The orchid houses
A wide orchid collection, some of it rare — the strongest thing in the garden.
Daderot — CC0 · Daderot — CC0 · Daderot — CC0 · Daderot — CC0
The Heidelberg Botanical Garden belongs to Heidelberg University and was founded in 1593, making it one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world. It is a scientific garden for research and teaching before it is a tourist sight, but it is open to visitors free of charge. Its greenhouses are the main draw: substantial collections of orchids, succulents, cacti and tropical plants, some of them rare. The outdoor garden is smaller and quieter than the great city gardens, and it makes a pleasant stop for anyone who likes plants or wants a calm hour away from the crowds of the old town.
A wide orchid collection, some of it rare — the strongest thing in the garden.
Cacti and desert plants from around the world in a hot, dry glasshouse.
A garden founded in 1593 and still working for university research — among the oldest of its kind anywhere.
Im Neuenheimer Feld 340, 69120 Heidelberg
Heidelberg ZooHeidelberg's zoo is the university city's family face: a mid-sized riverside gar6 minutes walk4.5
The Ernst Walz BridgeA bridge over the Neckar west of central Heidelberg, carrying the name of Ernst 10 minutes walk4.6
NeckarwieseThe Neckarwiese is Heidelberg's summer living room: a long green ribbon on the r19 minutes walk4.7
Bismarck TowerThe Bismarck Tower is a square stone tower on the Gaisberg hill north of Heidelb19 minutes walk4.4
Altes HallenbadThe Altes Hallenbad is a public indoor swimming baths built in 1906 in Art Nouve21 minutes walk4.6If you like plants, certainly — particularly the greenhouses. But if you only have one day in Heidelberg, the castle, the old bridge and the old town come well before it. This is a second-day addition.
It is on the university campus north of the Neckar, not in the old town. Trams and buses reach it in about twenty minutes from central Heidelberg. Factor the journey both ways into your decision.
Children who like plants and insects enjoy the greenhouses, especially the cacti and the carnivorous plants. But it is a quiet scientific garden, not a place for running and playing, and there is no playground.