Aachen Cathedral

Aachen Cathedral tickets: which one to buy

Aachen Cathedral stands in the centre of Aachen, Germany, near the borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, and entry to the cathedral is free, while guided tours, which give access to the throne of Charlemagne and other areas, are ticketed and recommended; the Cathedral Treasury, one of the most important in Europe, is also ticketed. It was the first German site listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in 1978.

Walking tours of Aachen combine the cathedral with the Town Hall, built on the foundations of Charlemagne's palace, the Centre Charlemagne museum, the thermal springs and the old town, famous for Aachener Printen gingerbread. Aachen is about an hour from Cologne by train and close to Maastricht and Liège. The cathedral is active, and visiting pauses during services. Photography inside may require a permit. Tickets for guided tours are sold at the Cathedral Information Centre, opposite the cathedral.

Visiting Aachen Cathedral: what to see

The cathedral's core is the Palatine Chapel, built by Charlemagne around 796 to 805 as part of his palace, when Aachen was the centre of his empire, and it is one of the oldest cathedrals in northern Europe. The octagonal chapel, inspired by Byzantine churches such as San Vitale in Ravenna, has a dome decorated with mosaics, marble columns brought from Italy, and bronze railings from Charlemagne's time. Charlemagne was buried here in 814, and his remains are kept in a golden shrine, the Karlsschrein, made in the thirteenth century. For six hundred years, thirty-one German kings were crowned in the cathedral, sitting on the marble throne of Charlemagne in the upper gallery. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, a Gothic choir, called the Glass House, was added, with tall stained glass windows.

The cathedral also holds the golden Shrine of Mary and the Pala d'Oro altar. The Treasury displays the Bust of Charlemagne, a golden reliquary with his skull, the Cross of Lothair, decorated with gems and a cameo of Emperor Augustus, and the Proserpina sarcophagus, in which Charlemagne was first buried. The octagon's mosaics, restored in the nineteenth century, show Christ and the elders of the Apocalypse. The cathedral's bronze doors, the Wolf's Door, date from Charlemagne's time. The pulpit of Henry II, decorated with gold and precious stones, stands in the choir. The Barbarossa chandelier, a gilded copper crown, hangs in the octagon. The chapels around the octagon were added in the Gothic period.

Aachen Cathedral opening hours and the best time to go

The cathedral is open daily, with restricted visiting during services, especially on Sundays and holidays. Aachen's Christmas market around the cathedral and the Town Hall is one of the most popular in Germany. The CHIO international equestrian festival in summer brings visitors to the city. The Aachen Pilgrimage, when the four great relics of the cathedral are displayed, takes place every seven years. Allow about an hour for the cathedral, and longer with the Treasury, then taste Printen in the old town. The Carolus Thermen spa, a modern thermal bath, uses Aachen's hot springs, which attracted Charlemagne.