Your trip to Aachen.

1. Morning
   Aachen Cathedral and treasury

   Start with the cathedral as soon as it opens. Note the octagonal palatine chapel of Charlemagne, the large Barbarossa chandelier beneath the dome and the Gothic choir with tall stained-glass windows. Charlemagne’s throne, in the upper gallery, is only visible on a guided tour, tickets available at the Dominformation. Afterwards, go into the treasury next door to see the Lothar Cross and the bust of Charlemagne.

2. Afternoon
   Town hall and Centre Charlemagne

   Cross the Katschhof, the square between the cathedral and the town hall, and visit the Rathaus, built over the old Carolingian palace, with the coronation hall. Then enter the Centre Charlemagne on the same square to understand the city’s history from Charlemagne onward.

3. Late afternoon
   Elisenbrunnen and the thermal springs

   Go down to the Elisenbrunnen, the neoclassical pavilion of the thermal springs, and smell the sulphur from water emerging at about 52 °C. Read the plaques naming famous visitors and stroll through the Elisengarten just behind. Take the opportunity to try Aachener Printen at a patisserie in the centre.

4. Evening
   Dinner in the old town

   Return to the streets around the market square and town hall for dinner. The Pontstraße, which runs from the square toward the Ponttor, concentrates restaurants, bars and the bustle of the city’s students.

Day 1

1. Morning
   Cathedral and treasury

   Spend the morning at the cathedral, preferably with the guided tour that takes you to Charlemagne’s throne, and the treasury, with medieval objects connected to the coronation church.

2. Afternoon
   Town hall, Centre Charlemagne and Couven Museum

   Visit the town hall and the Centre Charlemagne in the Katschhof. Then, a few steps away, enter the Couven Museum, in a bourgeois house with furnished rooms from the 18th and 19th centuries and a historic pharmacy.

3. Late afternoon
   Elisenbrunnen and Elisengarten

   Head to the Elisenbrunnen and the garden behind it, where an archaeological display case shows remains of the area’s earliest inhabitants. It is the city’s tourist information point.

4. Evening
   Pontstraße

   Dine in the Pontstraße area and walk to the Ponttor, which is illuminated at night.

Day 2

1. Morning
   Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum

   Start the second day at the Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum, housed in a 19th‑century mansion, with paintings and sculpture from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century and a print cabinet with Dürer and Rembrandt.

2. Afternoon
   Ponttor and Lousberg

   Walk across the centre to the Ponttor, a 14th‑century medieval gate, and climb the Lousberg, a hill‑park to the north, to see the city from above.

3. Late afternoon
   Thermal baths or the three‑country point

   Choose between the city’s thermal baths, which continue Aachen’s tradition of hot springs, or a trip to the Dreiländereck in Vaals in the Netherlands, where the borders of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands meet.

4. Evening
   Farewell in the centre

   Return to the centre for dinner near the cathedral. In Advent, the Christmas market fills the squares around the cathedral and the town hall.