City Guide Aachen, Germany »

You may know Aachen from its beautiful and atmospheric Christmas markets. However, the city also is a nice place for a city trip at other times of the year. Just in front of the border of The Netherlands and Belgium, you can find Aachen. In this article I’ll tell about the things you can do and see, during your time in the city.

Visit the Aachener Dom (cathedral) and Town Hall

Only walking in Old Town Aachen already creates a magical feeling. Wander around the small streets, filled with beautiful old buildings and explore the coziness of the city. Located in the city center, you can either find the Aachener Dom as the Town Hall. Around these two beautiful buildings, you can find squares which feature nice terraces at cafes and restaurants.

At the Aachener Dom you can either visit the cathedral yourself or through a guided tour. If you would like to get some more information, like the opening hours, you can find it by clicking here. Also at the Town Hall you can pay a visit yourself or through a guided tour. The Town Hall is located right at the opposite of the Aachener Dom. More information about their opening hours you can find here.

Wander around Elisenbrunnen

Just at the border of Aachen Old Town, you can find Elisenbrunnen, which is one of thé symbols of Aachen, together with the Aachener Dom. It’s also a symbol for the thermal waters, which is Aachen well-known for.

The Elisenbrunnen has been built between 1822 and 1829 en exists out of several public fountains with a temperature of 54 degrees Celcius. When you walk around Elisenbrunnen, you can clearly smell the sulfur, which you can find in the water. Besides these fountains, you can also find a small park next to the Elisenbrunnen where you can walk through towards Old Town.

Do some shopping in the city centre

If you would like to do some shopping, you’re at the right place in the Adalbertstreet. Here you can find many (inter)national shops. There are also several shopping malls, where you can find even more shops. Aachen is a great city where you can easily spend an afternoon doing some shopping. From clothes to design stuff, there’s something for everyone!

Pay a visit to Carolus Thermen

Looking for a place to relax? Maybe the Carolus Thermen is something for you! Here you can find thermal baths and saunas, which give you the ultimate relax day! This again is a place which symbolizes which Aachen is well-known for: the thermal waters.

Go hiking on the Lousberg

A little outside the center of Aachen, you can find the Lousberg. This hill is perfect for day hikes. It’s very green, so very relaxing to walk here. The Lousberg is quite big and offers all kind of hiking possibilities. During the time we were here, there weren’t many people. So it’s also nice to get away from the crowds of the city for a while.

Buy yourself some chocolate at the Lindt Chocolate Factory

Just outside the city center, around a 10-minute drive, you can also find the factory of the famous Lindt Chocolate, which comes from Switzerland. Beside the factory, you can find a large shop where you can buy all kinds of Lindt chocolate for nice prices. As we were in Aachen around Easter, you could also find many chocolate bunnies in the shop. It’s a paradise for every chocolate lover and definitely a must-visit!

Where to stay?

During my trip to Aachen I stayed in the Mercure Hotel Aachen am Dom. The hotel has a great location, located in the middle of the city center. From here, you get easily to old town or to all the shops by foot. It’s a great starting point for exploring the city.

It’s a very standard hotel. The rooms are simple, but good and clean. The hotel doesn’t feature many facilities, but that’s alright because you’ve everything you need. The breakfast buffet is very nice and extensive.

Have you ever been to Aachen? What did you think about the city?

Author: Tamara

This article is part of the GPSmyCity iOS app. You can download it, read this article offline and obtain travel directions (by foot, car or bicycle) to the places mentioned in this article. Click here to download it.