Getting Around Aachen
Aachen sits on Germany's western edge, where it meets the Netherlands and Belgium. At its heart are Charlemagne's cathedral and the medieval town hall. RWTH Aachen, one of Europe's largest technical universities, spreads from the centre out to the Hörn and to Campus Melaten, where research institutes and companies work side by side; in total more than 50,000 students live in the city.
International trains call at Aachen Hauptbahnhof. Eurostar runs five times a day between Paris, Brussels, Liège, Aachen and Cologne, and ICE trains link Brussels with Cologne and Frankfurt every two hours. Add the train and its arrival time to the booking, and the car is scheduled for that arrival.
For a day of meetings, first at an institute on Campus Melaten and then in Maastricht, book by the hour: one chauffeur and one vehicle stay with you for the time you reserve.
Since 2016 the area inside Aachen's outer ring road has been a low-emission zone (Umweltzone), open only to cars with a green sticker. Send the full address with your booking; the confirmation then tells you where the car will stop.
Airport Transfers in Aachen
The nearest airport is across the border: Maastricht Aachen Airport, in the Netherlands, is 40 km away, 40–55 minutes. Its flights are mainly holiday routes. For scheduled flights, look east: Cologne Bonn Airport is 84 km, 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, and Düsseldorf Airport 93 km, 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 35 minutes. Brussels Airport is 139 km west, 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes. The right one depends on your airline and route.
A transfer from Maastricht Aachen or Brussels Airport crosses an internal Schengen border, so keep your travel documents to hand on the way into Germany.
Book with your flight number. For an arrival, your chauffeur checks the flight status and times the pickup to when you actually land, and your booking confirmation shows where to meet the chauffeur. For a departure from Aachen, what counts is the length of the drive, not the time on the clock: 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes to Cologne Bonn, a little more to Düsseldorf. Journey times vary with traffic and weather. You set the pickup time yourself, and the confirmation shows it.
Long-Distance & Cross-Border Travel from Aachen
From Aachen, two other countries are closer than most German cities. Maastricht is 39 km, 40–55 minutes, and Liège, in Belgium, 57 km, 50 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes. Cologne is 70 km east, 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes. Liège's station, Liège-Guillemins, was designed by Santiago Calatrava and opened in 2009; Eurostar and ICE trains call there. In Maastricht, the MECC exhibition centre hosts the TEFAF art fair each March; the 2027 edition is listed for 13–18 March.
For EU business, Brussels is 144 km, 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes, and Luxembourg 178 km, 2 hours to 2 hours 40 minutes. A meeting in either can be reached in the morning and left in the afternoon. Each trip is one booking, with the same chauffeur and car from start to finish, with no change of vehicle at the border.
Germany has notified the European Commission of temporary checks at its internal land borders, and Aachen's crossings into the Netherlands and Belgium are among them. Carry the travel documents your nationality and itinerary require.
Groups & Event Travel in Aachen
Aachen's biggest week belongs to horses. CHIO Aachen, the World Equestrian Festival, is held every summer in the Soers; in 2027 the first competitions start on 25 June and the opening ceremony is on 29 June. Riders, owners, sponsors and spectators come from many countries. In winter the Christmas market fills the squares between the cathedral and the town hall; in 2026 it runs from 20 November to 23 December.
When you book for other people, all their transfers can be kept in one account, each with its own booking and confirmation. If guests fly in on several flights, every arrival gets a transfer of its own, from whichever airport they choose. For a sponsor's party travelling to the Soers together, a Sprinter van carries up to 12 people with their bags, and bigger groups go by coach, with up to 56 seats; the vehicle is matched to the load.
Book well ahead for the CHIO weeks and the Advent weekends. Local vehicles and drivers are booked up early for those dates. If your plans go beyond a standard booking, write to support with the dates, addresses, number of passengers, flights and luggage, and the team will arrange it.
