Aachen Charlemagne’s Christmas (postponed)

Overview

This event is unlikely to take place considering the current corona measures and travel restrictions. If things change, we will inform our community as soon as possible.

At the intersection of the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany lies the city of Aachen. Although not strictly the oldest city in Germany — that would be Trier that was founded in 15 B.C. —  its history goes back over 5.000 years, which in some ways does make it Germany’s oldest city. Humans were attracted by the hot sulphur springs originating from the volcanic system of the Eifel region. Aachen is primarily known for its stunning city hall and Cathedral, which holds the remains of the mighty Charlemagne, one of the world’s most powerful men in history. During this trip we will explore both the city and Cathedral with a local guide, and also enjoy the delightful Christmas markets.

Pictures

Aachen from above | © www.medien.aachen.de / Peter Wery

Archaeological excavations in the centre of Aachen

The Elisenbrunnen springs | © www.medien.aachen.de / Andreas Herrmann

It smells heavily like sulphur here.

The park behind the springs | © www.medienaachende / Peter Hinschlager

The Aachen City Hall in the summer.

The Christmas market in front of the City Hall, in winter of course. | © www.medien.aachen.de / Andreas Steindl

Inside the City Hall.

The original Aachener printen are delicious cookies | © www.medien.aachen.de / Andreas Herrmann

You are invited to take one, but we recommend take many home "as presents" 😉 | © www.medien.aachen.de / Andreas Hermann

The Aachener Dom is an amazing structure with UNESCO status l © www.medien.aachen.de Andreas Herrmann

The huge windows that can be seen from the outside give a clue of what you may see from the inside.

From the City Hall side you can clearly see the three different parts of the Cathedral.

The Dom from inside 1.

The Dom from inside 2.

The Dom from inside 3.

The Dom from inside 4.

Charlemagne, one of the many artefacts you can see in the Dom's treasury.

Besides history and culture, we are also here for the.... | © www.medien.aachen.de / Andreas Steindl

There are several larger and smaller markets | © www.medien.aachen.de / Andreas Herrmann

We are going on a relatively quiet Sunday, which is important because Aachen tends to get very busy. Not only is it the first weekend the markets are open, but on this particular day it is "Toten Sonntag" (Sunday of the Deaths), which means the markets are open only during the evening hours. Perfect, we can see the town without too many people, and the markets are less busy too.

There are many stalls to do some lovely shopping or to get naughty snacks | © www.medien.aachen.de / Andreas Steindl

Aachen's Christmas market is very cosy because it really takes place in the heart of the city.

You will have 3 hours to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere in town.

Program

As with any Expat Club trip, our schedule today is carefully designed so you can enjoy all the places and have enough time for lunch, a coffee and some free time. Still, all times below are tentative and depend also on external circumstances, such as weather and traffic conditions. Together with the bus driver, guide and welcoming destinations we will do our best to give you the most optimal experience. FYI, Expat Club loves being on time and we are very often spot on when it comes to keeping track of the schedule.

12h00 – Departure from Place Schuman
13h45 – Arrival Aachen
14h00 – Guided city tour
15h30 – End guided city tour
16h15 – Guided tour Cathedral
17h00 – Dom Treasury & free time
18h00 – Opening Christmas markets
21h15 – Departure Brussels
22h45 – Arrival Schuman

Aachen

Aachen city is also known as Bad Aachen, or Aquae Granni in Roman times. In French it is called Aix-la-Chapelle and Aken in Dutch. Nowadays it is home to about 240,000 people and a stunningly beautiful UNESCO World Heritage site, the famous Cathedral the Aachener Dom.

Upon arrival we will be greeted by one or more official Aachen tour guides who will show us the Old Town. They will tell us all about the city’s extremely long history. In particular they will speak about the roman times and the era of the mighty Charlemagne who reigned over vast parts of the European continent around the turn of the 9th century. They will take us of course along the major sights, such as the Elisenbrunnen, the Theater and the Rathaus (city hall).

Dom

This magnificent building was eracted in 796-798 by orders of Charlemagne and was the largest cathedral North of the Alps. Compared to other cathedrals in this part of Europe, it is much older (e.g. Cologne, Metz, Reims) so the style is also different, namely Carolingian instead of Gothic. It is also smaller, even though it consists of three visually separate parts.

The Cathedral played an important role in history as 30 Kings and 12 Queens were crowned here between 936 and 1531. All these aspects make it a very special building that completely impressed our groups in our previous visits!

Inside the Dom you can see beautiful mosaic inlays and marble covered walls, as well the exquisite sarcophagus with the remains of Charlemagne and his successor Otto III. There is much to say about this UNESCO World Heritage Site, and even more to see. Expat Club therefore arranged a guided tour by an official Dom guide in the later afternoon. And just for that reason you will be able to come in several parts that regular tourist cannot visit.

You see amongst other things the sarcophagus from Charlemagne as well his throne from up close. Regular visitors are not allowed to come to this most beautiful part of the nave (see above), neither can they go up to the first floor where you can see the smaller chapel and stand next to the throne. Afterwards, you can also visit the Dom’s Treasury, with impressive artefacts from over 1.000 years of Dom history.

Christmas Markets

The famous Aachen Christmas markets are consistently ranked as one of the very best in Germany. The city has actually three markets, all within a few minutes walking from each other. The largest is between and around the Dom and Rathaus. Stroll around searching for the loveliest Christmas ornaments, tasty German delicacies and beautiful handcraft artefacts. Needless to say that it won’t be difficult to find some Glühwein, and rest assured that Expat Club will “take over” one of the stands for some great Christmas socialising

Transportation

We will be travelling with a comfortable 4* luxury coach from Lauwers Reizen. The seats are configured in Princess Class, which means you will have extra leg space and can recline your seat. This way you can get some extra rest. All seats have footrests as well. There is a (small) toilet on-board and a DVD system with three flat screens, so we can show you a nice movie or documentary outbound and/or inbound journey.