Life in Heidelberg
The perfect city for your studies
Heidelberg also has plenty to offer besides your studies.
A beautiful old town with many pubs, the much-used sunbathing lawns along the Neckar in summer, and with the Königsstuhl, the Odenwald and the Weinstraße also a wonderful environment for hiking.
Around a quarter of the population is enrolled at the university or one of Heidelberg’s other higher education institutions, so student hotspots can be found in many places in the city and especially near the campuses.
The subjects of physics, mathematics and computer science are located on the Im Neuenheimer Feld campus. This is centrally located and has excellent connections to the rest of the city, especially during the day. The physicists also attend part of their lectures at Philosophenweg, which can be reached from Neuenheimer Feld within 10 minutes by bus and is directly opposite the old town.
Living
With average room prices of €380 to €460 in a private shared flat, Heidelberg is one of the more expensive places to study in Germany, so it’s worth looking for accommodation early.
Studierendenwerk
The Studierendenwerk offers cheap accommodation, but you should apply as early as possible. Unfortunately, halls of residence are only available for 15% of students.
If you are a BAföG recipient or have a severe disability, you will be given priority when looking for a room, so remember to submit your proof of eligibility in good time.
Privat flats
Apart from that, most private flat-sharing places are offered via wg-gesucht. Since landlords often have several hundred applicants, it is worthwhile to focus on quantity when applying and to search regularly over several weeks. It is common for you to be invited to an on-site visit at very short notice, so it is an advantage if you are in Heidelberg during the flat search.
Especially at the beginning of your studies, it can make sense to compromise on your flat search and then look for a better flat a few months after the semester has started, when fewer people are newly moving to Heidelberg.
If you have problems finding a flat in Heidelberg, you should also keep an eye on nearby towns such as Dossenheim, Schriesheim, Ziegelhausen and Schwetzingen. Especially in the first three places, the rent is much cheaper than in Heidelberg and you can still get to the university in a reasonable amount of time via public transport.
Local public transport
Evening and weekend arrangement
The student council has negotiated a contract for students at Heidelberg University that allows them to use local public transport free of charge with their student card from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. during the week and all day on weekends and public holidays.
Buses and trams run very regularly during the day, and special night lines run every half hour on weekends. During the week, however, public transport is often only active until 1am.
The mode of transport of choice: the bicycle
For most students, the bicycle in particular is their means of transport of choice, because despite a size of about 150,000 inhabitants, most places can be reached within 20 minutes by bike.
With VRNnextbike, students can rent a bike for up to half an hour free of charge. After half an hour, you have to wait 15 minutes before you can rent a bike again.
Semester ticket
Students can purchase a semester ticket for 6 months for 176 €. With this ticket, you can use public transport in the VRN area.
