City Stories Index · Germany · 2026 edition
Frankfurt vs Heidelberg
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Heidelberg leads 2–1 (1 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: Frankfurt is the banking crossroads; Heidelberg is the romantic university town.
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| What we measure | Frankfurt | Heidelberg | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 52 | 24 | Frankfurt |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 250 | 174 | Heidelberg |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 4 | 4 | tie |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 40 | — | Frankfurt |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 17 | 22 | Heidelberg |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 59 | — | Frankfurt |
Differences under 5% count as ties. Sample sizes and definitions on the methodology page.
What their stories are about
How many places with a story each city has per theme: Frankfurt in orange, Heidelberg in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
FrankfurtHeidelberg
16 places
arts & culture11 places
11 places
guilds & trade6 places
10 places
faith & churches9 places
7 places
royalty & nobility1 place
6 places
industry & modern era1 place
Frankfurt scorecard →
The banking crossroads
Heidelberg scorecard →
The romantic university town