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We’ve spent one day in Aachen, Germany on two different occasions. The first time we visited was during a cycle tour down the Venn Bahn Weg. The second time was during a two-week Eurail trip. Both times visiting Aachen, we were able to get lost in the beauty of the city and eat some amazing food!
Upon arriving in Aachen for the first time, we entered on our bikes, allowing us to get a good idea of what the city held. And we quickly learned that the city is the perfect size to spend just one day exploring, stay the night, and then move on to somewhere new the next day. So that’s exactly what this guide to one day in Aachen will be.
Why Visit Aachen
Aachen is a great hub for moving to other parts of Germany and even across Europe. It’s has beautiful buildings, great international cuisine, and is a college town — which means cheaper prices and lots of people out and about.
Aachen has a main train station that connects travelers to all parts of Europe, and everything to see and do is within walking distance of the station, making it a great stop on a Eurail trip!
Doing a Eurail trip? Book your train tickets in advance here. Trust us, we learned the hard way that prices go WAY up the closer to your travel date!
Where To Stay In Aachen
Book ahead to lock in cheaper prices
- Budget | Check prices at A & O Hostel | Right next to the train station, lots of lounging space, and all sorts of travelers stay here
- Average | Book your Hotel B & B Aachen stay | This is where we stayed the second time. Good location and private rooms!
- Luxury | See top-rated luxury stays here
Make The Most Of This Aachen Travel Guide
In all of our travel guides on ArboursAbroad, we include coordinates of places to visit. This is so you can copy the coordinates and then pin them on a map of your choice.
For years, we’ve used the offline map app, Maps.me, however, have found ourselves using Google Maps more often with the ease of eSims providing internet in any country!
Pinning locations ahead of time gives you a way to create your own perfect day in Aachen. We suggest pinning places you want to see, eat, and photos you want to take — creating a personalized pocket guide to the city!
Things To Do In Aachen, Germany
Grab Coffee & A Berliner
- Coordinates | Backerei Kickartz | 50.7706534, 6.0923632
- Price | around €4 for coffee and pastry
Start your morning with some German classics.. a berliner and some sort of savory pretzel for breakfast! We are keen on going to local small cafes instead of the trendy Instagram photo spots for a more authentic experience and much more reasonable prices!
The Backerei Kickartz is the perfect cafe to start your day! And trust me when I say you need to get a berliner… it’s an absolute must have in Germany!
Walk Through The Old City Gates
- Coordinates | 50.7681960, 6.0870444
This is one of two city gates from the 13th century still standing in Aachen. Standing at these gates, don’t just look — but picture what life used to be like when this was the gateway to the city.
It’s unreal to stand at this city gate and think of all the history of Aachen!
Visit The Aachen Cathedral
- Coordinates | 50.7747406, 6.0838542
- Tours | Book an Aachen Cathedral Tour
The Aachen Cathedral is a beautiful Cathedral that quite literally towers over this entire part of the city. The views all the way around the cathedral are incredible, and you can even go inside.
You can book a tour of the cathedral or visit at your own pace. Or like us, just marvel at the outside of the cathedral.. it truly is that beautiful.
Dive Back In Time At Elisengarten
- Coordinates | 50.7743013, 6.0861009
This is a relatively decent size grassy park with ampitheater style seating, great views of the cathedral, and an observation window into the past.
The Burtscheid, Kirchengemeinde n, Kapelle is a glass building surrounding an underground archeological site with information boards explaining the history of this place.
It’s interesting to see things dating back to what’s believed to be the 1,700s!
Relax in Katschhof Square
- Coordinates | 50.7753169, 6.0838153
- Guided Walking Tours | Tours starting at €3 here.
This area came alive in the evening in April. Though, when visiting in February, we had the entire square to ourselves.
I’m not actually sure if it’s technically a square, but we’re going to call it that for the sake of this post! Grab some lunch and beers from the nearby Rewe grocery store, and then come back to the square to sit on the steps and enjoy the view.
We loved sitting here and people watching, sipping on beers with the locals, and listening to the church bells chime.
If you’d rather not have lunch from a grocery store, fear not.. there are plenty of restaurants right on the other side of the building opposite of the church.
Check Out The City Hall From Markt Square
- Coordinates | 50.7762794, 6.0837533
- Guided Tours | Book your guided tour through Aachen’s history here.
The city hall in Aachen is incredibly beautiful inside and out. The steps on the backside of the city hall are where we suggest sitting and having a beer in the evening. It’s much less chaotic on the backside of this building.
With that said, you should still see the front side of the city hall and even pop inside to see how beautiful the building interior is!
Be careful in the front of this building as there is a lot going on in this square, and pickpocketing and petty scams can happen.
Dinner At AKL
- Coordinates | ALK Libanesisches Restaurant | 50.7767866, 6.0832373
- Cost | starting at €4 for a wrap
We found this restaurant while we were people watching in the evening. We had just bought snacks and beer from the Rewe and were enjoying them on the steps of the city hall building, when we noticed loads of people coming and sitting around us with bags from AKL.
And when I say loads of people, I mean it. I would say more than half the people coming to sit in the square had food from AKL. It was at that point we knew we needed to find that restaurant and eat there too!
We did a quick Google search, and found AKL right around the corner. Instead of grabbing it to go, we decided to sit and enjoy our meal. It was so good, we went back to AKL the second time we were in Aachen as well!
The prices here are super cheap, and while most people do take-out from here, dining in is a great experience too!
Lebanese not your jam? Find more top rated restaurants in Aachen here.
Take Some Night Photography
- Coordinates | 50.7753169, 6.0838153
The night photography surrounding the Aachen Cathedral is unmatched. With so many beautiful buildings lit up, you can’t help but take some photos.
The key to good night photography is to have a great travel tripod, and when shooting, set the capture on a timer, so the camera isn’t moving when it captures the image after you push the button.
The Perfect One Day In Aachen, Germany
Aachen is a beautiful city to visit. With that said, with so many other amazing things in the area, we think just one day in Aachen is enough time. We wouldn’t necessarily go out of our way to visit Aachen, but it makes a great day trip from neighboring areas!
With the gorgeous buildings all being relatively close together, we’ve seen many people visit Aachen and then head to Monschau, Germany too.
Aachen Travel Tips
- Book things early. Prices increase, especially on trains, the closer to travel date you get.
- If you’re into futbol, be sure to see if there’s a match going on when you’re in Aachen.
- If traveling from Aachen to other areas of Germany, speak with the train workers about cheaper local fares. We saved €160 just by booking through the ticket booth instead of the kiosk.
Where To Stay In Aachen
Book ahead to lock in cheaper prices
- Budget | Check prices at A & O Hostel | Right next to the train station, lots of lounging space, and all sorts of travelers stay here
- Average | Book your Hotel B & B Aachen stay | This is where we stayed the second time. Good location and private rooms!
- Luxury | Browse luxury stays here
Planning Your Aachen Trip?
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