Emperors Bakers and Beasts Tour of Aachen

The water under Aachen smells of rotten eggs, and for two thousand years that has been the city's secret. Romans found it, Charlemagne built his capital on it, and thirty one German kings were crowned beside it. This self guided audio walking tour, narrated through the Tourific app on your phone, traces those springs to the cathedral, the apothecary that produced one of Germany's first chocolate bars, and the spot where Paul Julius Reuter trained pigeons to beat the telegraph. You will meet the Bahkauv, a sulphurous calf locals say climbs onto the shoulders of drunken men, and hear how a young baker once tricked the devil with a tray of hot Printen. Walk at your own pace, pause for a rice tart in a baroque café, and resume when you are ready. The audio runs offline. If you would rather wander than be herded through Aachen in a group, this Aachen audio tour is for you. Over 20,000 travelers have used our self guided tours, and the tour comes with a full refund guarantee.

1. 1

   Elisenbrunnen

   5 min

   Smell the sulphurous water that drew Romans north and once cured Europe's wealthy of bad nerves.

2. 2

   Kreislauf des Geldes

   5 min

   Circle a fountain donated by the local bank that turned into a cartoon about greed.

3. 3

   Puppenbrunnen

   5 min

   Bend the limbs of the bronze figures yourself, because every passing child rearranges this fountain.

4. 4

   Bahkauv

   5 min

   Meet the sulphurous calf that locals say climbs onto the shoulders of drunken men staggering home from taverns.

5. 5

   Stop 5

   5 min

   Step into the baroque interior of an Aachen café that survived two world wars somehow intact.

6. 6

   Couven-Museum

   5 min

   Stand inside the pharmacy where one of the first chocolate bars made in Germany was produced.

7. 7

   Stop 7

   5 min

   Spot the bronze boy caught the moment a stolen rooster crowed from inside his coat.

8. 8

   Stop 8

   5 min

   Bite into the spiced biscuit a young apprentice once stole back from the devil himself.

9. 9

   Stop 9

   5 min

   Follow the story of the man who trained pigeons to outrun the telegraph for a single summer.

10. 10

    Karlsbrunnen

    5 min

    Look up at the emperor French troops once carried off as war booty, until the mayor petitioned Napoleon.

11. 11

    Stop 11

    5 min

    Walk through the hall where thirty one German kings sat down to their coronation banquet.

12. 12

    Centre Charlemagne

    5 min

    Lift a piece of medieval chain mail and meet the original bronze Charlemagne, retired from the rain.

13. 13

    Katschhof

    5 min

    Cross the paved courtyard where palace servants once swapped rumours between Charlemagne's chapel and his great hall.

14. 14

    Aachen Cathedral

    5 min

    Pause beside the chapel that held the bones of an emperor for three and a half centuries.

15. 15

    Fischpuddelchen

    5 min

    Notice the toddler the city kept hiding for twenty years before a council vote finally settled it.

16. 16

    Treasury of Aachen Cathedral

    5 min

    Search out a Roman pagan coffin that once held a Christian emperor, and a knife he hunted with.

• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• The total tour duration includes the time spent at the stop and time required to walk through all the stops.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.