Things to do in Aachen
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Aachen
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months overall. Warm enough for terraces and Eifel days, long evenings, crowds manageable outside CHIO.
Summer is also good. Aachen rarely swelters, Monschau peaks, Pontstrasse gets quieter in August.
Christmas market from late November to 23 December, peak atmosphere and annual high hotel prices.
Wild daffodils bloom in the Eifel meadows near Monschau and Höfen for a few weeks.
Winter low outside carnival. Grey and short days but spa season, empty museums and lowest hotel prices.
What's on
- Aachener Weihnachtsmarkt Late November - 23 December
Christmas market around Dom and Rathaus, regularly voted among Germany and Europe's best.
- CHIO Aachen Late June / early July
World Equestrian Festival at Soers, world's biggest horse show, fills the city for about 10 days.
- Karneval Weiberfastnacht to Rosenmontag, Feb / early March
Rhineland carnival with costumed street and pub events and the Rosenmontagszug parade.
- Narzissenblüte April
Wild daffodil bloom in Monschau and Höfen meadows, best reason to time an Eifel trip in spring.
- Heiligtumsfahrt Every seven years, next expected around 2030
Aachen Pilgrimage showing the four great relics, about 100,000 pilgrims over ten days in June.
Best things to do in Aachen
Aachen Cathedral
Charlemagne's Palatine Chapel and coronation church, dense with mosaics, throne and shrines in one compact UNESCO site.
Aachen Cathedral Treasury
North of the Alps the richest cathedral treasury, with the Cross of Lothair and Charlemagne bust in quiet rooms.
Rathaus Aachen
Gothic town hall on Charlemagne's palace site, with Coronation Hall frescoes and the Markt square in front.
Carolus Thermen
Modern thermal spa with indoor and outdoor pools and a large sauna world, used by locals as much as visitors.
Elisenbrunnen
Neoclassical pavilion where sulfur thermal water still bubbles up, and the start of the Altstadt fountain walk.
Printenbäckerei Klein
Family bakery for traditional Aachener Printen, the hard spiced honey dough protected by EU status.
Nobis Printen
The big name Altstadt Printen bakery with several branches, good for soft chocolate and nut versions.
Leo de Bakker
Bakery named in the prose for softer chocolate covered Printen that locals actually buy.
Where to stay in Aachen
Altstadt
first trip, all-round base
Sights, restaurants and bakeries are all here on foot in minutes, best for a one or two night stay.
Burtscheid
spa trips, quiet and value
Second spa district with its own springs, Kurpark and forest, calmer and cheaper than the Altstadt.
Frankenberger Viertel
longer stays and families
Prettiest Wilhelminian streets with cafes on Oppenhoffallee, mostly apartments and small hotels.
Eurogress / Stadtgarten / Monheimsallee
luxury and calm near the centre
Grand hotel strip by the Kurgarten, ten minutes to the Dom and close to Carolus Thermen, park on the doorstep.
Pontstraße / RWTH quarter
young, lively, budget trips
Student Aachen with cheapest beds and latest bars, but also the most noise at night.
Think twice about
- Hauptbahnhof forecourt and Bahnhofstraße / Lagerhausstraße
Transit zone with fast food frontage and visible street drinking and rough sleeping. Altstadt is 10 to 12 minutes walk away.
- Kaiserplatz / Adalbertsteinweg corridor
Traffic artery and discount retail strip around Bushof with a rundown feel. Locals pass through, nobody recommends sleeping here.
- Outlying motorway and business-park hotels in Würselen and Herzogenrath road area
Safe and often cheap but a car or bus commute from everything, dead at night. False economy for a leisure stay in a compact city.
Best restaurants in Aachen
St. Benedikt
Long running starred restaurant in the abbey suburb, Aachen's destination special occasion booking.
La Bécasse
Classic French fine dining in the centre, the long established splurge locals book for anniversaries.
Am Knipp
Historic Rhineland restaurant for Sauerbraten, schnitzel and escargot, the canonical first night dinner.
Zum Goldenen Einhorn
Historic tavern opposite the Rathaus on the Markt doing Rhineland classics and good beer in a prime location.
AKL Libanesisches Restaurant
Pontstrasse Lebanese institution for chicken shawarma, grills and mezze at student prices.
Hanswurst
Cult sausage kitchen for currywurst, bratwurst and schnitzel with house sauces, ideal for a quick lunch.
Al Triangolo
Long running family Italian near the centre with handmade pasta and pizza, a safe group dinner choice.
Wei & Wei
Student favourite Chinese spot on Pontstrasse known for dumplings including a mixed colourful plate.
Best bars in Aachen
Kaktus
Student bar on Pontstrasse with cheap long drinks where you can order food in from neighbours.
