Germany
Aachen, Charlemagne's Capital
The first site in Germany on the UNESCO list, a thousand-year-old chapel, and almost no day-trippers from Amsterdam.
AachenGermany
The route from Amsterdam
~229 km, about 2 hours 35 each way. For comparison, roughly 3 hours 30 with a change.
Aachen is about two hours thirty-five away, in the corner where Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands meet. It was Charlemagne's seat of power, and his Palatine Chapel — consecrated around 805 — is still standing inside the cathedral. It was the first German entry on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
It is a small city and a quiet one. Five hours is genuinely enough, which is unusual for a day trip and makes the drive easier to justify than it looks on a map.
Why take a private driver
The rail connection is poor — around three and a half hours with a change — so this is one of the German destinations where driving is straightforwardly better. It also sits close enough to Maastricht and the Limburg hills that a stop on the way back costs almost nothing.
A sample day
This is how we would plan it. Nothing here is fixed — the point of a private day is that it bends to you.
Pickup at your hotel
Anywhere in Amsterdam.
Arrive in Aachen
Parked near the centre, which is small and walkable.
Aachen Cathedral
The Palatine Chapel, Charlemagne's throne and the shrine. The treasury next door is one of the most important in northern Europe.
The old town and the Elisenbrunnen
The market square, the town hall and the thermal spring pavilion the city was built around.
Lunch
Try Aachener Printen if you like gingerbread; the city has made it since the fifteenth century.
Free time or the Three-Country Point
Where Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands meet, fifteen minutes out of town. Faintly silly and genuinely fun.
Optional stop in Maastricht
Forty minutes, on the route home, and a good Dutch city in its own right.
Drive back
Two hours from Maastricht, two thirty-five from Aachen.
Back at your hotel
Door to door.
What is included
- Private vehicle and driver for about 10 hours
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Amsterdam
- Fuel, tolls, parking and all road costs in both countries
- An optional stop in Maastricht on the way back
What is not included
- Cathedral treasury entry
- Spa admission if you want it
- Lunch and drinks
- Gratuity
Questions
Is Aachen worth a day from Amsterdam?
If you are interested in medieval history, yes — there is nothing else like the Palatine Chapel north of the Alps. If you want a big city day out, Cologne or Düsseldorf will suit you better.
Can we use the thermal baths?
Yes. Aachen is a spa town and the Carolus Thermen are ten minutes from the centre. Tell us when you book and we will build the afternoon around it; bring swimwear.
Is Maastricht really on the way?
Close enough. It adds about half an hour to the day and gives you a second city for almost nothing.