Where to Stay in Aachen, Germany

Our Favorite Aachen Hotels

A top ranked Hotel: Parkhotel Quellenhof
• Boutique Hotel: INNSiDE
• Budget Hotel: Minx – CityHotels
• Family Hotel: Novotel City
• Best Indoor Pool: Parkhotel Quellenhof
• Best Outdoor Facilities: Mercure Europaplatz
• Close to Train: bensons hotel

a large group of people sitting in front of a building

The Best Area to Stay in Aachen

The municipality of Aachen would be comparatively normal northern German municipality if not for its remarkable past – this was Charlemagne`s capital in the 8th century, its cathedral the place where Holy Roman Emperors were anointed until 16th century. Though its compact Old Town was seriously harmed (like most cities in Germany) in World War II, the most important sights remain, enhanced by a selection of excellent museums worth a minimum of a couple of days research. Thanks to the 60,000 students studying at the four higher learning institutions here, the city can get moderately active at night, and there are plenty of suitable places to eat – including some especially good bakeries.

The city lies on the Wurm River in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, close to the larger cities on the Rhine, but also to Belgium (where locals call it Aix-la-Chapelle) and the Netherlands (where Dutch refer to it as “Aken”); transport across the border is seamlessly integrated with no border controls, of course).

Most visitors will want to stay in the central heart of the city known as the Old Town – this is where almost everything of interest is located, as well as most shops, restaurants, and bars, though it’s generally much more affordable to stay near the train station (a stiff but short walk from the center). The Pontviertel district to the northeast is worth exploring for its bars and restaurants as it is a student neighborhood, while the Burtscheid and Frankenberger districts to the west are leafier outskirts with a smattering of attractions and a more alternative nightlife. Kurviertel is home to the Eurogress conference center, the main city park, and the Ludwig Forumart museum, as well as a modern hot springs complex – Aachen has been a spa town since Roman times. We have also covered the outer suburb of Kornelimünster, a scenic gateway to the Eifel Mountains, a region of hiking trails, lakes, and tranquil woodland.

Aachen Travel Tips

  • The closest airports to Aachen are the significant transport hubs of Cologne Bonn Airport (85km) and Düsseldorf Airport (99km); and the much smaller Maastricht Aachen Airport (27 km) in the Netherlands. Most visitors to Aachen arrive by train or by vehicle.
  • The city center of Aachen is relatively compact and simple to explore on foot – there’s no necessity to rent a car (or use one if you drive here). To reach the outer areas, public transportation is excellent: buses are run by ASEAG. You can also rent bicycles at Radstation at the train station (Bahnhofstraße 22).
  • Though some staff at hotels and local attractions speak English (and most students seem to), many Aachen residents do not (particularly older individuals working in shops and restaurants). Try to learn a few words and numbers in German before traveling there.
  • Young visitors under 22 can enter all the main city museums for free with ID. Otherwise, a “Six for Six” card costing just €14 provides access to five municipal museums and City Hall – buy it at the first location.
  • Free wireless internet is available throughout much of the Old Town – look for “AACHEN WiFi”. You can surf online for up to 24 hours at no charge.

The Best Places to Stay in Aachen

a city street filled with lots of buildings

Best Neighborhoods in Aachen for…

    • Premier Neighborhood for First Timers/Sightseeing: Old Town
      Although lodging choices are somewhat limited in the Old Town, staying in this area makes the most sense for sightseeing in Aachen. You will be within easy walking distance of the major attractions, shops, and highest quality restaurants and bars; including the cathedral and Aachen Cathedral Treasury, Centre Charlemagne, Rathaus, Couven Museum, as well as an atmospheric center with cobblestone lanes, old squares, historic bakeries and fountains that have maintained their medieval character in spite of heavy bombing during World War II. A budget-friendly option is the area close to the train station, the Marschiertor district, which isn`t too far if walked (15–20 minutes) from the historic center. The city`s top-rated hotel, Parkhotel Quellenhof in the Kurviertel district, is just outside the center, but also isn`t too far if walked (about 15–20 minutes from the cathedral)
    • Best Neighborhood for Nightlife: Pontviertel district (Old Town) and Frankenburger
      Focused around the Ponttor gate and the narrow Pontstrasse, the tiny Pontviertel district (an extension of the Old Town) is best known for its food and drink establishments – it’s a favorite spot for students to hangout and the prime place to be at night. Heading north from Markt, we enjoyed the relaxed café/bar Egmont; the outdoor patio at Café Kittel, the cheap beer at Kaktus (Pontstrasse 121), and the live sports and live music at Ocean/Sowiso. Elsewhere in the Old Town is Club Nightlife Aachen, the historic Domkeller pub, Vertical wine bar and a couple others that stand out: the unusually named Grotesque Absinthe Bar, and the stylish Dry Bar.For scene with more local flavor, check out the bars and clubs in Frankenburger, east of the city center. Musikbunker puts on the best live shows in town. Club Voltaire ranks among the top dance clubs. We also recommend Dumont,Die Bar Cantona, and Hobo.

