10 Best Things to Do After Dinner in Heidelberg

Heidelberger Marktplatz is the city’s main market square, located towards the eastern edge of the city’s Old Town. Marktplatz is filled with charming and characterful buildings, from the elegant Town Hall to the ornate 3- and 4-storey structures now housing hotels, restaurants and cafés.

If you think the Marktplatz looks pretty during the day, make a point to visit at night too. It feels magical when it’s lit up. And, as it’s usually quieter, you can soak up the history all around you. Pull up a seat, order a beer, and admire the 300-year-old fountain and the pretty Church of The Holy Spirit.

Heidelberg Castle is one of the city’s main attractions. Looking down across the city, these impressive ruins date back to the 16th century and are surrounded by gory myths and sinister happenings. If you want to enjoy the gorgeous gardens, consider visiting in daylight, but to enjoy the scarier side of the castle, visit after dark.

There are regular evening tours to the castle, where you’ll learn all about its history, the battles that took place, and all the gossip about long-departed families who lived there. This is one of the most memorable ways to fill an evening in Heidelberg, even if you might be spooked by the time you leave.

If you want to enjoy a few drinks in Heidelberg’s most youthful sector, then take a walk to Untere Strasse, otherwise known as ‘Pub Mile’. By day, this is a popular independent shopping street, but by night it takes on a different personality. Lined with pubs and bars of all descriptions, things can get a little crazy here at weekends.

Take a walk down Untere Strasse and choose an appealing bar, or try each pub in turn. You’ve got plenty of time, as many places stay open until dawn, catering to the city’s huge student population who favour this trendy spot. Some of the most popular options include Sonderbar, Weinloch and La Feé.

Halle02 is the large warehouse you'll see if you look immediately to the south of Heidelberg’s main train station. Offering an attractive – and very sizeable – industrial events space, Halle02 is the place to come for the most exciting events in Heidelberg.

With big-name music tours, Latin-tinged reggaeton parties, makers markets, plus Heidelberg’s annual Deathfest music festival, the programme is certainly varied. Grab your tickets and make a beeline for this city centre events powerhouse – you’re sure of a great night out.

Theater & Orchester Heidelberg is located on the aptly-named Theaterstrasse, right in the heart of the city. Housed in an attractive building dating back to the 1850s, the Theater & Orchester was refurbished to include the construction of a bespoke space to enjoy orchestral performances, theatre productions, musical theatre and dance shows.

Popular festivals take place at the venue each year, including a celebration of theatre at Heidelberger Stückemarkt, and a North, Central and South American-focused festival called Adelante! Each year during the summer, Theater & Orchester Heidelberg also arranges shows using purpose-built stages at the gorgeous Heidelberg Castle – one not to be missed.

Since 2022, the Karlstorbahnhof has been located in a converted barracks a little way south of Heidelberg’s city centre. It offers visitors a selection of events, from large-scale music gigs to more intimate comedy shows, and smaller again lectures and theatre productions. There’s also a cinema giving visitors access to an interesting schedule of non-mainstream films.

Karlstorbahnhof promotes itself as Germany’s youngest cultural events space and proudly declares it's free from discrimination. It aims to be fully inclusive, representing and respecting all the communities that use it. It’s a lofty aim, but one that has been upheld by the cultural centre’s many visitors.

Destille is a quirky bar located on Heidelberg’s notorious Untere Strasse. One of the most distinctive things about Destille – after its red and green frontage – is the huge Acacia tree at its heart. Providing a place to chat, celebrate, or commiserate is the aim here, and it does that with style.

Art is also important at Destille, with regularly changing artwork displayed from all around the world. There’s a healthy range of drinks to choose from, making this a great place to pop in after dinner, take in the colourful art on the wall, and watch the varied people who choose to spend their evening at this Heidelberg favourite.

You’ll want to check out Cave 54 if you’re a jazz music fan. Not only are there regular jazz gigs, but this venue is important in the German jazz scene, formerly hosting jam sessions for greats like Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. With credentials like these, it’s no surprise this remains one of the city’s favourite places to catch a gig.

Located in a basement down an unassuming street near the Marktplatz, the venue feels like a secret you’ve been let into. With chalk marks scrawled across the curved brick walls, and furnishings kept simple and minimal, the tiny space does have a cave-like feel. The stage is the heart of the venue, and the acoustics are something else.

Kulturbrauerei Heidelberg is a 3-in-1 hotel, brewery and beer garden run by the Merz family and is one of Heidelberg’s most welcoming spots. Whether you’re sipping a half litre of beer in the courtyard or taking in the impressively ornate interior of the main dining room, there’s nothing not to like about Kulturbrauerei Heidelberg.

The 20-year-old Kulturbrauerei sits right next to the site of an old Heidelberg brewery, which operated back in the 18th and 19th centuries. The new brewers create a combination of beers, some brewed according to German traditions, others in the spirit of modern craft beers. A perfect find for true beer aficionados.

Vetter's Alt Heidelberger Brauhaus is one of Heidelberg’s more enduring family-run breweries. This one has been operating for around 35 years. The welcoming brewhouse is located just steps from the Alte Brucke, or Old Bridge, with its famous bronze monkey statue. The large bar is dominated by huge, gleaming pieces of brewing kit that can be admired from the beer hall tables.

Try one of the classic Vetter’s lagers, perhaps a more unusual dark wheat beer, or one of the seasonal brews. All are crafted according to the German Beer Purity Law, which states that only 4 ingredients – water, hops, malt and yeast – can be included. If you’re not too full after dinner, sample the beers with traditional salty pretzels for a real taste of Germany.