Exploring Aachen on Your Own: 3 Walking Tours Through the Old Town

We’re kicking things off with our latest treat for digital enthusiasts, because our brochure—which has been a favorite for years—has been updated with an exciting new feature that makes it even more fun. But more on that later. As the name suggests, Emperor Charlemagne guides you through Aachen , the Emperor himself will guide you through his adopted home of Aachen. Together, you’ll stroll through the Old Town, passing 22 stops along the way. Each of these stops will tell you more about Aachen’s historyand what makes the city so special. 

And now for the cool part, especially for anyone who loves digital extras: At some stops, Emperor Charlemagne will greet you in person —and in color. It’s as simple as using your smartphone. We’ve enhanced our tour with augmented reality. With the YONA app, you can view the emperor from every angle. But that’s not all: At select highlight stops, he’ll give you some very special insights. My favorite is the stop at Aachen Cathedral. Right in the middle of the cathedral courtyard, you’ll step into an elevator with Karl and, once you reach the top, enjoy an impressive view over the rooftops of Aachen. You’ll also get a glimpse into the Aachen Cathedral Treasury and the Grashaus Aachen. The latter is normally only accessible as part of a guided tour. The AR tour through the building is therefore a real hidden gem, in my opinion. I don’t want to give too much away, but there are also a few games. And to top it all off, a souvenir photo with Karl awaits you, which you can share directly with your friends. 

If you’d like to take a break along the way to check out one of the charming cafés or catch your breath on the steps of City Hall, that’s no problem at all. To help you stay on track, you’ll find “Karl’s Seals” embedded in the cobblestones to guide you in the right direction. 

You can pick up the brochure, which includes an AR feature, at our Tourist Information Center at the Elisenbrunnen for €5.95€. 

– Corinna, 28

This tour really surprised me. With the Flapp – Future Lab app , I discovered Aachen in a unique way: The 1.3-kilometer walking tour takes you past 13 stations featuring fascinating facts about modern research in Aachen.

The tour starts at Aachen Cathedral, which you can admire here not only in person but also virtually. A team from RWTH Aachen University has developed technology that, among other things, allows for a virtual tour of the building. Suddenly, you discover corners you would otherwise never notice. The tour continues through the student district of Pontstraße to Super C, the student community center. Right next door is the next highlight: the Center for Wind Power Drives (CWD). Here, wind turbines are tested on a test bench that is unique worldwide, including hurricane-force gusts—fascinating!

My favorite, however, is the Rogowski Institute. This is where the world’s smallest heart pump—just three millimeters in size—was developed, a device that saves lives. In addition, researchers are working on exoskeletons for stroke or accident patients who are paralyzed on one side of their body. Life-saving research is taking place right here, right under our noses.

The tour ends at the main building of RWTH Aachen University, the birthplace of Aachen as a city of science. If you want to discover Aachen from a new perspective, this tour is a must.

The app is available for free in the App Store; you can pick up a brochure about it at our Tourist Information office at the Elisenbrunnen.

– Emma, 25

I’ve played escape games many times in my life and I love them. I also really enjoy city scavenger hunts and have even created some myself. Aachen Quest was my first outdoor escape game, and I had a blast. It’s great for both teens and adults, and you don’t need any prior knowledge to solve the puzzles, since everything is explained clearly and thoroughly. It’s beautifully designed, easy to use, and encourages you to interact with the people of Aachen, which I think is an excellent idea. (But if you don’t want to, you don’t have to.)

Plus, there are some really interesting stories that I hadn’t heard before, even though I’m from Aachen myself; I found that really exciting! Some puzzles were easy to solve, while others had us really thinking and searching, but we managed to figure it all out without any hints. My favorite was the town hall door and, in general, the whole story surrounding the narrator Louisa, but I don’t want to give away any more. It was also especially cool that we never had to walk long distances before reaching the next puzzle.

I did the Aachen Quest with some friends; it was a lot of fun and really easy to share across multiple phones, so we could all read it at the same time and brainstorm together. We took a break at an ice cream shop along the way and spent half a day in Aachen doing it.

In short: we found the Aachen Quest to be a very interesting and extremely well-done outdoor escape game, and I would definitely recommend it to any tourist or local who wants to learn some fascinating facts about Aachen and experience the city in a different way.

You can pick up Aachen Quest at our Tourist Information Center at the Elisenbrunnen. Depending on the tour, the cost ranges from €19 to €29 per team.

– Julia, 13 years old