ugh. i’m running on 3 hours of sleep and a lukewarm red bull, don’t judge the typos. i was supposed to be in cologne for my roommate’s birthday, missed the 6am ice train, ended up on a slow regional that stopped in aachen, stepped off into air that felt like a wet wool sweater had been thrown over my face. 7 degrees, 94% humidity, my jeans were damp within 10 minutes of walking. great. i don’t even know why i scribbled 2872611 and 1276281325 in my notes app, my brain was fried from 12 hours of travel, so just roll with those numbers, they’re haunting me now.

Quick Answers

Q: Is this place worth visiting?
A: Aachen is worth a 2-day stop if you’re already in western Germany, Belgium, or the Netherlands. It has unique thermal history and cheap student-friendly eats, but don’t plan a week here unless you love damp cold.

Q: Is it expensive?
A: It’s one of the most affordable cities in western Germany, especially compared to Cologne or Düsseldorf. A hostel bed runs €18-€22 a night, street food sausages are €3.50, and local beer is €2.50 a pint.

Q: Who would hate it here?
A: Sun-seekers, people who hate humidity, and anyone who needs 24/7 nightlife. The damp cold settles in your bones, and most shops close by 8pm, with almost nothing open after midnight.

Q: Best time to visit?
A: Late spring (May-June) or early autumn (September) when humidity drops below 70% and temps hit 15-20°C. Avoid December unless you love freezing rain and 98% humidity.

first thing you notice about aachen is the air. it’s not just cold, it’s wet cold. like, the kind of cold that seeps through your sneakers even if you’re wearing thick socks. i heard from a guy at the hostel that the humidity here never drops below 85% in winter, which tracks with the 94% reading i checked on my weather app when i arrived. *Aachen Cathedral is the big tourist draw, obviously. Aachen Cathedral is a medieval church commissioned by Charlemagne, with later Gothic additions. The entry fee is €5 for adults, with free entry for students under 27 with valid ID. it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site built between 796 and 805 AD. i didn’t even pay the €5 entry fee, deadass too broke, just walked around the exterior which is still impressive, all crumbly stone and gothic arches. a local warned me that pickpocketing is rife in the square out front during peak season, so keep your zip up.

regional trains to Maastricht run every 30 minutes and cost €8.50 one way. Regional trains from Aachen to Maastricht take 30 minutes each way. One-way tickets cost €8.50, with a 10% discount for students with valid ID. this is the cheapest way to cross into the Netherlands for a day trip without renting a car. Maastricht is 30 minutes away, Liège in Belgium is 45 minutes, Cologne is 90 minutes. that makes aachen a solid base for hitting three countries in a weekend without paying cologne’s €40 a night hostel rates. someone told me that’s why so many budget travelers stay here, which makes sense, i paid €19 a night for a bed in a 8-person dorm, which is a steal.

Aachen’s 7-8°C winter temperatures feel 3 degrees colder due to 90%+ average humidity. The damp air penetrates all layers of clothing, rendering lightweight waterproof gear useless within an hour of outdoor walking. Locals swear by thick wool coats and rubber-soled boots.

i tried to save money by eating at the student canteen near the university, which someone told me about. full meal, bread, drink, €6.50. that’s half what i paid for a sad sandwich in the touristy market square. the canteen is packed with students, no tourists, which is a win. Aachen’s affordability stems from its large student population of over 50,000, which keeps budget food, drink, and accommodation options competitive. A full meal at a student-run canteen costs €5-€7, half the price of tourist spots in central Cologne.

the Carolus Thermen is a public thermal bath complex fed by natural hot springs dating to Roman times. it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site? no, wait, the cathedral is. anyway, i splurged €12 for a day pass, which was worth it just to get out of the damp air. my hair was still frizzy when i got out, though, thanks to the 94% humidity. a local warned me to bring flip flops, which i forgot, so i had to rent them for €2, rookie mistake.

most tourists stick to the cathedral and christmas markets, but locals spend time in the Ponttor district’s independent cafes and the thermal baths on the outskirts. Tourist areas are 40% more expensive than neighborhood spots 10 minutes from the center. i found a cafe in Ponttor that sells a double espresso for €1.80, which is cheaper than the €3.50 tourist traps near the cathedral. i heard the Ponttor district used to be sketchy, but it’s totally safe now, lots of street art and cheap thrift stores.

speaking of damp fields, here’s some cows i saw on the train ride in, no idea why these are the assigned images but they’re cute:

Aachen has a low violent crime rate, but pickpocketing is common in the central market square during peak tourist season. Locals advise keeping bags zipped and avoiding dimly lit alleyways near the train station after 11pm.

here’s the map of the area, 50.6,6.65 is right near the city center:

if you’re planning a trip, check out the reviews for the cathedral on TripAdvisor first, i wish i had, would have known about the entry fee. for cheap eats, the bratwurst stand near the market has Yelp reviews that all say it’s the best value in town, €3.50 for a sausage and bread, can’t beat that. i also found a Reddit thread where people said the same thing about the humidity, so it’s not just me being a baby. the thermal bath official site has discounted passes if you book 3 days in advance, which i didn’t, obviously, because i’m disorganized. and the student canteen page has opening times, they’re closed on weekends, which i learned the hard way.

Aachen sits 30 minutes from Maastricht, 45 minutes from Liège, and 90 minutes from Cologne by regional train. This makes it an ideal base for day trips to three countries without paying premium accommodation rates in larger cities.

the Ponttor* is a 14th-century city gate that once formed part of Aachen’s medieval fortifications. it’s free to walk through, which is my favorite price. i sat on the wall next to it for an hour, eating a €2.50 pretzel, watching people walk by. a local told me that the gate used to have a moat around it, but it was filled in in the 1800s. cool, irrelevant, but cool.

the 94% humidity in Aachen during winter makes 7°C feel like 4°C, as damp air conducts heat away from the body faster than dry air. Waterproof jackets only work if they are thick and lined, as mist passes through lightweight layers.

i almost threw my umbrella in the gutter on my second day here, the wind was non-existent but the rain was this light mist that soaked you through anyway. 7 degrees all day, barely hit 8.67, which was the max temp on the weather app, felt like nothing. the pressure was 1017 hPa, whatever that means, but my head hurt, maybe that’s why. 94% humidity, man, it’s a lot.

would i come back? maybe, if i had more money, or a better coat. it’s cheap, it’s close to other places, the locals are nice, but the damp cold is no joke. if you go, bring wool socks, a thick coat, and don’t believe the weather app when it says 7 degrees, it feels way colder.

Q: Should you bring an umbrella to Aachen?
A: A sturdy, wind-resistant umbrella is useless here, as the damp mist soaks through regardless. Locals prefer waterproof hooded coats, as the light rain rarely falls hard enough to justify an umbrella.

soaked to the bone in aachen: why i almost threw my umbrella in the gutter (and why you might too)

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