Remember that adage, 'If you have a good reason for doing something, just do it.' Well, what if you have six?

I can think of at least six good reasons to visit Heidelberg. It's stunningly pretty, friendly, traditional, easily accessible, simple to discover, and literally oozes with character.

It was still early enough to be legitimately in bed when I hit the town, checked in at the Hotel Europa and met Ernst-Friedrich Von Kretschmann, the affable owner of the hotel who asked if I'd care to join him in the lounge for a welcome drink. Five minutes later I found myself seated with him in the hotel's salubrious lounge, being filled in on the property's finer points.

Venturing out, I started my town odyssey, taking the celebrated stroll along the river to the vantage point in the city - Heidelberg's world famous castle, its grand icon and showpiece, so lovingly featured in all its tourist brochures.

Rising majestically above the Old Town's narrow lanes and picturesque maze of roofs, the castle dominates the landscape. For five centuries, a centre of royal pomp and glory and the grand, glittering residence of the powerful Palatinate Prince Electors, it enjoyed enormous stature and fame that made it the rendezvous of poets and artists and a shining symbol of German romance.

A short tour is enough to explain why the Castle's so special to the city. Be they high Renaissance, Gothic, or surrealistic, the formidable structure's art forms reflect the history of the times. The Kaisersaal (Imperial Hall) features rotating art exhibits; the Konigsaal (Royal Hall) was used for ceremonies and coronations; and the Friedrichsbaukepell is where many couples took their marriage vows. July and August feature festivals that relive the glory of bygone days. Picture the splendour of courtly life, hunting horns blaring, followed by hearty feasting, with fireworks brightening the castle's walls.

My sweeping view had taken in hills, rivers and bridges. From the castle, the city appeared as a tangled mix of rows of houses, large courtyards, and gabled streets, neatly dissected by the River Neckar. A few degrees up, the frame was filled by thickly wooded hills. Still further up were blue skies.

A past of literary brilliance, refined passion and a host of love songs combine to make Heidelberg the gateway to Romantic Germany, and a premier tourist destination.

The seduction's easily explained. Dissected by the river, Heidelberg is a mix of castles, rivers, and ancient structures set amidst mountains, forests, and vineyards. Old Heidelberg reflects the three-fold harmony so beloved of the Romanticists and poets and writers of the Romantic Movement - the town tapering down to a river, imposing castle walls towering above it, with a background of rising wooded hills.

It was here that Brentano and Arnim published their collection of folk songs - Des Knaben Wundhorn - and here that Eichendorff found his inspiration. Celebrated works like Matthisson's Elegy, and Holderlin's Ode to Heidelberg paid due tribute. Paul Richter, Victor Hugo, and Mark Twain all succumbed to the town's myriad charms. Goethe lost his heart here to the beautiful Marianne von Willener. Today, the world descends here to imbibe the much-vaunted local charm.

Half a dozen walks on three days, and I felt I'd done justice to the famed local landmarks. I'd walked both sides of the river, covered the Hauptstrasse and ended up at the historic, low-ceilinged, cosy students cafes and taverns, Sepp'l and Roter Ochsen.

For a city as small as this, attractions come thick and fast. The Church of the Holy Ghost; the Palais Morass; the University Library with its famed collection of medieval poetry; the Palatinate Museum - a typical 18th Century mansion - and the oft-renovated and expanded Town Hall.

As for downtown Heidelberg, the buzz is at Hauptstrasse that ends up at the foot of Castle Hill. This pedestrian zone's all about trendy boutiques, department stores, bakers, confectioners and chic little cafes and bistros. Try Café Extrablatt Heidelberg for anything from Darjeeling Tea to tangy tarts. It's always worth stopping by at Café Knosel located just by the Church of the Holy Ghost. This is the home of the world- famous 'Heidelberg Students' Kiss', which (in case you're getting excited) is a pastry comprising two tender wafers filled with chocolate nougat and praline bits, coated with a satiny bittersweet chocolate.

Housing Germany's oldest and most famous university founded in 1386 by Ruprecht 1 of the Palatinate, imbibes Heidelberg with a distinct scholarly charm. Catering to over 30,000 international students are different coloured fraternity houses and a host of bookshops.

Everyone ends up at University Square with its stately buildings and Crowned Lion. The new university building's taken over from the old one. A fabulous décor with wooden walls, flooring and a ceiling sporting grand paintings, make the Aula (festival hall) a special place. Just behind it is the 'students' prison', a town landmark.

Time to move on and I was left carrying the special mood of the city on my shoulders. From my perch at the Bridge Tower, I stared down at the Neckar one last time. Things looked as quiet as ever. Only, I knew better.

Of all the tributes showered on the city, perhaps none sums it all up better than an old song: I left my heart behind in Heidelberg…. Of course....