Aachen

Aachen, about 80 km west of Düsseldorf on the border with Belgium and the Netherlands, was the favourite residence of Charlemagne and the coronation site of German kings for centuries. The DB RE1 regional train runs from Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof to Aachen Hbf in about 1 hour 15 minutes and is covered by the Deutschlandticket at EUR 63 per month (about USD 72); a faster option via Cologne with an ICE needs a separate ticket, and FlixBus coaches take about 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours on selected routes. From the station, the old town is reached on foot in about 15 minutes. The heart of any visit is the Aachener Dom at Domhof 1, the first German site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978, with Charlemagne's Palatine Chapel, the octagonal dome, the golden Shrine of Charlemagne and the marble throne. The Cathedral Treasury holds one of the most important collections of medieval church art north of the Alps. Beside the cathedral, the Rathaus on the Markt stands on the foundations of Charlemagne's palace, and the Couven Museum shows bourgeois life in the 18th century. The city's thermal springs gave it the name Bad Aachen, and the Carolus Thermen spa offers a relaxing break. Local specialities include the soft, spiced Aachener Printen gingerbread, best bought at Nobis Printen or Lambertz, and the sugary Reisfladen. A plan for the day is to reach the cathedral in the morning, join a guided tour of the interior, lunch in the Markt area, and spend the afternoon in the Treasury, the Rathaus and the old-town lanes, with a stop at the Elisenbrunnen drinking fountain, where warm sulphurous spring water flows. The best period is from April to October, and mornings are best for the cathedral. The Christmas market in December is one of the most popular in Germany. Return trains are frequent into the evening.