Tour
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.
Map

Prices / Dates
Services / Info
• Overnight stay with breakfast
• Room with D/Bath/WC
• Luggage transport
• Cycling map with marked route
• Digital route guidance via smartphone app
• Tips for preparing your trip
• Tourist information
• 7-day hotline service
Please find more information about your bike trip "Aachen: laid back tour in 3 countries". If you have any further question please feel free to contact us by phone: +49-(0)6421-886890.
Arrival by train
Aachen is easily accessible by train. We recommend to take a taxi from the station to reach our partner hotels in Aachen. Current schedule information and price information can be found at:
Parking facilities
There are cheaper paid multi-storey car parks and park-and-ride car parks near the hotels on the main roads leading to Aachen. From there you can continue to the city center with a special and cheap P+R bus ticket. These park-and-ride areas are located at the Westfriedhof (Vaalser Straße), at the Tivoli (Krefelder Straße), at the corner of Jülicher Straße and Berliner Ring and at the Waldfriedhof on Monschauer Straße. You will receive detailed information about the parking facilities at the hotel booked for you with the detailed travel documents no later than two weeks before the start of your trip.
Condition of bike paths
The laid back tour leads you mainly on flat bike paths from 35-55 km.
Available rental bikes
If you would like a rental bike for the tour, we will bring it to your starting hotel and, of course, pick it up again at your destination. You can choose from original Velociped women's and men's touring bikes either with 7-speed hub gears and coaster brake or 27-speed derailleur gears and freewheel. Our women's bikes are suitable for all cyclists from a height of 150 cm and men's bikes from 165 cm.
Extra costs that are not included in the tour price
Any tourism tax that may be incurred is not part of the tour price and must therefore be paid on site at the hotel. The train journey on the 2nd day from Aachen to Eschweiler (12 minutes) is not included in the tour price. There are additional costs of around 10 euros per person including bike, depending on the tariff.
7 day hotline service
Just in case the bike chain breaks, flooding makes it impossible to continue your tour or any other nasty suprise: You can reach us seven days a week and we will do anything to help you as fast as possible.
Passport and visa requirements
For EU citizens, there are no special passport or visa requirements and no health formalities to be considered for this trip.
Travel insurance
The tour price already includes the statutory insolvency insurance. In addition, we recommend that you take out travel cancellation insurance upon receipt of your travel confirmation in order to protect yourself against financial disadvantages in the event of travel cancellation, interruption of travel, illness or accident.

I provide you with advice and assistance
Steffi Groß