Tübingen Old Town

The old town of Tübingen is one of the most charming historic centers in southern Germany: colorful half-timbered houses lining the Neckar River, steep cobbled lanes, a painted town hall and a Renaissance castle on the hill above. Only a small part of the city was destroyed in World War II, so the medieval layout survives almost intact. Add a famous university and its students, and you get a lively, walkable town that makes an easy day trip from Stuttgart.

A university town since 1477

Count Eberhard im Bart founded the University of Tübingen in 1477, and it still shapes everything here: of roughly 92,600 residents, about 26,300 are students. The astronomer Johannes Kepler, the philosophers Hegel and Schelling and the poet Friedrich Hölderlin all studied in Tübingen. During World War II only about 5 percent of the city was destroyed, which is why the old town feels so complete today.

Top things to do in Tübingen's old town

• Market Square and Town Hall: The sloping square with its Neptune Fountain is the heart of town. The town hall dates from 1435; its painted facade was added in 1876 for the university's 400th anniversary, and the astronomical clock was built in 1511 by professor Johannes Stöffler.
• Collegiate Church of St. George: This late Gothic church, built mainly between 1470 and 1490, holds the tombs of 16 members of the Württemberg ruling house. Climb the tower to the gallery at 45 meters for views over the rooftops.
• Neckar waterfront and Hölderlin Tower: The row of houses above the river is the classic Tübingen photo. The poet Hölderlin lived in the tower from 1807 until his death in 1843; it is now a museum.
• Neckar Island: Stairs lead down from the Neckar Bridge to a long, narrow island with an avenue of plane trees and the best view of the waterfront.
• Hohentübingen Castle: Home to the university's Museum of Ancient Cultures, which displays Ice Age ivory figurines from the Vogelherd Cave, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Caves and Ice Age Art in the Swabian Jura." The cellar holds a giant wine barrel from 1549.

Punting on the Neckar

Tübingen's wooden punts, known as Stocherkähne, are pushed along with a long pole much like the punts of Oxford and Cambridge. The tourist office runs public punt trips from May to September, and in June student fraternities race each other in the noisy, splashy Stocherkahnrennen.

Tours and visitor information

The Tourist & Ticket Center sits right by the Neckar Bridge. As of October 2026 it is open Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., plus Sundays 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. from May to September. It offers public walking tours, including an English-language public guided tour; check its website for dates and prices. Allow two to three hours for the old town, or a full day with the castle museum and a punt ride. Expect hills and cobblestones.

How to get to Tübingen

Tübingen lies about 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of Stuttgart. Regional trains connect Stuttgart main station with Tübingen in around an hour, and the old town is a short walk from the station across the Neckar Bridge. From Stuttgart Airport, a drive takes roughly half an hour. Regional trains and local buses are covered by the Deutschlandticket. If you drive, park in one of the garages on the edge of the center, since the old town is largely car-free.

Is it worth visiting? Absolutely, especially if you want to see a historic German town that feels lived-in rather than staged. Combine it with Bebenhausen Abbey, about 2 miles north, or Lichtenstein Castle on the Swabian Alb.