidelberg Mainstation, Bus platform “Kurfürstenanlage”
SATURDAY, MAY 4TH – THINGSTÄTTE
At the beginning of May, you will have another opportunity to get to know your study city even better. After a walk through the beautiful weekly market on the cosy Neuenheim market square, we stroll along the Heidelberg Philosophers' Trail in the footsteps of poets and thinkers. The destination of our walk over the Heiligenberg is the Thingstätte. How do and did the city and its inhabitants deal with this non-place of the National Socialist past? An informative insight into the changing history of an unusual site that can both fascinate and be a warning.
Registration for the free walk is possible until Thursday, 2 May at
SATURDAY, MAY 11TH – CYCLING TRIP TO LADENBURG
It's about to get a bit sporty. Together we cycle along the Neckar to nearby Ladenburg. The Roman town of Lopodunum was a center of the region long before Heidelberg. Today, traces of the former Roman metropolis can only be discovered at second glance. In the afternoon, you can discover another aspect of Ladenburg's history at the Carl Benz Automobile Museum. Or you can explore the many fruit farms between Ladenburg and Heidelberg with their wide-ranging strawberry fields. A tour to suit every taste!
Registration possible until Thursday, 09 May at
Please note that the costs for hire bikes and the optional entrance fees to the museums are to be paid by yourself.
SATURDAY, MAY 18TH – LORSCH MONESTARY AND HIKING ALONG THE “BERGSTRASSE”
This day trip also combines culture and nature in the region around Heidelberg. A visit to Lorsch Abbey - a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991 - and the associated experimental archaeological open-air laboratory Lauresham will be a true journey back in time to the Middle Ages. Here you will gain an insight into life in a manor house at the time of Charlemagne.
In the afternoon, we will hike along the "Hessische Bergstraße" on the adventure trail "Wine and Stone". At the end of the day, enjoy a well-earned glass of wine or juice spritzer from the many Heppenheim winegrowers in the pretty old town at the foot of Starkenburg Castle.
Registration and ticket sales from 16 April 2024
Price: €10 (guided tours, but without transport)
Please note that we use public transport for this excursion. You must pay for and organise your own transport to and from the tour by VRN bus and train.
(Tip: Get the Deutschlandticket or the "D-Ticket JugendBW". https://vm.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/mobilitaet-verkehr/oepnv/verkehrsverbuende-tarife/alles-zum-d-ticket-jugendbw )
SATURDAY, MAY 25TH – HAMBACH CASTLE AND NEUSTADT (WEINSTRASSE)
At the end of May 1832, the Hambach Festival was celebrated with 30,000 visitors - since then, Hambach Castle has been regarded as the birthplace of German democracy. Around 200 Heidelberg students also took part and, like the other participants, called for a united Germany, basic political rights and a Europe based on solidarity and republicanism. All this at a time when the European monarchs and their powerful dynasties were regaining political control after the chaos of the French Revolution.
Come along to this year's "Festival of Democracy" in Neustadt an der Weinstraße and Hambach Castle! After a guided tour of the castle, we will also walk along the Freedom Trail towards Neustadt an der Weinstraße. Plunge into the hustle and bustle of Neustadt's old town, which will be celebrating with a great cultural programme from 23 to 26 May.
Registration and ticket sales from 16 April 2024
Price: €10 (guided tours, but without transport)
Please note that we use public transport for this excursion. You must pay for and organise your own transport to and from the tour by VRN bus and train.
(Tip: Get the Deutschlandticket or the "D-Ticket JugendBW". https://vm.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/mobilitaet-verkehr/oepnv/verkehrsverbuende-tarife/alles-zum-d-ticket-jugendbw )