Aachen on two wheels

The most beautiful cycle paths in and around Aachen

I recently met up again with a friend I hadn't seen for at least eight years. I had been carless for a year and was locking my bike in front of the Vers literature café. “Do you remember?” the acquaintance asked with a grin. “The last time we saw each other, you said that cycling in Aachen was only for the brave.” 
Aachen is now proving that this is a thing of the past, not only with new cycle paths, cycle lanes, priority cycle routes and generally good, practical infrastructure for cyclists, but also with a special award from the ADFC for particularly good “coexistence in traffic”. 
But it's not just on my everyday routes in Aachen that the bicycle is my mode of transport of choice - every direction around Aachen offers versatility. Whether in the marl country of the border triangle in the west, in the “Öcher Bösch” and the Eifel in the south, between slag heaps and industrial monuments in the northeast - Aachen is a big city surrounded by greenery, and if you really want to take a deep breath, you should grab a bike and cycle one - or more - of my tips!

- Judith C. Vogt

Aachen from all sides

Grüne Wiese, Bäume und Sträucher unter blauem Himmel.
Umgeben von Bäumen befindet sich ein teichförmiges Naturbecken, das leicht mit Wasser gefüllt ist.

Everything once, please! If you want to cross Aachen length by width by height (meters), it is best to choose the 50km Aachener Runde. It starts centrally at the cathedral and visits the entire surrounding area of Aachen. Leaving the city, the route follows Aachen's largest “river”, the Wurm, in an anti-clockwise direction through the tranquil Soers, through the historic village of Seffent and past the university hospital, along the edge of residential areas on the Dutch border into the Öcher Bösch, the city forest in the south, where it can get steep at times - but with babbling brooks and meadows that are perfect for picnics. Once you have passed the peak, the route descends to the German-Belgian border crossing “Köpfchen”, through the suburbs and along the Haarbach stream back to the Wurm. 

If you fancy a similar but shorter tour, we recommend the approximately 30 km long Aachen Cycle Summer! The tour starts in the Kurpark, but in summer 2025 it is signposted with the characteristic summer cycling signs so that you can “join” the route anywhere. This tour also goes anti-clockwise around Aachen, the characteristic beautiful corners Soers, Seffent, Steppenberg are also part of the program here, but the ascent in Öcher Bösch is omitted. Instead, the tour shows why Laurensberg is called Laurensberg - but rewards you with a fantastic view of the green city of Aachen with the Lousberg, church spires and lots of trees. This route also passes the Hangeweiher outdoor pool, so pack your swimsuit if the weather is nice! 


Tips for on the way:


🧺 On the long loop, it's best to pack a picnic and eat it in the Öcher Bösch - for example at the Zyklopensteinen!
⛲ A little hidden behind the old houses and courtyards of Seffent are the Seven Springs, which gave the village its name and invite you to take a refreshing break with their shallow spring pools!
🤤 The summer cycle route offers culinary choices from the outdoor pool onwards: for example, pizza at the little Gold of Naples on Eupener Straße or cake in Burtscheid at Café Lammerskötter or in Beverau at Café Liège!

Formerly rails, now cycle path - Part 1

Auf einen breiten Bach zwischen Bäumen scheint die Sonne.
Torbogen zwischen zwei steinernen Türmen unter blauem Himmel.

Railroad cycle paths are pure luxury! They were once designed for rail traffic in such a way that the gradient is kept to a minimum, as are the crossings with car traffic. Converted into cycle paths, they suddenly make places that would otherwise have been reached by car accessible. This also applies to Jülich, founded by the Romans as a vicus on the Rur.

The Aachen - Jülich railroad line cycle path - 32 km there and back and signposted with a small orange and blue badge - also starts in the city centre, leads leisurely to Würselen via a newly developed cycle path and from there through a landscape characterized by industry, but today above all: green! The railroad once transported coal from the Alsdorf mines, now it's a relaxed cycle along slag heaps and old railroad remnants. In Jülich, the small cafés and restaurants in the old town are tempting. If you still have some energy left, you can visit the Brückenkopfpark or the oldest citadel fortress north of the Alps. The way back is either simply in the opposite direction - or by train on the Rurtalbahn and Regionalexpress!

Tips for on the way:

🪧There are several places where there is a danger of simply continuing to cycle even though the cycle path turns off - keep an eye out, especially in Würselen and Aldenhoven!

🤤 There are not many options to stop for refreshments along the way, but in Jülich, for example, the Schwan Bauernhofcafé is a tempting option.

Formerly rails, now cycle path - Part 2

Eine Person fährt auf ihrem Fahrrad auf einem geteerten Weg neben einem Grünstreifen mit alten Bahnschienen und Bäumen.
An einem geteerten Weg steht eine Infotafel mit der Aufschrift "Vennbahn", mehrere abgestellte Fahrräder und ein kleines Häuschen als Unterschlupf.

Did you know? One of the longest and most beautiful railroad cycle paths in Europe starts in Aachen! The Vennbahn. For over a century, the railroad line connected Aachen with the north of Luxembourg, more precisely: with Troisvierges. The Vennbahn route leads comfortably and without complications and detours to the Eifel and Ardennes and is part of the completely car-free Ravel cycle route program in Belgian Wallonia. I live very close to the Vennbahnweg and love it - to cycle towards the city center on a daily basis, but also to take the route into the Eifel in my free time, with a leisurely ascent and numerous refreshment stops that tempt you to linger, all the way up to the high moor of the Hohes Venn. 
If you want to cycle the entire Vennbahn, you should stay overnight at least once - if you fancy a day trip full of nature experiences, you can simply cycle as far as you like from Aachen and then cycle back - mostly downhill. 
 

Tips for the road:


🥵 For inexperienced cyclists: Take the cycle bus to Monschau, explore the old town first and then cycle the Vennbahnweg Monschau - Aachen - then the gradient only goes downhill!

🤤 At the start of the Vennbahnweg, there are plenty of places to stop for refreshments - whether at the former railroad stations in Brand, Kornelimünster and Raeren or at the Kaffeefee in Roetgen. From Roetgen onwards, the route takes you through the Hohes Venn, becoming more secluded and unspoilt - either take a picnic with you for one of the many handsome “rusty” huts or save your hunger for the cafés and restaurants in Monschau, if you're fit enough to make it there!

📷 One of my favorite places in Aachen is the Rollefbach Viaduct between Brand and Kornelimünster. Once you get there, you'll know why.