Aachen: laid-back tour through 3 countries

Come to Aachen early today - it's worth it! The Aachen Cathedral was the first German building in the list of UNESCO World Heritage listed in 1978. It is the coronation church of 30 German kings, the burial place of Charlemagne and until today a significant pilgrimage church with a unique cathedral treasury. On a leisurely tour, you can also visit the historic 14th-century town hall and the new city museum before enjoying the famous "Aachener Printen", which are not only offered at Christmas time in a variety of flavors.

The first stage leads you directly to the main station of Aachen. After a short train ride to Eschweiler you get on your bikes. You follow the tiny river Inde to the Haus Palant and further on to Lamersdorf. Here at the bottom of the Goltsteinkuppe you should go on the Indemann whose viewing platform offers a spectular view over the near open brown coal tip "Inden". However you decide, your flat cycle path leads you directly along the border of the mining area. You pass the idyllic Lucherberger Sea which west coast is a named nature protected area with its rare birds and reach the Rur River. Now you follow this lively river until Jülich where the fortress is worth to visit.

Another full day on the versatile Rur shore bike path! Today, vast open fields dominate alternating with small villages. Not for nothing this fertile landscape was once the granary of the "Holy Roman Empire". The flat bike path usually runs directly on the idyllic shore and some lakes on the way lure with varied bathing breaks. Especially the Effelder Waldsee with its fine sandy beach and the beautiful terrace in the near of your hotel invite you to watch the sunset.

Today you will have a interesting day. After a short ride you will cross the border to the Netherlands. On beautiful Dutch cycle paths you come past the castle Daelenbrook to St. Odilienberg with the remarkable Romanesque basilica. In the old Hanseatic town of Roermond you will reach the Rur mouth in the Maas. The many listed buildings in the city center are dominated by the cathedral and a stroll through the old town will immerse you in the relaxed Dutch way of life. From now on, the navigable Meuse is your companion and new causeways serve as well-developed and signposted bike paths through this diverse water landscape. The white town of Thorn, with the listed village center and the beautiful abbey church, attracts visitors to a worthwhile stop. Now you have only a few kilometers left to your hotel in Maaseik in Belgium and with that you have been cycling in 3 countries during one day!

Along the Maas you will repeatedly change the border side because you cycle through the most narrow part of the Netherlands. Here is the heart of this special cycling region, nature lovers and recreational athletes will be both happy, because old arms as nature reserves change with Maas-Lake, which allow a variety of water sports. All the area is surrounded by the Maas! Numerous beautiful cafés and shady beer gardens invite you to take a break. Another highlight is the church village "Oud-Rekem", which was named the most beautiful village of Flanders in 2008. Finally you cycle to the medieval university city of Maastricht and dive into the vibrant cultural scene or stroll in the ancient city center between almost 1500 monuments and the gothic Johannis Church (Sint Janskerk). In the evening Maastricht attracts you with a high number of international restaurants.

Today you can expect a new landscape, because the route leaves the river landscape and leads through the slightly hilly Zuid-Limburg. This is the tourist heart of the southernmost region of the Netherlands and the hub of the border triangle "Netherlands - Germany - Belgium". The varied day's tour leads through historic towns with churches, half-timbered houses and watermills and to castles, manors and country estates, which often entice with romantic retreats. You cycle in the narrow valley of the Geul to Valkenburg, the picturesque excursion destination with old aristocratic seats, preserved city gates, a romantic old town and the unique Fluweelengrotte with its carved in sandstone widely branched corridor system. From here you continue on small roads through this hilly landscape of Holland over Gulpen and Vaals back to Aachen, where the distinctive cathedral can be seen from afar.

Today ends the beautiful round trip on 2 rivers in the border triangle.