Terms & Conditions

1. Scope & Acceptance

These Terms apply to all bookings and tours arranged through our website (exploring-heidelberg.de), through our booking calendar, by email, or by any other means. They form the entire agreement between you and us in relation to the tour and supersede any prior discussions or representations.

Where you book on behalf of other participants (for example, a private group), you confirm that you are authorised to accept these Terms on their behalf, and you are responsible for ensuring that every member of your group is aware of and complies with them.

2. Definitions

• "Tour" means a guided walking tour of Heidelberg's Altstadt (Old Town) offered by us.
• "Shared Tour" means a tour booked on a per-person basis and shared with other participants, up to a maximum group size stated at the time of booking.
• "Private Tour" means a tour booked exclusively for your own group at a flat price.
• "Deposit" means the part of the price paid in advance to reserve a place, as described in clause 5.
• "Balance" means the remaining part of the price payable on the day of the tour.
• "Start time" means the scheduled departure time of the tour from the meeting point.

3. The Service

We provide guided walking tours led by a local guide. Tours are conducted on foot and last approximately two (2) hours, covering a route of notable stops within Heidelberg's Old Town. The exact route, stops, duration and content may vary at the guide's reasonable discretion, for example due to weather, crowds, closures, safety, group pace or other circumstances.

Tours are conducted in English only. Entry fees to any building, attraction, museum, transport, food or drink are not included in the price unless expressly stated. Our service consists of guiding and commentary only.

4. Booking & Confirmation

A booking is requested by selecting a date and time via our booking calendar or by contacting us directly. A booking becomes confirmed and binding only once (a) we have acknowledged it and (b) the Deposit has been received by us in cleared funds.

You are responsible for providing accurate contact details and an accurate participant count. The price for a Shared Tour is calculated per person; you must book the correct number of places. If more people attend than booked, the additional places must be paid for on the day, subject to availability and the maximum group size.

5. Prices & Payment

Current prices are: Shared Tour — €27 per person; Private Tour — €100 per group (up to the stated maximum). Prices are shown in Euro (EUR) and include any applicable taxes where required. We may change our prices at any time, but the price applicable to your booking is the price confirmed at the time of booking.

5.1 Two-part payment

Payment is made in two parts:

• Deposit (50% of the total price) is payable in advance via PayPal to reserve your place. Your booking is not confirmed until the Deposit is received.
• Balance (the remaining 50%) is payable in cash, in Euro, on the day of the tour, before or at the start time.

5.2 Payment processing

Deposits are taken through PayPal. Where a refund of the Deposit is due under these Terms, it is processed back to your original payment method. Refund timing may depend on PayPal's own processing times, which are outside our control.

6. Cancellation by You & Refunds

You may cancel a confirmed booking by notifying us in writing (by email). The applicable refund of the Deposit depends on when we receive your cancellation, measured against the Start time:

• 24 hours or more before the Start time: you receive a full refund of the Deposit; or, at your choice, a free reschedule to any other available date (clause 8) with the Deposit carried over in full.
• Less than 24 hours before the Start time: the Deposit is non-refundable. You may, at our discretion and subject to availability, reschedule once, with the Deposit carried over.
• No-show (you do not attend at the meeting point by the Start time, or you arrive too late to join — see clause 10): the Deposit is non-refundable and no reschedule is offered.

Statutory rights of withdrawal that may apply to certain consumer contracts do not apply to leisure-services contracts that specify a particular date or period of performance (§ 312g(2) no. 9 BGB). Your rights under mandatory consumer-protection law remain unaffected.

7. Cancellation by Us

We may cancel a tour in circumstances including, but not limited to: guide illness or unavailability, unsafe conditions, severe weather, force majeure (clause 9), or, for a Shared Tour, insufficient bookings. If we cancel a tour before it begins, you may choose:

• a full refund of the Deposit (including processing fees where we are able to recover them); or
• a reschedule to another available date at no extra charge.

Our liability for a cancellation by us is limited to the refund or reschedule described above. We are not liable for any incidental or consequential costs you may incur (such as travel, accommodation or other arrangements), subject to clause 14.

8. Rescheduling

Any request by you to reschedule must be made at least 24 hours before the scheduled Start time and is subject to availability on our calendar. Reschedule requests made less than 24 hours before the Start time are treated under clause 6 and may be accommodated only at our discretion. The Deposit already paid is carried over to the new date. If the rescheduled tour has a different price, the difference is payable or refundable accordingly. A reschedule does not restart or extend any cancellation rights for the new date.

9. Weather & Force Majeure

Tours run in most weather conditions; please dress appropriately and bring suitable footwear and rain protection. We are not obliged to cancel for ordinary weather, and no refund is due where a tour proceeds and you choose not to attend.

