Tübingen Altstadt and Hölderlinturm

Tübingen's Altstadt climbs a hillside above the Neckar River in a dense cluster of half-timbered houses, many dating from the 15th to 17th centuries, home to one of Germany's oldest and most prominent universities. The market square (Marktplatz) with its ornate town hall and fountain sits at the centre of the old town's narrow, sloping lanes, while the riverbank below is where the poet Friedrich Hölderlin lived out his final decades in the Hölderlinturm, a tower now preserved as a small museum devoted to his life and work. Punting on the Neckar in flat-bottomed boats called Stocherkähne, poled mainly by students, is a popular activity on the stretch of river beside the tower. A combined visit to the old town streets, market square and Hölderlinturm museum takes two to three hours, and late afternoon is best for watching the punts on the river as the light softens over the water.