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 outside 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 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. The special prize from the ADFC also shows the particularly good "coexistence in traffic".
But it's not just on my everyday routesin 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. If you want to take a deep breath, you should grab a bike and cycle one - or more - of my tips!
Judith C. Vogt
lives with her family in Aachen-Eilendorf, where she writes and translates novels and non-fiction texts. To balance out her day-to-day writing, she goes on extensive cycling and hiking tours in the Euregio region and is always fascinated by new perspectives and insights.
Aachen from all sides
Everything once, please! If you want to cross Aachen length times width times height (meters), it is best to choose the 50km long Aachen circuit. It starts centrally at the cathedral and visits the entire surrounding area of Aachen. From 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, the route continues along the edge of residential areas on the Dutch border into the Öcher Bösch, the city forest in the south, where the going can get steep. But you are rewarded with babbling brooks and meadows that are perfect for picnics . Once you have crossed the peak, the route descends to the German-Belgian border crossing at 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 30km long Aachen cycling summer is highly recommended! The tour starts in the Kurpark, but in summer 2025 it is signposted with the characteristic bicycle summer signs so that you can "join" the route anywhere. Thistour alsogoes counter-clockwise around Aachen. The characteristically beautiful corners of Soers, Seffent and Steppenberg are also part of the program here, but the climb 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 many trees. This route also leads past the Hangeweiher outdoor pool so if the weather is nice, pack your swimming gear!
Tips for on the go
🧺 For the big tour, 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 the Beverau at Café Liège!
Formerly rails, now cycle path - Part 1
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, known by the Romans as vicus on the Rur.
Also the Aachen - Jülich railroad line cycle route - 32 km there and back and signposted with a small orange and blue badge - starts in the city center, leads leisurely along a newly built cycle path to Würselen 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 energy left, you can visit the bridgehead park or visit 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 go
🪧In several places there is a danger of simply continuing to cycle even though the cycle path turns off - keep your eyes open, 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 tempting.
Formerly rails, now cycle path - Part 2
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 to the Eifel and Ardennes in comfort and without complications or detours 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. I use it every day to cycle towards the city center, but I also use it in my free time to make my way to the Eifel. With a leisurely incline, the route leads past numerous refreshment stops that tempt you to linger, all the way up to the high moor of the High Fens.
If you want to cycle the entire Vennbahn, you should stay overnight at least once. If you fancy a day tour rich in nature experiences, you can simply cycle as far as you like from Aachen and then cycle back - mostly downhill.
Tips for on the go
🥵 For inexperienced cyclists: The cycle bus to Monschau, first explore the old town and then take the Vennbahnweg Monschau - Aachen 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 leads through the High Fens, becoming more remote 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 have enough stamina to get there!
📷 One of my favorite places in Aachen is the Rollefbach Viaduct between Brand and Kornelimünster. Anyone who gets there knows why.
