Things to do in Aachen

Aachen is the westernmost city in Germany bordering Belgium and the Netherlands to the West and Bonn and Cologne to the east. The city is famous for the Cathedral and the Palatine Chapel Dome, but it has much more to offer.

Aachen was appreciated by Roman soldiers for its hot springs and became then famous in the 8th century under Charlemagne for being the capital of Charlemagne’s Frankish Empire. Today, Aachen is a center for innovation in Germany: it is home to one of Germany’s leading institutes of higher education in technology, the RWTH Aachen University, but also to Europe’s largest single-building hospital including sciences as engineering and information technology.

Aachen’s main attraction is the UNESCO World Heritage Site Aachen Cathedral that was erected on the orders of Charlemagne and whose construction began in AD 796. It quickly became a destination for pilgrims and the church of coronation for German kings and queens and is northern Europe’s oldest cathedral. Worth mentioning are the Katschhof, the Town Hall, the Elisenfountain, and the Thermal bath Carolus Thermen.

In Aachen, you’ll admire large carnival parades as it is one of the main centers of carnival celebrations in Germany. You’ll also stroll through the streets and admire its Old Town or taste culinary specialty called Aachener Printen, which is a type of gingerbread.