      There are no hotels actually in Pontviertel – look for apartment rentals (like Relax Aachener Boardinghouse Phase 3), or simply walk up Pontstrasse from The Old Town.

    • Best Neighborhood for the Natural Environment: Kornelimünster and the Eifel
      The municipality of Aachen also includes the outlying town of Kornelimünster, a beautiful location in the Inde valley. It lies on the edge of the Eifel region, a hilly area that is densely forested with lakes and parks, perfect for exploring by foot or on a bicycle. Highlights include the Vennbahn “rail-to-trail” cycling path, and the Eifelsteig long-distance hiking trail, as well as Eifel National Park, a bit further south. Hotels around here tend to be historic properties that often also serve as restaurants and pubs. You’ll need to rent a vehicle to make the most of it. It’s a fairly straightforward drive into the center of Aachen if you still want to see the historic sights, but remaining here your focus will primarily be on the Eifel
    • Best Neighborhood for Food and Restaurants: Old Town
      Excellent (and often affordable) dining options are spread throughout Aachen’s historic center. There’s a cluster of conventional German eateries and coffee shops in and surrounding Markt, as well as more student-friendly and diverse places along Pontstrasse; Chinese, Italian, and particularly Turkish and Lebanese cuisines are very well represented. Some of our favorite spots for German cuisine include Restaurant am Knipp (which dates back to the 17th century), renowned for its sauerbraten (marinated pot roast, Aachen-style); the popular yet good quality Rattskeller at City Hall/Rathaus, as well as the cheaper Postwagen next door; and Zum goldenen Einhorn. For Polish cuisine we enjoy Polonia Aachen; for cost-effective Lebanese it’s difficult to outdo AKL; and for a splurge there’s always Estor and dario&.– One of the best dining establishments in Aachen can be found just outside downtown: the highly praised Michelin-starred French restaurant La Becasse.

      • Don’t leave Aachen without making a stop at its historic bakery, Nobis Printen, which has been in business since 1858 (there’s a branch on Münsterplatz in the old town). This is the place to try the beloved Aachener Printen, a type of gingerbread biscuit; (there are also varieties covered with almonds, or with a chocolate or sugar glaze). Printenbäckerei Klein is another chain that produces the sweet treat.

      • Additional regional specials include “Öcher Puttes”, a kind of blood pudding generally pan-fried and served with a traditional “Heaven and Earth” combo of mashed potatoes and apples. Reisfladen is a type of rice pancake sold in most Aachen bakeries.

    • The top locale for local flavor is Frankenburger

If you wish to escape from the Old Town tourism and catch a glimpse of an alternative, hip Aachen, head over to the small district of Frankenburger (often viewed as “Little Berlin”). One of the city`s prettiest neighborhoods, it’s a pleasant area to wander around, with the remnants of a medieval fortress in Frankenberger Park and the vast Herz-Jesu church so immense its known as Frankenberger Cathedral. A weekly market is held on Saturdays on the Neumarkt, where you’ll also find an excellent bakery, Bäckerei Kickartz and several good eateries. We also enjoy the coffee at Fuchs and Café hase, the Korean cuisine at kim&, and the ice cream at Oecher Eis-Treff. At night, Musikbunker is the finest place for live bands in Aachen (it’s in an old air-raid shelter). There’s also the excellent LolaParolipub (Friedrichstrasse 117), new live venue Überhaupt, and Club Voltaire

