Aachen
Aachen is the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 264,000 inhabitants.
Aachen is the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 264,000 inhabitants. It is the western-most major city in Germany, lying approximately 61 km (38 mi) west of Cologne and Bonn, directly bordering Belgium in the southwest, and the Netherlands in the northwest. The city lies in the Meuse–Rhine Euroregion and is the seat of the district of Aachen (Städteregion Aachen).
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Aachen
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Aachen Cathedral
Aachen Cathedral is a Catholic church in Aachen, Germany, and the cathedral of the Diocese of Aachen. One of the oldest cathedral buildings in Europe, it was constructed as the royal chapel of the Palace of Aachen of Emperor Charlemagne, who was buried there in 814.
100 m · Roman-Catholic cathedral in Aachen, Germany · Wikipedia - 02Vaalserberg
The Vaalserberg x]; Limburgish: Vaolserberg [ˈvɒː˦˨lsəʀˌbæː˦˨˧ʀəx]) is a hill with a height of 322.4 metres above NAP that is the highest point in the European part of the Netherlands. The Vaalserberg is located in the province of Limburg, at the south-easternmost edge of the country, near the town of Vaals.
5 km · mountain at the border of Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands · Wikipedia - 03RWTH Aachen University
RWTH Aachen University is a public research university located in Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
500 m · university in Aachen, Germany · Wikipedia - 04Palace of Aachen
The Palace of Aachen was a group of buildings with residential, political, and religious purposes chosen by Charlemagne to be the center of power of the Carolingian Empire. The palace was located in the heart of the current city of Aachen, today in the German Land of North Rhine-Westphalia.
0 m · Carolingian palace in Aachen, Germany · Wikipedia - 05Palatine Chapel in Aachen
The Palatine Chapel in Aachen is an early medieval chapel and remaining component of Charlemagne's Palace of Aachen in what is now Germany. Although the palace itself no longer exists, the chapel was preserved and now forms the central part of Aachen Cathedral.
100 m · historical part of Aachen Cathedral, Germany · Wikipedia - 06New Tivoli
The Tivoli, colloquially known as the new Tivoli, is a football stadium in the Sportpark Soers in Aachen, Germany, that opened on 12 August 2009 replacing the nearby old Tivoli. It hosts the home matches of Alemannia Aachen in the 3.
2.2 km · football stadium in Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany · Wikipedia - 07Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum
The Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum is an art museum in Aachen, Germany. Founded in 1877, its collection includes works by Aelbrecht Bouts, Joos van Cleve, Anthony van Dyck, Otto Dix and Max Beckmann.
900 m · art museum in Aachen, Germany · Wikipedia - 08Aachen Throne
The Throne of Charlemagne is a throne erected in the 790s by Charlemagne, as one of the fittings of his palatine chapel in Aachen and placed in the Octagon of the church. Until 1531, it served as the coronation throne of the King of the Romans, being used at a total of thirty-one coronations.
100 m · Throne in Aachen Cathedral made in the 790s · Wikipedia - 09Kornelimünster Abbey
Kornelimünster Abbey, also known as Abbey of the Abbot Saint Benedict of Aniane and Pope Cornelius, is a Benedictine monastery that has been integrated since 1972. The abbey is located in Aachen in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.
8.4 km · abbey in Germany, attached to the congregation of Subiaco · Wikipedia - 10Old Tivoli
The Tivoli, colloquially known as the old Tivoli, was a football stadium in Aachen, Germany. Opened in 1928, it was used by the city's largest football team, Alemannia Aachen, until the opening of the new Tivoli in 2009.
1.7 km · football stadium · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
- 01Aachen Cathedral
- 02Cathedral Treasury
- 03Rathaus
The mayor of Aachen still has their office in there.
- 04Elisa Fountain
- 05Couven-Museum
Hühnermarkt 17,.
- 06Grashaus
Original town hall, completed in 1267, is one of the oldest buildings in Aachen.
From Wikivoyage: Aachen, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
Lousberg. A recreational area on a hill situated just 10 minutes walking north from the city center. Offers stunning views of the city below and the landscape around. Market place. Sit in the central city on a summer evening, watch students strolling by, listen to guitar players and have a beer, bought at a small Turkish or Chinese diner around. Frankenberger Viertel.
From Wikivoyage: Aachen, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Aachen offers many different cuisines, from traditional German food to exotic cuisines. The centre offers restaurants of all categories, prices being relatively cheap in comparison with other German cities. Students prefer the snack bars and light meals offered at Pontstraße. = =
- 01Sultans of Kebab
Peterstraße 23.
- 02Curry-Palast
Komphausbadstraße 39.
- 03Café & Bistro Anvers
Kockerellstraße 20.
- 04Damascus Gate Restaurant
Peterstraße 36-38.
- 05Pont Grill
Very cheap and good chicken, pizza and Turkish food.
From Wikivoyage: Aachen, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Aachen
- Airports
- Maastricht Aachen (MST), 27 km · Düsseldorf (DUS), 74 km · Cologne Bonn (CGN), 75 km
- Stations
- Aachen-Merzbrück airfield, 8.7 km · Aachen Central Station, 1 km · Aachen-Rothe Erde station, 2.4 km · Aachen West station, 1 km
- Düsseldorf → Aachen70 km · quickest by road, 1h 21m · €8–11
- Köln (Cologne) → Aachen62 km · quickest by road, 1h 14m · €7–10
- Weeze → Aachen95 km · quickest by road, 2h 11m · €14–20
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Aachen
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Aachen. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inAlso, Liège (Lüttich) airport (( in Belgium is 45min by car and has some charter flights.
- Get inThere are several convenient possibilities to hitchhike to and from Aachen.
From Wikivoyage: Aachen, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
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If you know how people move in Aachen – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Aachen
- Vaalsmunicipality in the Netherlands4.7 km
- Würselentown in the district of Aachen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany6.3 km
- Simpelveldmunicipality in Limburg, the Netherlands9.7 km
- Aachen cities regionGerman district of North Rhine-Westphalia1.2 km
- Bocholtzvillage in Simpelveld, Netherlands7.2 km
- Lemiersvillage in Vaals, Netherlands6.6 km