Die WG
Pontstrasse bar in the student strip crawl alongside Kaktus and Zuhause.
Zuhause
Cafe bar on Sandkaulstrasse named in the Pontstrasse evening cluster for drinks after dinner.
Grotesque Absinthe Bar
Theatrical absinthe bar on Rennbahn for a nightcap to finish a Pontstrasse evening.
Best coffee in Aachen
Café Van Daele
Cafe named for coffee and Reisfladen, the creamy regional rice tart that is Aachen on a plate.
Outdoor things to do in Aachen
Drielandenpunt
Point where Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands meet on the Vaalserberg, with towers and forest trails.
Labyrinth Drielandenpunt
One of Europe's largest hedged mazes with water features, a highlight of the three country point for children.
Nationalpark Eifel
Beech forest national park returning to wilderness, with Wildnistrail hiking, lakes and spring daffodil meadows.
Monschau
Untouched half timbered town in a steep Rur valley, with castle, Rotes Haus and historic mustard mill.
Rursee
Fjord like reservoir for swimming, canoe, SUP, boat cruises and flat shore cycling in national park forest.
Hohes Venn
High raised bog plateau of boardwalks, cotton grass and mist around Belgium's highest point at Botrange.
Vennbahn
125 km rail trail cycle path from Aachen through Monschau and the High Fens into Luxembourg across three countries.
Aachener Golf-Club 1962
Established 18 hole parkland course in forest on the Dutch border, visitor welcoming on weekdays with handicap proof.
Best hotels in Aachen
Parkhotel Quellenhof Aachen
Aachen's only true luxury palace hotel from 1916 by the Kurgarten, with large spa, pool and fine dining.
Art Hotel Aachen Superior
Quiet luxury spa hotel on the forest edge in Burtscheid, with indoor pool, sauna and free parking.
INNSiDE by Meliá Aachen
Modern mid range hotel with rooftop terrace over the Dom roofs, sauna and gym, a short walk to the sights.
Novotel Aachen City
Reliable full service hotel east of the Altstadt with family rooms, terrace restaurant and parking.
Aquis Grana City Hotel
Location first hotel in the heart of the Altstadt, steps from Couven Museum and Rathaus, with praised breakfast.
Art Hotel Aachen
Value mid range hotel in green Burtscheid with free parking and a direct bus to the centre, best with a car.
Minx - CityHotels
Central 3 star superior with individually designed rooms and a rich breakfast, walkable to the main sights.
a&o Aachen Hauptbahnhof
Big modern hostel hotel by the station with dorms and private rooms, fine for a late train and a cheap night.
Is Aachen expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €65 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €130 a person |
| Splurge | €300 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Aachen Cathedral: a few days ahead
- Carolus Thermen: a few days ahead
- Aachener Golf-Club 1962: a few days ahead
- Parkhotel Quellenhof Aachen: weeks ahead
- St. Benedikt: weeks ahead
- La Bécasse: a few days ahead
- Carolus Thermen at weekends and holidays, book a time slot online and read the textile free sauna and no phones rules.
- St. Benedikt and La Bécasse, days to weeks ahead for weekends.
- Cathedral guided tours in high season and Christmas market weeks.
- Hotels for CHIO week in late June to early July and Christmas market weekends, when Aachen fills and prices spike.
Is Aachen safe?
- Aachen is safe by German standards, centre busy and lit late. Awareness in the Hauptbahnhof, Bushof and Kaiserplatz pockets after dark.
- Pickpocket risk in Christmas market, carnival and CHIO crowds. Keep bag zipped and phone away at stalls.
- Tap water is excellent. Emergency 112, police 110. Uniklinik Aachen on Pauwelsstrasse is one of Germany's largest hospitals.
Aachen travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Restaurants with menu wavers on Domhof and Krämerstrasse charge a premium for average food. Walk one street back.
- Printen from airport or station souvenir racks is stale. Bakery fresh or nothing.
- Hop on sightseeing bus is poor value in a walkable city. The Route Charlemagne on foot is free and better.
- Elisenbrunnen water, taste a sip for the story, do not fill a bottle. It is a sulfur spring.
Getting around Aachen: public transport and more
- Walk the Altstadt, which is about 15 minutes across. Hauptbahnhof is a 10 to 12 minute walk south of the Dom.
- ASEAG city buses and a day ticket pay off mainly from Burtscheid or for Monschau bus 66 plus Dreiländereck in one day.
- Euregio ticket covers cross border buses and trains in the Aachen Maastricht Liège triangle for a day.
- Do not drive into the Altstadt. Park at ring car parks or in Burtscheid, note the green sticker low emission zone, and cycle in the flat centre.
Who Aachen suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Aachen your trip
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