Aachen is the westernmost city in Germany, adjacent to Belgium and the Netherlands, and 65 km west of Köln (Cologne). Aachen can be reached by train from airports in Köln, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Maastricht, Eindhoven and Bruxelles Zaventem.
For those who have never been to Germany, here’s a public transport cheat sheet:
- DB = Deutsche Bahn (German main public transport provider)
- EC = EuroCity
- IC = InterCity
- ICE = InterCity Express (high speed train)
- RE = Regional train
- UBahn = underground trains
- SBahn = overground train, tram
- Nahverkehr = short-distance transport (RE, Ubahn, SBahn, Bus)
- Fernverkehr = long-distance transport (EC, IC, ICE)
- Hauptbahnhof (Hbf) = central station
Below, you can find a guide on how to reach Aachen:
- If you arrive in Köln or Düsseldorf, you can consider buying a group ticket called "24StundenTicket 5 Personen” (24-hour ticket for up to 5 people). Group tickets are more convenient than single ones when travelling in groups of 3 and they allow you to take any Nahverkehr public transport mean for 24 hours within North-Rhein Westphalia. EC, IC and ICE trains are not included in the ticket price.
- From Frankfurt Airport you can take an ICE train directly to Köln or Aachen. Make sure that you follow the signs to “Fernverkehr”. Depending on what terminal you land on, it can take around 45 minutes to reach the airport station (Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbahnhof).
- Maastricht is the closest airport to Aachen. From the airport you can take Bus 30 to Meerssen and then a train (RE 18) to Aachen West or to Aachen Hbf.
- From Eindhoven airport, a bus (Lines 10, 400, 401) will take you to Eindhoven central station, where you can take an IC to Heerlen and then train RE 18 to Aachen West or Aachen Hbf.
- If you are flying to Brussels, the closest airport to Aachen is Zaventem. From the airport you can take a train to Brussels Midi or Brussels Nord that you can purchase directly at the airport or here (http://www.belgiantrain.be/en). From Brussels Nord you can take an ICE train to Aachen Hbf or a Thalys train from Brussels Midi to Aachen Hbf.
Bus tickets can be bought directly on the bus using credit cards in the Netherlands. All train tickets, can be bought through DB (https://www.bahn.de/). We suggest that you purchase Fernverkehr train tickets in advance to avoid high fees. If you choose the “Flex” price, you can take any train on that day.
The RWTH main builiding building is a 10 to 15 minute walk from the city center. If you prefer public transportation, the closest train station is Aachen West and bus stops in front of the main building are Technische Hochschule (Line 13) and Driescher Gässchen (Lines 7, 13, 33, 44, 47, 77, 147). You can check bus schedules using the smart phone app “Naveo”.
Once at the main building, signs will direct you to the lecture room for the workshop.
RWTH main building Templergraben 55 52056 Aachen Germany See the RWTH main building at Google Maps here. |