Attraction · Aachen · Updated on 1 November 2026.

Aachen Cathedral

Aachen Cathedral is an attraction in Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia. This place has an audio tour of about 2 minutes, in English or Dutch. 19 of the 50 well-known points of interest nearby are within 1 km. Within 90 m you'll find a bench, a water point, a public toilet and a bike pump.

Directions in Google Maps

The story

Wikipedia ↗Official website ↗

Audio tour · Aachen Cathedral

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You're standing at Aachen Cathedral, one of the oldest cathedrals in Europe. Start with the heart of the building: that eight-sided section with the dome on top. That's the Palatine Chapel, built around the year 800 by Charlemagne as the chapel of his palace. His master builder, Odo of Metz, took his cue from Byzantine churches such as San Vitale in Ravenna. Back in Charlemagne's day, the outside was most likely plastered red. A fitting colour for an emperor.

Read and hear the whole story in the Outdoor Pitstop app: check in at this place and it is yours (with Pro; new users are Pro for the first 4 weeks).

Opening hours and admission

Wheelchair: Partly accessible
Visitors: 116,300 a year (2019)

Source: OpenStreetMap and Wikidata.

Photos

10 photos from Wikimedia Commons. In the app you add your own photo when you are there.

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Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0View the photo on Wikimedia Commons

Aachen Cathedral: one of the oldest cathedrals in Europe

Aachen Cathedral is a church and a popular attraction in Aachen. Charlemagne had a chapel built here around the year 800, and he was buried here in 814. Between 936 and 1531, around 30 kings were crowned in Aachen Cathedral. The church attracted 116,300 visitors in 2019. You will find the attraction on Domhof in Aachen, close to the treasury.

Viewing photos of Aachen Cathedral

Outside, you can see the octagonal part with a dome, the Paltskapel. This is a striking contrast with the tall choir, also called the glass chapel. Near the main entrance, you will find the bronze Wolfsdeur from around 800. On the lion's head on the right-hand door, you can feel a thumb. Inside, under the dome, hangs the Barbarossa chandelier, just over 4 metres wide. You will also see gold mosaics and bronze railings on the upper gallery, which are more than 1,200 years old. In the choir stand reliquary shrines for Maria and Karel de Grote. For good photos of Aachen Cathedral, you can capture these details.

The history of Aachen Cathedral

Master builder Odo of Metz designed the heart of the building, the chapel at the centre of the cathedral. He took churches such as San Vitale in Ravenna as his model. In the time of Karel de Grote, the exterior was probably covered in red plaster. When the emperor was declared a saint in 1165, many pilgrims came to the church. For that reason, a high choir, the glass chapel, was added in 1355. In 1978, the building was one of the first places in the world to be given this status.

Opening times, tickets and accessibility at Aachen Cathedral

Aachen Cathedral is partly accessible by wheelchair. Inside the building, there is a toilet for wheelchair users. For more information, you can visit the official website at aachendom.de. This site gives details on admission and current opening times. There you can also read how to reach the building. The website also states which parts of the church are accessible to everyone, so you know exactly what to expect during your visit to this place.

Drinking water, toilets and benches near Aachen Cathedral

Drinking water is available 39 metres from Aachen Cathedral at the Möschebrunnen. This tap is wheelchair accessible and suitable for filling a bottle. There are 3 water taps within 500 metres in total. The nearest toilet to Aachen Cathedral is 45 metres away at the Domhof, where you pay with coins. There are 13 public toilets within 500 metres. For a bench near Aachen Cathedral, walk 37 metres to the Domhof. Within 500 metres there are 141 benches. At 91 metres, at the Münsterplatz, you will find a free bicycle pump. It is the only bicycle pump within 500 metres.