Aachen Transportation

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Although Aachen is not one of Germany's outstanding bicycle cities, they do have 290 kilometers of signposted bicycle routes, and the city has started various projects to encourage people to cycle to work, school or university.

Aachen also has an active chapter of the General German Bicycle Club (ADFC) which lobbies for a better cycling infrastructure.

In 2009 the ADFC Aachen started publishing an attractive new magazine called Luftpumpe (Air pump), the first cycling publication for Aachen and vicinity.

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I didn't have cause to use this but Aachen seems to have a pretty comprehensive local bus network run by the local company ASEAG. Buses seem to be frequent, the stops are well signed and within the city there are designated bus lanes to allow them to get about faster. At the time of writing (Sept 2010) a single fare is 2.35 Euros (which is good as far as Vaals over the Dutch border) and a day-ticket is 6.35. There are also various group tickets and multi-trip options, details of which are on the website.

The main bus station is in the city centre, just outside the historic centre and several of the main lines pass the Hauptbahnhof.

Note - Although the websiite is in German Google translates it pretty well.

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Aachen is easy to get to by train from pretty much anywhere in Europe. The city is on the main high speed line between Paris and Cologne and cross border connections take you to Liege in Belgium and Heerlen in the Netherlands.

As well as the high speed international services there's also regular regional trains to Dusseldorf and Cologne.

The main station (Hauptbanhof, Hbf for short) is located about 15 minutes walk from the historic centre or you can catch the local buses from the front of the station forecourt. The station itself has all the facilities you'd expect of a city terminus and especially useful in my case (literally) was the left luggage lockers where I left my bag for the afternoon.

Aachen does not have any tram lines, but they do have an extensive system of bus lines with frequent service.

As in most parts of Germany, it is possible to use the same ticket on the bus and on local trains in the region.

For a typical single bus trip within the city of Aachen you could expect to pay EUR 2.30, but your ticket would also be valid for the neighboring towns of Vaals (Netherlands) and Kelmis (Belgium).

You can buy your ticket from the bus driver or from ticket machines at some of the larger bus stops.

The city of Aachen has set up ample orientation signs not only for motorists and cyclists, but also for pedestrians, as in this photo which I took near the main railroad station.

The strange-looking metal structure on the right is a new weather tower which is supposed to light up in different colors depending on the weather forecast is.

GPS 50°46'7.29" North; 6° 5'26.04" East

Here's an example of how the City of Aachen has made a tenfold improvement in the use of public space at very little cost.

They have taken what used to be a parking space for one car and made it into a parking facility for ten bicycles, by installing five frames that bikes can be locked to.

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Photos:
1. Aachen Main Station (Hauptbahnhof)
2. Tracks in the Main Station
3. Statues of wild horses in front of the station

I arrived in Aachen on a Regional Express train from Mönchengladbach (north of Aachen) and left a couple days later on a Regional Express going east to Cologne.

Both of these Regional Express lines run all day on an hourly schedule, with local trains running in between.

I have also been through Aachen a few times on the high-speed Thalys trains which run six times a day between Cologne and Paris by way of Brussels, all stopping in Aachen. These Thalys trains are a joint service of the Belgian, French, Dutch and German railways. They look like French TGV trains, which essentially is what they are.

GPS 50°46'5.27" North; 6° 5'27.76" East

From my recommended hotel it is a short walk to the station at Aachen.
There are ticket machines inside the hallway, but if you are a couple (or more) go to the ticket office and ask for the best deal. we qualified for a 'family return' which was considerably cheaper than two individual tickets. We could have also taken a couple of children too, but I was not quick enough to catch any on that day :-) Getting old :-(
The trains are swift and comfortable and travel this way means both can enjoy the excellent beverages served in Cologne with no need for anybody having to drive a car afterwards.
Check schedules online for seasonal variations in price and times.