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Voykit pocket guide · Germany
Aachen
Give Aachen one full day plus one night: cathedral and treasury in the morning, old town and Printen in the afternoon, Lousberg or the spa fountains if you stay two.
Aachen is a compact medieval and spa city on the German border with Belgium and the Netherlands, about an hour from Cologne by train. Charlemagne's cathedral, a UNESCO site, and its treasury are the core; the rest of the old town, the thermal springs and the university quarter fill a second day. Most travellers see it as a day trip or one-night stop, not a multi-day base.
- Country
- Germany
- Best months
- Apr–Oct; May–Jun and Sep are the sweet spot
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (cold, grey); carnival week if you want quiet streets
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Card acceptance has improved but some bakeries, bars and small restaurants are still cash only.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–90 excl. bed · Mid €90–150 excl. bed · High €150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Telekom, Vodafone and O2 are the networks; Aldi Talk, Lidl Connect and congstar resell them cheaply in supermarkets and electronics shops.
- Emergency
- Fire and ambulance 112 · Police 110
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; UK and US devices need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: Round up or add 5–10%; say the total you want to pay as you hand over money or card.; Bar and café: Round up to the nearest euro.; Taxi: Round up by €1–2.; Hotel housekeeping: €1–2 a night, optional.; Free walking tour: €10–15 per person.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Restaurants usually sell bottled water; fizzy (mit Kohlensäure) is the default, ask for 'still' or 'ohne'.
- Toilets
- Station toilets cost €0.50–1.50 (Rail&Fresh WC); restaurant toilets are for customers; the 'WC' at motorway rest stops takes coins and gives a voucher.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | €2.50–4 |
| Printen (gingerbread), small pack | €3–6 |
| Lunch, bakery or imbiss | €6–12 |
| Beer, 0.3 l in a bar / bottle at a kiosk | €3–5 / €1.50–2.50 |
| Museum entry (Couven, Suermondt-Ludwig, Ludwig Forum) | €6–10 |
| 5 km taxi3.1 mi taxi | €15–20 |
| City bus single ride | €2.50–3.50 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- MST · Maastricht Aachen
- About 40 km away in the Netherlands; limited routes, and public transport goes via MaastrichtAbout 25 mi away in the Netherlands; limited routes, and public transport goes via Maastricht
- DUS · Düsseldorf
- About an hour by train via Düsseldorf Hbf
- CGN · Cologne-Bonn
- About an hour by train via Cologne Hbf
- BRU · Brussels
- Reachable by train with a change in Liège, Leuven or Brussels
Typical fares
- Aachen Hbf → Cologne Hbf, regional express
- about €20–25, about 55 min (check)
- Bus 350 Aachen → Maastricht
- about €12.80, about 1 h
- Bus 44 Aachen → Heerlen
- about €5.80, about 45 min
Get around
The old town is walkable end to end in about 20 minutes. ASEAG city buses run from the Bushof hub; buy from the driver or a machine. There is no tram or U-Bahn, but the euregio-Bahn local line links Aachen West, Schanz, Hauptbahnhof and Rothe Erde. Bikes and e-scooters (Tier, Voi) work for the outskirts; the city is hilly. Taxis and Uber are available, with ranks at Hauptbahnhof and Pontstraße.
See and do
Known for
- Aachen Cathedral (UNESCO)
- Cathedral Treasury and Charlemagne's throne
- Carolingian and medieval old town
- Printen gingerbread and thermal springs
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Monschau | Bus 66 from Aachen Bushof, about 1 h | About 1 h 15 min |
| Herzogenrath | Regional train toward Heerlen, about 15 min | About 30 min |
| Zülpich | Train to Düren, then bus, about 1 h 15 min | About 1 h 45 min |
| Bad Münstereifel | Train to Euskirchen, then the Erfttalbahn, about 1 h 30 min | About 2 h |
| Cologne | Regional express from Aachen Hbf, about 55 min | About 1 h 15 min |
| Liège | Train from Aachen Hbf, about 1 h | About 1 h 30 min |
Sleep
- Old town (Altstadt) around Markt and Dom
- Walk to the cathedral, Rathaus and museums; quietest at night, priciest per night.
- Aachen Hauptbahnhof area
- Best for one-night rail stops; 10–15 min walk to the cathedral, easy bags-on arrival.
- Pontstraße and university quarter
- Bars, cheap eats and student life; 5–10 min walk from the centre, noisier evenings.
- Burtscheid
- Quiet spa district south of the centre; thermal baths and a slower pace, bus or 25-min walk in.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hallohallo |
| Thank you | Dankedanke |
| Please | Bittebitte |
| How much is it? | Wie viel kostet das?vee feel kostet das |
| Can I pay by card? | Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?kan ikh mit karte tsah-len |
| Where is the toilet? | Wo ist die Toilette?vo ist dee toy-let-te |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Firm handshake with eye contact; 'Guten Tag' or 'Hallo'; avoid: Hugs with people you have just met
- Names: Herr / Frau plus surname until invited to use first names; avoid: Using 'du' with officials or older strangers
- Punctuality: Arrive on time for tours, dinners and appointments; avoid: Being more than 5–10 minutes late without a message
- Queues and rules: Follow signs, wait at red lights, sort rubbish; avoid: Walking in cycle lanes
- Conversation: Direct and factual; people say what they mean; avoid: Taking directness as rudeness, or joking about the Nazi era
- Home visit: Bring flowers (odd number, not red roses) or wine; shoes off if the hosts do; avoid: Arriving early
- Paying: Say the total including tip as you pay; avoid: Leaving coins on the table and walking off
Scams and watch-outs
- The cathedral closes to tourists during mass; visit weekdays after 11:00 or weekends after 12:30.
- The treasury shuts on Mondays until 13:00 and closes on 24–25 and 31 Dec, 1 Jan and some carnival days.
- The centre is largely closed to cars; parking runs about €2 per hour, so use park-and-ride on the edge.
- Bike theft happens; use the guarded Radstation by the main station.
- Aachen sits on a three-country border: carry your passport or ID for spontaneous trips into Belgium or the Netherlands.
Aachen is a safe, walkable city; the real risks are pickpockets around the cathedral and Bushof, bikes on the pavements, and late-night quiet in the outer districts. Standard German rules apply: 112 for fire and ambulance, 110 for police.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Aachen yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Aachen Cathedral (UNESCO)
- Cathedral Treasury and Charlemagne's throne
- Carolingian and medieval old town
- Printen gingerbread and thermal springs
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Aachen official city website: www.aachen.de/
- Aachen Cathedral official site: www.aachenerdom.de/en/
- ASEAG (Aachen city buses): www.aseag.de/
- Wikivoyage: Aachen, revision 5323456 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5323456
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Aachen
Zu dieser Adresse, bitte
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Germany has no US, UK or Canadian embassy in Aachen; use the consulates in Düsseldorf or Cologne, or the embassies in Berlin. Check before you travel.
Tipping: round up or add 5–10%, said to the server as you pay.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/aachen). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.