Aachen Travel Guide

 
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Pro

BillNJ profile photo

  Compact City Center; Magnificent Cathedral; Carolus Thermen Bad Aachen 


Con

m-joy profile photo

  No river, bad weather! 


In a nutshell

TinyTuck profile photo

  Nice little historical students' city in the heart of Europe! 

 

Explore Aachen

Things to Do  

In the shadow of the great man himself

In the shadow of the great man himself, Aachen

 CatherineReichardt Says:  This statue of the Great Man stands outside the Rathaus, and directly across from the offices of the Route Charlemagne.It's actually a trifle underwhelming, as it appears to be about life size (Charlemagne wasn't called 'Charles the Great' just for his achievements, since... 

Take a steep stroll up to the Salvatorkirche

Take a steep stroll up to the Salvatorkirche, Aachen

 CatherineReichardt Says:  I like cities, but I don't much enjoy prolonged exposure to hoards of people, so after a couple of hours in Aachen's old town during Karnival (a coincidence rather than something I'd planned), I felt the need to escape the madding crowds of pleasantly half-enebriated people... 

Have a therapeutic wallow in the Carolus Therme!

Have a therapeutic wallow in the Carolus Therme!, Aachen

 CatherineReichardt Says:  Warm water is one of life’s great pleasures, and when feeling sick, sad or generally out of sorts, I can be counted on to retreat to a hot bath. So I am greatly endebted to BillNJ for his excellent Aachen page which first brought the Carolus Therme spa to my attention.... 

Statue of St Stephen outside the Dom

Statue of St Stephen outside the Dom, Aachen

 CatherineReichardt Says:  I was surprised to find that there is a strong link between Aachen and Hungary - apparently there was major medieval pilgrimage traffic between the two, and the Queen of Hungary visited on pilgrimage in 1337 with a staggering encourage of over 700!Charlemagne built up a... 

The gilded magnificence of Charlemagne's shrine

The gilded magnificence of Charlemagne's shrine, Aachen

 CatherineReichardt Says:  The shrine of Charlemagne is located in the choir of the Dom and this confection of gilded splendour is impossible to miss!When Charlemagne was canonised in 1165, the Emperor of the time, Frederick Barbarossa, ordered that his mortal remains be exhumed and placed in a... 

Marvel at the spellbinding Dom

Marvel at the spellbinding Dom, Aachen

 CatherineReichardt Says:  Aachen’s Dom is a surprisingly small but exquisite gem of Gothic architectural perfection and was one of the twelve original sites worldwide - and Germany's first - to be granted UNESCO World Heritage status back in 1978.The oldest part of the Dom is the Palatine Chapel... 

The beautiful entrance to the Dom

The beautiful entrance to the Dom, Aachen

 CatherineReichardt Says:  The entry to the Dom is a lovely spot, provided it's not crowded with tourists.You enter from the west and pass through gates into what would be called a 'church close' in England, lined by houses that presumably once housed clergy and other associated with the Dom and would... 

The beautifully preserved city gate

The beautifully preserved city gate, Aachen

 CatherineReichardt Says:  I love city walls - they give me a sense of security which is probably totally misleading given how often many of these have been breached throughout history!Aachen has a couple of reassuringly solid city gates, and fragments of the medieval city walls still remain: if you... 

The whimsical Circle of Money fountain

The whimsical Circle of Money fountain, Aachen

 CatherineReichardt Says:  Aachen is blessed with many beautiful fountains - apparently over 60 in all - most of which were unfortunately cordoned off when I visited, less drunken Karnivallers should fall into them, doing damage to both themselves and the fountain!The 'Circle of Money' fountain is the... 

Hotels  

Sofitel Aachen Quellenhof

 3 Reviews and 290 Opinions  My budget sadly didn't run to staying at the Hotel Quellenhof, but that didn't stop me appreciating... 

Novotel Aachen City

 1 Review and 234 Opinions  I had two adjoining rooms here on my recent trip to Aachen with my parents and friend. We loved the... 

Restaurants  

Albrecht Duerer Stuben: Ice cold kolsch - what more could you want?

Albrecht Duerer Stuben: Ice cold kolsch - what more could you want?, Aachen

 CatherineReichardt Says:  There are times when you're travelling that you just want to sink down onto a comfortable seat in an atmospheric setting and recharge your batteries: thus I found myself in the Albrecht Duerer Stube (tavern) just by the Dom in Aachen with the best part of an hour to while... 

Brauerei Goldener Schwan: German Tapas

Brauerei Goldener Schwan: German Tapas, Aachen

 BillNJ Says:  On my first night in Aachen, I met with VTer Stef (TinyTuck) and her two friends, Alex and Alex. We had dinner at the Brauerei Goldener Schwan on the Markt overlooking the Rathaus. To eat, Stef and I enjoyed "German tapas". For a fixed price, you get a sample portion of five... 

Nightlife  

Muckefuck: Muckefuck!?!?!?

