Heidelberg audio tour - cafes and other recommendations!

Updated 29.11.2023
The suggestions below follow the same route as the voicemap audiotour, downloadable by following the link, plus a few extra hints and tips. If you spot a change, perhaps a new cafe you tried and liked, please leave a comment.

Cafes etc.

Key to listings: D - dining, C - cafe/coffee, Vg - vegan, TG - to go, W - wine
Along the tour route:

D Vetters Alt Brauhaus - (Steingasse 9) A clasic brewery serving it’s own beers and hearty plates of German food. Open for lunch and dinner until late.
C, D, W Cafe Burkhardt (Untere Str. 27) Originally a wine bar Cafe Burkhardt is now the place to go for lunch or a bite to eat, especially for a choise of vegetarian food or gluten-free options.
C Ahmed's Middle Eastern Eatery (Untere Str. 23) Opening post lunch time and staying open until late, popular with the students, Ahmed’s serves very good falafel amongst other hearty plates of food. Plenty of vegetarian options.
D, C Rada Coffee & Rösterei (Untere Str. 21) For a great cup of coffee this is the place to head too. Home made cakes including gluten free options, too. Better still, they also offer gluten free lunch options.
C, TG OK Kool (Marstallstr. 7) The place for some great home made ice-cream, cakes and a good cup of coffee too, Limited opening hours, though!
C, TG, Moro Caffe & Thé (Haupstr. 160) Long time known as the coffee shop in Heidelberg. Stop here for a perfectly made cappucino and a (large) piece of home made cake.

Slightly off the audio tour route:

D Mahmoud's Altstadt - (Merianstr. 3) Slightly off the audio tour track, but located on a nice quiet back street, Mahmound’s is known for it’s middle eastern food, fresh salads and falafel.
C Panno (Ingrimstr. 22) On the street leading to the funicular railway up to the castle, this tiny cafe serves excellent coffe and great cakes too. Very chilled!
D Kulturbrauerei (Leyergasse 6) Yes, it is popular with the tourists, but the Kulturbrauerei has a lovely garden in the summer months, and brews it’s own beer.
W Weinstube Witter (Hauptstr. 224) A lovely old wine bar, with a lovely choice of local wines by the glass, and some small bites for when you suddenly realised you’ve been here a lot longer and perhaps drunk a glass or two more than planned :-)

Souvenirs

Letter & Co (Untere Str. 24) for a slightly different Heidelberg souvenir, this shop proudly stocks Kaweco pens, a firm which was originally founded in Heidelberg 1883.
Käthe Wohlfahrt (Hauptstr. 124) a dedicated Christmas shop selling german made Christmas decorations all year round.
University Souvenirs (Augustinergasse 2) Purchase Heidelberg university t-shirts, mugs and hats at the Student Karzer.

Heidelberg Castle

A trip to Heidelberg is not complete without a trip to the castle. Walking up is one option and there are various routes, the most common being the path next to the funicular railway.
The grounds of the castle are free to explore and offer some lovely views. To enter the castle you will need to purchase a ticket. Alternatively take the funicular railway (Bergbahn) up and entrance to the castle is included.
The funicular railway can be found at the corner of Kornmarkt and Burgweg/Zwingerstrasse. Ticket prices and other information are detailed in the link.