Getting around in Mannheim

A few tips for getting around in Mannheim.

On foot

The centre of Mannheim itself isn't actually too big, so it's possible to get around on foot quite easily within the quadrats! You just need to familiarise yourself with the grid system; it's a little odd at first but once you get used to it, you'll never be lost again! 

Essentially, addresses in the city centre itself will be a combination of a letter and a number (for example, the cafe where Stammtisch is held every Monday night is at L3). The letter refers to the row of the grid that the building is on, and the number refers to the column.

If you stand directly in front of the main part of uni and face away from the palace building, you'll see a long road straight ahead of you. Think of this as the middle of Mannheim.

To the left of you, each row will have a letter starting from A and ending with K (A being the closest row of buildings to you, K being the furthest away). To the right of you, each row has a letter starting from L (closest to you) and ending with U (furthest away from you). 

Each column has its own number, increasing as you get further away from the centre. If an address is A1, for example, it's the row closest you on the left, and the first column (closest to that middle road). If it's L6, it's the row closest to you on the right and the sixth block across. 

So if you get lost, just keep walking until the numbers get back to 1 and you'll find yourself back on that central road which leads straight to uni!

Cycling

If you want to be able to get around quicker than on foot, a bike is a good option. Mannheim has plenty of bike lanes and places to store your bike, particularly at uni. If you'd rather not buy a bike for the short time you're here, it's also possible to rent one of the city bikes.

You can find these dotted around all over the city. You'll need to download a special app to use them, but for students at Mannheim, the first half hour of use is free! That should be long enough to get you almost anywhere you need to go, but if not, drop your bike off and pick another one straight up and you'll get another half an hour for free.

Buses

You can either download the DB (Deutsche Bahn) app, or just use Google Maps! If you type in where you are and where you want to go, it'll bring up when the next bus is and the timetable. Buses run pretty regularly in Mannheim, all over the city. They stop running late at night though, so check when the last one is if you're planning on getting the bus after about 11. 

With a semester ticket, you can travel on the bus as much as you want for free. If you don't have a semester ticket, it costs 2.50 a journey. If you're caught without a valid ticket, you can get fined pretty heavily so make sure you always buy one!

Trams

Trams are another option for getting around, particularly if you want to go outside the centre of Mannheim. Again, the DB app or Google Maps is the easiest way to find the timings, and you can travel for free with a semester ticket or pay 2.50 for a single journey. The trams also run quite late!

Trains

Mannheim Hauptbahnhof (main station) has really good transport links to the rest of Germany and Europe! You can get to almost anywhere from the station, and with a semester ticket you can get to some places nearby, like Heidelberg or Schwetzingen, for free. 

The station has a lot of shops and food places, and the ticket machines have an English language option, so it's really convenient!

Buses and coaches also run from the HBF, which are often cheaper than trains if you're prepared to compromise on journey length!