Old Bridge: Heidelberg Travel Guide (4.8★)

Sandstone, nine arches and a castle overhead

The Old Bridge is built from red Neckar sandstone. Its official name is the Karl-Theodor-Brücke, after the elector who paid for it, and it was finished in 1788. Nine arches carry it over the Neckar. Upstream, the ruined Heidelberg Castle sits on the wooded Königstuhl slope above the Altstadt rooftops.

The bridge you walk on today is a rebuild. German troops blew up its central arches in March 1945, and the city reopened it in 1947 using much of the original stone. Halfway across, two statues face each other: Karl Theodor himself, and Pallas Athena.

Through the gate, past the monkey

You enter from the Altstadt side through the Brückentor. This bridge gate has two white towers topped with baroque helmets, and its medieval core was once part of the town walls. Steingasse runs straight down to it from the Marktplatz and the Heiliggeistkirche, so the walk takes only a few minutes.

Just before the gate stands the Brückenaffe, a bronze monkey by Gernot Rumpf from 1979. Visitors rub it for luck, and local lore gives each part a job:

• The mirror: touch it for wealth.
• The outstretched fingers: touch them and you’ll come back to Heidelberg.
• The mice beside it: touch them for children.

Timing the crossing

The bridge is a public walkway, and Google currently lists it as open around the clock. That means you can cross whenever the light suits you. The Altstadt fills up as the day goes on, and walking tours usually make the bridge an early stop. Arriving before the shops open, or after dinner, usually gets you a deck without groups on it.

Evening is worth the wait. The castle is floodlit after dark and its reflection lies on the Neckar. Allow 20–30 minutes for the bridge itself. Allow two hours if you add the climb on the far bank.

Doing it the Heidelberg way

On the Neuenheim side, cross the road and look for the Schlangenweg. It’s a steep stepped path that winds between garden walls up to the Philosophenweg. From the top, you look down on the whole bridge, the gate towers and the castle in one frame. Wear grippy soles, because the stone gets slick when wet.

A few habits help on the bridge:

• Keep to one side. The deck is narrow for its traffic, so step to the parapet for photos and don’t stop mid-flow.
• Watch for bikes. Cyclists use the bridge too. Expect bells.
• Drive in, walk the last part. The Altstadt is largely pedestrianised. Park outside it or take the tram to Bismarckplatz, then walk along Hauptstraße.
• Go for the river meadow. On warm days, people lounge on the Neckarwiese downstream on the Neuenheim bank. It’s a good spot for the bridge view without the climb.

Heidelberg Hauptbahnhof is a fair distance west. Most visitors take a tram or bus into the centre rather than walking the whole way.