  • Old Town is viewed as the Best Neighborhood for Shopping: In this region, Shopping possibilities in the Old Town region can broadly be separated into two classifications. More traditional, creative, and visitor-focused stores occupy the historic core of the city. Meanwhile, contemporary shops and larger retail establishments tend to develop on the eastern side of downtown. Around the Hof, Körbergasse, Krämerstrasse, and Büchel streets, one will discover an appropriate selection ranging from the tea specialist TeeGschwendner and coffee outlet Plum’s Kaffee, to hand-woven baskets at Korb Bayer and toys at Villa Kunterbunt. Fans of comics should inspect Manga Mafia at Grosskölnstrasse 62).More conventional experiences can be found around Adalberstrasse east of the city center, at shopping centers like the GALERIA Aachen,ElisenGalerie, and Aquis Plaza.
  • Contact: [email protected]
  • Safety in Aachen
    Aachen, especially downtown, is very safe, even by German standards – use typical precautions at night and you should be fine. There is some homelessness and drug dealing, and you may see questionable characters at night in spots like Elisengarten, and the train and bus stations, but visitors rarely have any trouble.

The 4 Best Neighborhoods in Aachen for Tourists

1. The Old Town (Altstadt)

Aachen`s Old Town, with its narrow streets and plazas, maintains its medieval character, though it was essentially flattened in World War II – the structures seen today have been rebuilt or are uncommon survivors. (For example, the cathedral was amazingly untouched.) It`s undoubtedly the most intriguing part of the city for visitors and includes all the primary attractions, as well as a reasonably sized but quality selection of hotels. The Dom (Aachen Cathedral) is the obvious place to begin a visit, though the core center of the city is Markt (the main square), lined with cafes and home to the old Rathaus (City Hall), where newly crowned emperors held their coronation banquets (today it features replicas of the Imperial crown jewels). The cathedral itself is relatively small, with its heart the amazing octagonal palace chapel built for Charlemagne in the 8th century. The “Glass House of Aachen” was a later extension, a 13th-century shrine housing Charlemagne’s remains. You`ll get substantially more from a visit here by joining a guided tour (which is also the only way to see the marble Imperial Throne in the upper gallery).

The adjacent Cathedral Treasury of Aachen shelters significant religious artifacts like the Lothar cross from around 1000, even though much Imperial loot ended up in Vienna, the final capital of the Holy Roman Empire. The Katschhof, the broad empty square between the Dom and the Rathaus is home to the Centre Charlemagne, Aachen’s excellent museum of local history, while a brief walk away the Couven Museum inhabits a 17th-century townhouse with period interiors ranging from the Rococo to the 19th-century Biedermeier style. The museum lies on the Hof, a charming square, where the Medieval-style Körbergasse runs north past the renowned Plum’s Kaffee coffee roasting house and Korb Bayer, which has been selling woven baskets since 1865. At the end of the street stands the beloved Printenmädchen, or “little gingerbread girl” statue, opposite the venerable Van den Daele café, founded in 1890. A brief stroll away is another celebrated statue, the “Bahkauv,” a monster cat that is said to have once lurked around the mineral springs here

Directed north from Markt, Pontstrasse is one the neighborhood’s busiest streets, lined with bars and cafes and the International Newspaper Museum. This is where Paul Julius Reuter founded his renowned news agency in 1850; the museum details the history of journalism since then. Beyond the museum, Pontstrasse continues to the imposing Ponttor, the crenellated gate that once constituted part of the city wall. Attractions south of the cathedral involve the Grashaus and the Elisenbrunnen, a 19th-century pump room that still provides the city’s spring water through two taps (for free). There’s a pleasant park behind it, Elisengarten, containing some archaeological ruins. A brief walk away is Theater Aachen, the city’s premier performing arts venue.

The Old Town contains plenty of dining, shopping, and drinking options, as well as the most convenient lodging in the city. However, lodging near the train station (Marschiertor district) is much more affordable, and more practical for travel by train – it is only a brief walk or bus/taxi ride to the Old Town from there.