Muckefuck: Muckefuck!?!?!?, Aachen

 rsilva Says:  During one of our strolls arounf Aachen, we found this place and looked like the ideal spot to sit down and enjoy a drink. No, it was not because of the name - I have no idea what it means.It is decorated in a very unusual way (see pictures - 5), with a lot of mirrors,... 

B-9: Local Disco

B-9: Local Disco, Aachen

 dame2 Says:  I had so much fun at B-9. It is a standard disco with two bars and a huge dance floor. When I was a student, we went there a lot. I guess that makes it a student place. They play fun music (top of the charts.) Be careful about loosing your ticket for coat check. I lost mine... 

Transportation  

Bicycle Station

Bicycle Station, Aachen

 Nemorino Says:  On June 27, 2008, a small bicycle station was opened at the main railroad station in Aachen. It has safe, dry parking spaces for 158 bicycles -- not a lot compared to the 3300 spaces at the bicycle station in Münster or the 1001 spaces in Freiburg im Breisgau, but a step in... 

Cycling in Aachen

Cycling in Aachen, Aachen

 Nemorino Says:  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... 

Shopping  

LUSH: Ladies, you MUST try the bubble bars!

LUSH: Ladies, you MUST try the bubble bars!, Aachen

 Rapunzll Says:  All sorts of bath products, such as bubble bars, bath bombs, soap, lotions, lip balm, body scrubs, etc. These products make wonderful gifts! If you buy nothing else, buy a bubble bar! They are pricey, but break them in half, they are still fabulous! These are the most... 

Warnings Or Dangers  

Guidance on photography in churches: Homer's Rules

Guidance on photography in churches: Homer's Rules, Aachen

 CatherineReichardt Says:  Visiting churches is one of the absolute highlights of a trip to Europe, and provides a fascinating insight into the most powerful influencethat has shaped European cultures of the past couple of millenia.Unlike some other religions - where access to places of worship may be... 

How to behave to give tourists a bad name

How to behave to give tourists a bad name, Aachen

 CatherineReichardt Says:  Our tour guide at the Aachen Dom told a shocking tale about how the actions of irresponsible tourists give their fellow travellers a bad name, which I think is worth sharing, as it highlights how insensitive some tourists can be, and how the perpetrators are not always young... 

Disappointingly ineffectual Tourist Information

Disappointingly ineffectual Tourist Information, Aachen

 CatherineReichardt Says:  Aachen's tourist office is beautifully appointed in a lovely classically inspired building right next to the Elisenbrunnen. The staff members are pleasant, but really need to go up a gear in their dealings with the public if they are to deliver a quality of service befitting... 

Favorites  

Aachen Fountains

Aachen Fountains, Aachen

 johngayton Says:  When wandering the city keep an eye open for the various fountains dotted about. These all have tales behind them which give an interesting insight into the city.Pictured here is the "Fountain of Puppets", each of which represents a different icon of the city, and pic #2 is... 

 
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The Place

Plan a Aachen vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Aachen locals

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The People

84 Members Live Here
 
Advice from the Locals
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 Aachen/Aken/Aix-la-Chapelle/Aquisgrán/Aquisgrana - (That´s what my city is called in German/English - Dutch - French - Spanish -Italian) I´ve been spending a total of 4 years of my life here now, studying at the RWTH (University of Technology). I... 

84 members live in Aachen

 

Aachen Members Meetings

Feb 18, 2012 
Carneval is here lets celebrate!!

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Questions and Answers

Punthana profile photo

Q:  I have a trip in Aachen for 1 week and I buy many things and would like to find some cheap or second hand luggage to carry it... 

hawkhead profile photo

A: Do you mean something in which to carry your purchases back home i.e. suitcase? Or do you mean lots of suitcases that you can then sell back home? Sorry, your post is... 

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Top Aachen Writers

1

City of Kings and Thermal Baths

BillNJ profile photo

 Charlemagne (aka Karl der Grosse in German, Karel de Grote in Dutch, Carolus Magnus in Latin, and Charles the Great in English) became the sole King of the Franks in 760 A.D. upon the death of his... 

2

Singing in the reign . . .

Nemorino profile photo

 Aachen is a border city just six kilometers away from the Three Countries' Corner, which is a place up in the woods where the borders of Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium all come together. As in... 

3

Karnival and Charlemagnia

CatherineReichardt profile photo

 (work in progress) 

4

Aachen - City of Coronations and Cakes!

sandysmith profile photo

 Aachen was the setting for a VT meeting in September 2004. Many thanks to Sabsi for an open invitation to join her here and for meeting us at the airport and accomodating us in her Dusseldorf... 

5

Aachen - City of Charlemagne

Mariajoy profile photo

 History of Aachen Wieder kommt die Weihnachtszeit, die schoenste Zeit im Jahr, bringt den Menschen weit und breit Frieden und Freude dar. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ein Frohes Weihnachtsfest und zum... 

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