Mannheim offers many opportunities to spend your free time. No matter if you prefer to stroll along the Planken pedestrian zone, go to a Schneckenhof party, or dance the night away at a club in the city center.
Students from all over the world come to Mannheim. They quickly fall in love with the city and its multiculturalism.
In Mannheim, you can ...
.... discover the colorful nightlife.
Mannheim’s nightlife district Jungbusch has something to offer for everybody, students are at the Neckarwiese until late at night and at the ALTER, there are concerts and readings. Mannheim also has several clubs.
... explore art and culture.
Mannheim has one of the oldest national theaters in the world, the newly-opened Kunsthalle, the cultural center Alte Feuerwache, and the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen. Art and culture are an integral part of the city. Learn more about Mannheim’s cultural life.
... be active and athletic.
Mannheim loves sports: Adler Mannheim (ice hockey), Rhein-Neckar-Löwen (handball), Mannheimer Hockeyclub and SV Waldhof (soccer) are very popular. Besides the university sports program, Mannheim has also great running tracks, several climbing and bouldering centers, the Sport im Park program as well as ice arenas.
... go out and have fun.
There is always something going on in Mannheim, for example the Nachtwandel at Jungbusch, the Maifeld Derby music festival, the Lesen.hören festival at Alte Feuerwache, the Schlossfest, the Lange Nacht der Kunst und Genüsse or the many parties in Mannheim’s districts... The film festivals in Mannheim and Ludwigshafen and the numberous wine festivals in the Palatinate are also worth a visit. And there are even more parties!
... feel like you are in New York and Berlin.
Mannheim is structured like New York – in squares and blocks with letters and numbers. Because of it’s colorful metropolitan flair and it’s architecture, Mannheim is often compared to Berlin but the distances are much shorter. The “city of squares” also has numerous sights.
... eat your way through the city.
In Mannheim, you can eat Ethiopian, Thai or Cypriot food and enjoy the famous “Monnemer Dreck” or a delicious Spaghettieis for dessert. But Mannheim’s culinary side (in german) has a lot more to offer.
While for me the city of Mannheim was not exactly love at first sight, I quickly learned to embrace its working-class mentality and its vibrant mix of cultures.