Mannheim is a city in the northwest corner of the state of Baden-Württemberg in
Germany, at the confluence of the Rhine and Neckar rivers. After the capital Stuttgart, it is the second-largest city in the state of Baden-Württemberg. In its early days, Mannheim, the secret capital of the Electoral Palatinate, was a popular destination for artists and art lovers. Mannheim has continued to build upon this reputation and today offers an extensive repertoire of cultural monuments, museums, exhibitions and much more. Currently, it has a population of 312,000 citizens on an area of 145 sq km.
How to Get There:
Mannheim is connected to Frankfurt airport by ICE high speed train (30 minutes), or Airport Shuttle bus (60 minutes). Mannheim City Airport has flights to Berlin, Hamburg and Saarbrücken. Mannheim is a regional transport hub for ICE, IC and regional trains and has overnight long distance services to France, UK and other neighbouring countries. The Mannheim/Ludwigshafen area is connected to Frankfurt in the north, Karlsruhe in the south, Saarbrücken in the west and Nürnberg in the east. A cheap option is the overnight bus service to Hamburg via Frankfurt and Hannover, for less than € 10. The local transportation system of buses and street cars is excellent.
What to see:
Mannheim is a tourist’s delight as it is full of sights to see and enjoy. The Water tower, Mannheim's Palace (now part of the University of Mannheim), Paradeplatz: reserved for
pedestrians only; Konkordienkirche and Herzogenriedpark. There are many more sights, if you have the time. Package tours are also available.
Where to Eat:
Mannheim has 320 restaurants. The better rated eateries are Im Juli, Gasthaus Zentrale, Uhland, Wirtshaus zum Neckartal, Mullers Wirtshaus, Hemmlein and Henningers Gutsschanke. Mannheim is known for its many pretzel stands and Doner kebabs.
Hotels:
There are over 50 hotels in Mannheim. Some of those recommended are Formule 1 Mannheim Sued Ost Heidelberg, Weber Hotel, Privathotel Loewen-Seckenheim, Etap Hotel Mannheim Sued Ost Heidelberg, City Hotel Mannheim, Gasthaus am Riedweg and die Jugendherberge Youth Hostel.
