Vacation in Mannheim
January 23, 2012 2:55 PM
Ideas for a trip to Mannheim, Germany.
I am planning a trip to Mannheim, Germany in April 2012. I am planning on visiting my sister while she is doing a semester abroad. She can speak some German. I will be out there for 1 week and I will have a car.
I have seen ideas for Heidelburg and blackforrest. This is my first big vacation outside of the North America. I will be travelling with 4 other people ages 20-65yr.
Are there any suggests or recommendations on what is good to see?
Some things I am looking for:
Anything beautiful (architectural or natural)
Great brewery to go to
Day trips.
activities in Mannheim
I am planning a trip to Mannheim, Germany in April 2012. I am planning on visiting my sister while she is doing a semester abroad. She can speak some German. I will be out there for 1 week and I will have a car.
I have seen ideas for Heidelburg and blackforrest. This is my first big vacation outside of the North America. I will be travelling with 4 other people ages 20-65yr.
Are there any suggests or recommendations on what is good to see?
Some things I am looking for:
Anything beautiful (architectural or natural)
Great brewery to go to
Day trips.
activities in Mannheim
I've never been in Mannheim. But Heidelberg is a great tourist day trip. It's also an easy train ride to Strasbourg, a lovely city with a lot to do and enjoy; the Petite France district is charming and there's a very good folk culture museum. There's a fair amount to do in Karlrsruhe, too. Really that whole section of the Rhein is great.
posted by Nelson at 3:04 PM on January 23, 2012
posted by Nelson at 3:04 PM on January 23, 2012
About two hours away is Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a medieval walled city, which boasts a torture museum and a Christmas museum and the world's largest cuckoo clock. Also I think maybe the world's biggest or longest-running Christmas shop?
Also about two hours away is Wurzburg, home to one of the most spectacular palaces in the world (the Wurzburg Residence). There is also Ludwigsburg, only an hour from Mannheim, home of Ludwigsburg Palace.
I haven't been to any of these places in more than twenty years, but they were all super-impressive when I was a kid. Of the three, I recall thinking that Rothenburg was the least impressive and most schlocky. But, you know ... world's largest cuckoo clock!
posted by brina at 3:18 PM on January 23, 2012
Also about two hours away is Wurzburg, home to one of the most spectacular palaces in the world (the Wurzburg Residence). There is also Ludwigsburg, only an hour from Mannheim, home of Ludwigsburg Palace.
I haven't been to any of these places in more than twenty years, but they were all super-impressive when I was a kid. Of the three, I recall thinking that Rothenburg was the least impressive and most schlocky. But, you know ... world's largest cuckoo clock!
posted by brina at 3:18 PM on January 23, 2012
The destinations mentioned by earlier posters are farther away so I'll focus on the vicinity of the city you visit. Situated at the triangle formed by major rivers Neckar and Rhine, Mannheim is the largest city of an agglomeration which likes to call itself "Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar". The region has more than 2 million inhabitants, but in truth it does not feel like a very big city. Mannheim itself is an industrial city, Ludwigshafen across the Rhine even more so. Some people dislike Mannheim, but it has its charms, including Wassertrum and a city center (Quadrate) with an odd grid structure (and without street names); it's good for shopping too (Engelhorn being a popular upscale departement store). The Mannheimer Schloss is positively huge; Luisenpark is a nice and calm, well, park. Nearby Heidelberg could not be more different, being an old university town (Hegel, Gadamer) with a medieval-feeling center. Many tourists stop by, and for good reasons: the cobblestone streets, hoary university buildings, the castle on the hill with its Heidelberg Tun. Take a stroll on Philosophenweg with its view of the old town, and (seeing that you're visiting in the spring) take a nap on Neckarwiese, the grassy riverfront.
Outside Heidelberg, you could go to Schwetzingen, which has a beautiful schloss with a garden. Schwetzinger Festspiele, a classical music festival, is worth seeing. You could take a two-hour walk along the river from Heidelberg to Ladenburg (or rent a bike). At the river Neckar, halfway between Mannheim and Heidelberg, Ladenburg is a lovely town from the Roman era. The town of Worms has an impressive cathedral. The medieval cathedral in Speyer is a must-see, as well as part of UNESCO world heritage (Wikipedia cites its being called "one of the finest Romanesque monuments"). The local mountains (Odenwald) have forests great for hiking (though I've never done this); Michelstadt looks nice. Also, starting from Heidelberg, you can follow the Rhine to Neckarsteinach; you could even take a boat. This guide looks fairly comprehensive, though only in German it seems.
The Rhein-Neckar region is known for its good food (relative to German standards anyway, and you can find good restaurants, even of the fancier sort. The so-called Bergstraße has good wine, though if you're oenologically inclined, the Pfalz region, around Neustadt, perhaps the best-known wine region is the country, is worth a trip of an hour or so by car; it also offers a beautiful hilly landscape. Beer, of course, is consumed as well. The regions biggest brewery is Mannheim's Eichbaum, which offers tours. Beergardens exist, though they are not as common as in Bavaria. Rheinterrassen looks nice, though I haven't been there personally.