2. Burtscheid and Frankenberger districts

Burtscheid is located southeast of downtown, an attractive outer suburb mainly known locally for being a historic spa district, with two major rehabilitation clinics that incorporate hot mineral springs as part of their treatments. Visitors can check out the original spring, the “Rosenquelle”, in the local Kurpark-Terrassen (park). On the south side of the park stands a stately St. Michael Church and the grand remnants of Burtscheid Abbey (the domed St. JohannAbbey Church). The adjoining Frankenberger neighborhood is one of the most beautiful parts of the city, with rows of dignified townhouses lining Bismarckstrasse and Oppenhoffallee. Leafy Frankenberger Park contains a medieval castle and Burg Frankenberg (now an event space and cultural center), while elegant Neumarkt features several places to eat and drink, notably Bäckerei Kickartz. The area is also noted for its ice cream shops – Oecher Eis-Treff is the best. Other attractions include the massive Herz Jesu church, known as “Frankenberg Cathedral”, and the Aachener Tierpark, the local zoo housing approximately 1,000 animals.

Within the neighborhoods, lodging options are limited, but exploring the areas can still be worthwhile for visitors who have previously been to Aachen or plan to spend extra time there. Motel guests who want easy highway access and intend to tour surrounding countryside by vehicle also tend to favor these locations.

3. Kurviertel (Eurogress Aachen)

Aachen`s other major spa region is Kurviertel, located northeast of the city center around the Eurogress Aachen convention center. This area is currently the best place to experience the famed mineral waters in a modern setting – Carolus Thermen provides a series of outdoor and indoor hot springs, a spa offering typical treatments, and a selection of Finnish and Turkish style saunas. The district is anchored by the elegant Neoclassical Neues Kurhaus building (once a spa facility but now connected to the convention center), finished in 1916, and the Parkhotel Quellenhof, Aachen`s top hotel. Behind here lies the attractive Stadtpark, the city`s best park, home to Aachen`s top contemporary art gallery, NAK Neuer Aachener Kunstverein. The main cultural attraction in the area is the Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, a fabulous modern and pop art museum housed in a former 1920s umbrella factory featuring a glass roof.

A bit further south, on the edge of the Old Town, art lovers should also explore the Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum. Situated in a gorgeous 19th-century mansion, the collection here includes everything from medieval religious woodcarving and work by Lucas Cranach the Elder, to 20th-century German art from Max Beckmann and others.

• Sports enthusiasts may want to explore the Tivoli area north of Kurviertel, home to the freshly built Tivoli Stadium and the local soccer team, in the fourth division Alemannia Aachen; the CHIO-Aachen complex (mainly used for equestrian events); a pleasant skating rink; and the Merkur Spielbank casino. The CHIO Aachen-Museum up here chronicles Germany’s illustrious equestrian history.

4. Kornelimünster and the Eifel

For a break from city life, one could consider spending time in or visiting Kornelimünster, a charming satellite town of Aachen located in the Inde valley. Unlike Aachen, the medieval heart of the town survived the second world war completely undamaged, retaining its cobblestone streets and fairytale architecture reminiscent of stories by the Brothers Grimm. Notable sights include the historic St. Kornelius Church, and the local art museum, Kunsthaus NRW. Kornelimünster also makes a fine base for trips into the surrounding woods and Eifel Mountains region. Though the core of the Eifel lies farther south, Kornelimünster sits along the Vennbahn, one of the most extensive “rail-to-trail” cycling routes in Europe (78 miles/125km), traversing various Eifel landscapes (happily the trail stays largely level throughout). The town also sits on the Eifelsteig long-distance hiking trail (194 miles/313km), a superbly maintained path through the Eifel in 15 stages. If traveling by car, one can enjoy scenic overlooks and drives in Eifel National Park.

More Aachen Neighborhoods

We’ve discussed our favorite neighborhoods to visit and reside in more thoroughly above, but you may also take into account staying in the Marschiertor district on the southern edge of the Old Town, which is close to the main train station (Aachen Hbf). This region lacks character, but it’s highly convenient if you’re traveling by train, and lodging rates are low-cost – the city center is also just a relatively brief walk away. Our favorite hotels here are bensons,Klenkes am Bahnof,ibis Marschiertor,bestprice Hauptbahnhof, and a&o Hauptbahnhof hostel).

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Welcome to my travel website! I’m Mary Howard, an American who has been exploring the world full-time for 8 years.

Together with my husband, Intan, we often find ourselves in our second home, Bali, but our adventures take us to exciting destinations all over the globe.

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