Baden-Baden

Amazing atten­tion to details that only a real friend would do… ;)
On a recent visit to Frank­furt to see an NFL game, we decided to explore the quaint city of Heidel­berg and many other local surrounding cities. Not wanting to drive ourselves, we went looking for a local guide. Luckily for us, we (now) have a friend in Heidel­berg. Having recently visited an old friend in Leiden, Nether­lands, who took us to local restau­rants, talked to us about local culture, and ensured we saw more of the authentic city, we can confi­dently say our expe­ri­ence with Manfred was just like that, and a lot more. First, we were thankful and impressed with Manfred’s commu­ni­ca­tion. It started imme­di­ately upon our inquiry about his services, where he recom­mended changes to our hotel, suggesting we spend more time in Heidel­berg vs Frank­furt. Knowing very little about either city, we only real­ized what great advice this was once we arrived and spent time in both. It made our stay in both cities so much more enjoy­able and relaxing. The day of our flight Manfred contacted us to wish us a safe journey and give us the most updated weather fore­cast for our stay and to get our flight infor­ma­tion. Because we flew into Frank­furt, he suggested taking the train to Mannheim and then getting a taxi from there to Heidel­berg which was only about a 20-minute drive. This was a great sugges­tion as navi­gating the trains was a bit chal­lenging at times. Once we arrived in Heidel­berg, we again heard from Manfred, making recom­men­da­tions on where to eat and what to see before we spent any time with him. He provided us with direc­tions for a scenic walk to the old town and the sugges­tion of a restau­rant for an authentic German meal. He recom­mended getting there right when they open because it was quite popular. This was absolutely the case. We were fortu­nate to get a seat at one of the shared tables and enjoyed our meal with a lovely older German couple who lived locally and a young Russian couple who had recently relo­cated to Heidel­berg. Both had said they tried to get into this restau­rant multiple times but had not been able to until that night. Manfred goes above and beyond just the time you spend together to ensure you have a well-planned trip. We spent two days with Manfred, and I must first recog­nize his van’s clean­li­ness. As a self-described neat freak, I cannot take a dirty vehicle, and his car was absolutely immac­u­late. He was also prepared with umbrellas as the first day was a bit rainy in the morning. We had some planned time in Old Town and at Heidel­berg Castle, among other stops, which Manfred helped explain. Beyond that we took drives to Pfalz near Deidesheim (2nd largest wine region in Germany) to have a lovely local meal. We spent our second day in Baden-Baden and the Black Forest, both of which we’d highly recom­mend. A real advan­tage is having a local who speaks the language and is willing to ask ques­tions of local busi­nesses to get the expe­ri­ence you want. To end our last day in Heidel­berg, we wanted to find a club for some elec­tronic music. Manfred was quick to call his daughter who suggested a couple places we might want to go. She even did some research to find out what kind of music would be played that night. If you’re driving a lot like we did, you really get a chance to have a conver­sa­tion about all kinds of inter­esting topics. As an Amer­ican, getting the perspec­tive from others on their global views and things happening in their country is again one of those nice touches that does indeed make it feel like a friend in Heidel­berg. We have to admit we were sad to move on to our next adven­ture after two days together. If you’re looking for a unique, custom tour guide expe­ri­ence in Heidel­berg and its surrounding areas, we’d highly recom­mend a Friend in Heidel­berg.

Wonderful Custom Daytrip
Our day with Manfred was perfect! Prior to the trip, he helped my husband and I plan an outing that included high­lights of the Black Forest and the Christmas Market at Baden-Baden. Manfred even included links to videos and other info that would help us enjoy our time in Heidel­berg prior to and after our time with him. When the day for our tour arrived, he picked us up in Heidel­berg in his comfort­able and spot­less car and drove us to Lake Mummelsee. The visi­bility was not right for the hike we had planned, but Manfred quickly pivoted to take us on a gentle hike around Lake Mummelsee which was so picturesque with the snow & ice on the trees. We enjoyed some hot cocoa after the hike and then Manfred took us to a shop so that we could purchase a cuckoo clock at a discounted price. We had lunch at an amazing restau­rant where we sampled Black Forest special­ties (including black forest cake)! The Christmas Market at Baden-Baden was amazing and it was nice to be able to enjoy gluh­wein knowing that Manfred would get us back safely to Heidel­berg!

The best tour guide – a friend in Heidel­berg
Manfred Pitz, a friend in heidel­berg, was our amazing tour guide for two days, October 16 and 17. We highly recom­mend Manfred. He is super! He is a Heidel­berg native and knows all the great local spots to see in Heidel­berg. Manfred is so warm and friendly. Seemed as if we had known him forever. He drove us from Frank­furt to our hotel in Heidel­berg. Upon arrival at our hotel, Manfred promptly went to the recep­tion desk and speaking in German made sure our room was ready. Little did we know, he had been corre­sponding to devise a surprise for our 47th anniver­sary: A special room with the VIP treat­ment. The tour of Old Heidel­berg and Heidel­berg Castle was amazing. Manfred is so knowl­edge­able, kind and only wants his clients to be happy. At the end of our first day, Manfred took us to a charming little choco­la­terie and intro­duced us to Spanish hot choco­late – what a treat! A great time and a great tour. Our second day with Manfred was modi­fied to allow a detour to a little village where my ancestry is from. Manfred was so encour­aging and assured us our tour could be however we wanted. Long story short, we found rela­tives of mine in that little village and spent almost three hours visiting. None of this would have been possible without Manfred speaking German to help with commu­ni­ca­tion. We visited with an English-speaking rela­tive and had the very best time! This meant less time in the Black Forest, but that was totally fine. Finding a rela­tive was a dream come true – all due to our friend Manfred. What a blessing. Manfred made our trip of our life­time a dream. He made us feel so welcome and special: Truly a very special person. His service goes way beyond a five-star rating, and he is now a new friend – a friend in Heidel­berg.

Manfred is a friend indeed!
Manfred is indeed a friend. It was easy to forget that we were tourists when we were with him. He kindly asked about our wishes and needs before embarking on the journey, and tried to accom­mo­date us in every possible way, keeping the itin­erary flex­ible and making the ride pleasant. I was trav­eling with my elderly mother who had diffi­culty walking due to a recent acci­dent. Manfred was able to find the best way for her to see a little bit of every­thing. We managed to get a taste of Black Forest, Baden-Baden, and of course Manfred’s home­town Heidel­berg, without much walking. Manfred is an excel­lent driver, very kind and easy to talk to. We had some inter­esting conver­sa­tion along the way and took a nice nap in his comfort­able luxury car during a longer ride. If you are looking for a friend in Heidel­berg, Manfred is ready for you!

Wonderful day in the Black Forest with Manfred
I had a great day with Manfred exploring the Black Forest! We met up for hot choco­late and dessert when I arrived in Heidel­berg. He gave me some tips for things to do while I was there. We had great conver­sa­tion and I got to meet his dog! Over the weekend he checked in to see how my trip was going. I took his advice and took the train to Speyer from Heidel­berg and had a wonderful time. On Monday we met up in the morning and spent all day exploring different places in the Black Forest. The fall colors were gorgeous and I loved the store we visited in Mummelsee. We visited a palace, lakes, and had a last stop at a water­fall in the forest. We had great conver­sa­tion all day and I felt like I was with a friend. I hope to book another tour with Manfred when I’m back in Germany and if he ever comes to my home­town, I look forward to showing him around.