Finally, the region has a lot to offer culturally. In particular, Mannheim has its Staatstheater with a good opera, the orchestra of which also plays concerts at Rosengarten. The quality of the music is high (and it's a truly German experience). Manneheim and Heidelberg have a reasonably active nightlife. There's also a nice art museum (Kunsthalle), a mixed cultural museum called Reiss-Engelhorn-Museum and a technical museum (Technoseum).
posted by faustdick at 4:29 PM on January 23, 2012
Outside Heidelberg, you could go to Schwetzingen, which has a beautiful schloss with a garden. Schwetzinger Festspiele, a classical music festival, is worth seeing. You could take a two-hour walk along the river from Heidelberg to Ladenburg (or rent a bike). At the river Neckar, halfway between Mannheim and Heidelberg, Ladenburg is a lovely town from the Roman era. The town of Worms has an impressive cathedral. The medieval cathedral in Speyer is a must-see, as well as part of UNESCO world heritage (Wikipedia cites its being called "one of the finest Romanesque monuments"). The local mountains (Odenwald) have forests great for hiking (though I've never done this); Michelstadt looks nice. Also, starting from Heidelberg, you can follow the Rhine to Neckarsteinach; you could even take a boat. This guide looks fairly comprehensive, though only in German it seems.
The Rhein-Neckar region is known for its good food (relative to German standards anyway, and you can find good restaurants, even of the fancier sort. The so-called Bergstraße has good wine, though if you're oenologically inclined, the Pfalz region, around Neustadt, perhaps the best-known wine region is the country, is worth a trip of an hour or so by car; it also offers a beautiful hilly landscape. Beer, of course, is consumed as well. The regions biggest brewery is Mannheim's Eichbaum, which offers tours. Beergardens exist, though they are not as common as in Bavaria. Rheinterrassen looks nice, though I haven't been there personally.
Finally, the region has a lot to offer culturally. In particular, Mannheim has its Staatstheater with a good opera, the orchestra of which also plays concerts at Rosengarten. The quality of the music is high (and it's a truly German experience). Manneheim and Heidelberg have a reasonably active nightlife. There's also a nice art museum (Kunsthalle), a mixed cultural museum called Reiss-Engelhorn-Museum and a technical museum (Technoseum).
posted by faustdick at 4:29 PM on January 23, 2012
I studied abroad in Heidelberg. Heidelberg is right next door to Mannheim and full of really nice places to visit, as faustdick mentioned.
Lesser-known is the idyllic little village of Neckarsteinach down the river. If the weather is nice, you should totally take the train there from Heidelberg and hike to the four castles!
posted by edguardo at 5:16 PM on January 23, 2012
Lesser-known is the idyllic little village of Neckarsteinach down the river. If the weather is nice, you should totally take the train there from Heidelberg and hike to the four castles!
posted by edguardo at 5:16 PM on January 23, 2012
(Blagh! The largest cuckoo clock is actually in Weisbaden, in the Black Forest. The clock in Rothenburg depicts the world's longest gulp: three liters of wine in one go, to save the city.)
posted by brina at 5:25 PM on January 23, 2012
posted by brina at 5:25 PM on January 23, 2012
If you are going to visit Heidelberg, I have to recommend my favorite restaurant in the world. They have some of the best beer I have every drunk. It is just tasty and awesome. The food is also very German, but amazing.
As for possible locations, I have lived in Ulm, which has a very nice historic Fisherman's Quarter, a beautiful giant cathedral, and is just a nice place to visit. It is an easy train ride/drive for a day trip from Heidelberg. Freiburg is also a nice place to visit.
Since you are going to be in Germany during the summer, if you are interested in long day-trips, I would recommend checking out Lake Constance (a.k.a. Bodensee auf Deutsch). You can start with the German town of Meersburg and then take a ferry to Konstanz in Switzerland or go over to Austria if you feel like it.
Marburg, Büdingen, Koblenz, and the Schwarzwald are all very good places to go and check out in the local area for short day trips.
posted by Nackt at 6:25 PM on January 23, 2012
As for possible locations, I have lived in Ulm, which has a very nice historic Fisherman's Quarter, a beautiful giant cathedral, and is just a nice place to visit. It is an easy train ride/drive for a day trip from Heidelberg. Freiburg is also a nice place to visit.
Since you are going to be in Germany during the summer, if you are interested in long day-trips, I would recommend checking out Lake Constance (a.k.a. Bodensee auf Deutsch). You can start with the German town of Meersburg and then take a ferry to Konstanz in Switzerland or go over to Austria if you feel like it.
Marburg, Büdingen, Koblenz, and the Schwarzwald are all very good places to go and check out in the local area for short day trips.
posted by Nackt at 6:25 PM on January 23, 2012
I'd forego the car. One of the greatest pleasures for me in visiting Germany is partaking of the incredibly fantastic rail service. But I live in the biggest city in the world without intercity rail service (that would be Calgary, thanks VIA and Ottawa) and so I go nuts with it when I'm there.
I second Heidelberg and Rothenburg ob der Tauber. I spent the first two days of a month in Germany in late September in Rothenburg- it's a little tough to get to (you have to take the infrequent train from Steinach there- very odd to see a German rail station, even a tiny one, with so few arrivals and departures and only one route to boot) but storybook gorgeous and EVERYBODY speaks English there. I heard more English then German, I'd guess.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 10:13 AM on January 24, 2012
I second Heidelberg and Rothenburg ob der Tauber. I spent the first two days of a month in Germany in late September in Rothenburg- it's a little tough to get to (you have to take the infrequent train from Steinach there- very odd to see a German rail station, even a tiny one, with so few arrivals and departures and only one route to boot) but storybook gorgeous and EVERYBODY speaks English there. I heard more English then German, I'd guess.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 10:13 AM on January 24, 2012
There is so much good information here. Thanks everyone. I will try to remember to follow up and post where I went and what was good for anyone reading this in the future.
posted by Jaelma24 at 10:33 AM on January 25, 2012
posted by Jaelma24 at 10:33 AM on January 25, 2012
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Colmar, in Alsace, is also quite close by, if you fancy a day trip to France! According to Google Maps, it's less than 2 1/2 hours away by car. Colmar is a great place.
posted by sueinnyc at 3:04 PM on January 23, 2012