We are not liable for any failure or delay in performing our obligations that is caused by events beyond our reasonable control ("force majeure"), including but not limited to severe weather, natural events, fire, flood, epidemic or pandemic, public-health measures, strikes, civil unrest, terrorism, accidents, official orders, or closure of public areas. Where a tour cannot proceed due to force majeure, clause 7 applies.

10. Meeting Point & Late Arrival

Tours depart from the agreed meeting point in Heidelberg's Old Town, the details of which are provided at the time of booking. You are responsible for arriving at the meeting point in good time before the Start time.

Tours depart promptly. If you arrive after the tour has departed, the guide and group cannot be expected to wait or to retrace the route, and you may be unable to join. In that case the booking is treated as a no-show under clause 6 and no refund is due.

11. Participant Conduct

You agree to follow the guide's reasonable instructions at all times, including those relating to safety, road crossings, and respect for residents, other visitors, and private property. You must comply with all applicable laws and local rules during the tour.

We reserve the right to refuse participation to, or remove from a tour, any person who: is under the influence of alcohol or drugs; behaves in a manner that is abusive, unsafe, disruptive, or offensive; or who endangers themselves or others. No refund is due in such cases, and you remain liable for the full price.

12. Health, Fitness & Assumption of Risk

Our tours involve walking for approximately two hours over varied surfaces, including cobblestones, slopes, steps and uneven ground, sometimes among traffic and crowds. By booking and participating, you confirm that you (and each member of your group) are sufficiently fit and able to take part safely.

You take part voluntarily and accept the ordinary risks inherent in a self-powered walking activity in a public urban environment. You are responsible for assessing your own ability and for stopping or withdrawing if you feel unwell or unable to continue. If you have a medical condition, mobility limitation, allergy, or other special requirement, please inform us before booking so we can advise whether the tour is suitable; we cannot guarantee suitability for every condition.

13. Children & Minors

Participants under the age of 18 must be accompanied by, and remain the responsibility of, a parent or responsible adult for the entire duration of the tour. The accompanying adult is responsible for the supervision, safety and conduct of any minor in their care.

14. Limitation of Liability

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability where it may not lawfully be excluded or limited. In particular, our liability is not limited for: (a) injury to life, body or health caused by our negligent or intentional breach of duty; (b) other damage caused by our intentional or grossly negligent breach of duty; or (c) any liability that is mandatory under applicable law.

Subject to the paragraph above, in the case of a merely slightly negligent breach of a material contractual obligation (an obligation whose fulfilment is essential to the proper performance of the contract and on which you may reasonably rely), our liability is limited to the foreseeable damage typical for this type of contract. We are not liable for slightly negligent breaches of non-material obligations.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, we are not liable for: loss, theft of or damage to your personal belongings; your own acts or omissions; the acts, omissions or services of third parties (such as venues, attractions, transport or other businesses); or for indirect or consequential loss. The above limitations also apply to the personal liability of our guide and any persons engaged by us in performing the tour.

15. Insurance

We strongly recommend that you hold your own valid travel, health and personal-accident insurance covering participation in walking activities for the duration of your visit. It is your responsibility to ensure you are adequately insured.

16. Photography & Media

We may occasionally take photographs or short videos during a tour for our own promotional purposes. If you do not wish to appear in such material, please tell the guide before or during the tour and we will not knowingly use images in which you are identifiable. If you take your own photographs or recordings, you must respect the privacy of other participants, residents and third parties.

17. Intellectual Property

The content of our tours, including commentary, route selection, written materials and the content of this website, is our intellectual property or used with permission. It is provided for your personal enjoyment only and may not be recorded, reproduced, published or used commercially without our prior written consent.

18. Data Protection

We process the personal data you provide (such as your name, contact details and booking information) only for the purpose of arranging and delivering your tour and for related communication, in accordance with applicable data-protection law (including the GDPR). We do not sell your data. You may contact us at any time to ask what data we hold or to request its deletion.

19. Changes to Tours & Terms

We may make reasonable changes to the route, stops, timing or content of a tour as described in clause 3. We may also update these Terms from time to time; the version in force at the time of your booking applies to that booking. The current version is always available on this page.

20. Complaints

If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of your tour, please raise it with the guide at the time, so that we have the opportunity to address it immediately. Any subsequent complaint should be sent to us by email within 14 days of the tour, with relevant details, so that we can investigate and respond.

21. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is or becomes invalid, void or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect. The invalid provision shall be replaced by a valid provision that comes closest to the intended economic purpose of the original.

22. Governing Law & Jurisdiction

These Terms and any dispute arising out of or in connection with them or a tour are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany, excluding its conflict-of-law rules and the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. Mandatory consumer-protection provisions of the country in which you are habitually resident remain unaffected.

The place of performance is Heidelberg, Germany. We are neither obliged nor willing to take part in dispute-resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board.

23. Contact

Exploring Heidelberg
Heidelberg, Germany
Email: rythyma.sharma.2000@gmail.com

For any question about these Terms or your booking, please contact us by email and we will respond as soon as we can.