Hiking Collection by Jesko
7
Tours
29:19 h
65.9 mi
5,700 ft
Aachen is Germany's westernmost city, located where the borders of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands meet. Rather than being separated, the region knows how to recognise and promote the diversity of its location, languages and cultures. After all, borders are little more than imaginary lines on a map. When you wander here, you may lose track of which country you’re in. And that's the beauty of it: it doesn't really matter.
The Eifel foothills and Limburg’s rolling landscapes around the border triangle are a fantastic place to hike. Despite the proximity to Aachen city, you can spend hours in untouched, diverse nature. The GrenzRouten project overcomes many borders.
All routes start from right outside Aachen so they’re easy to reach from across Germany. The region is well connected to the rail network and local buses take you directly to the starting points.
The routes are numbered and well signposted. Some of them overlap. Tours 2 to 6 are circular walks of varying length, while the first route connects all of them. You can be flexible and combine different Tours or make a long multi-day hike out of the entire thing. A wonderful landscape is waiting to be discovered.
Route 1 acts as an axis that connects all circular tours of the border routes. It is therefore primarily used to combine the other tours with each other, but of course it can also be done as an independent tour. If you want to walk them in one go, you should either leave early or, even better, split…
by Jesko
Did you know that the border triangle near Aachen used to be a four-country triangle? This curious story has to do with natural resources, political intrigues and the defeat of Napoleon. The territory of Neutral Moresnet existed from 1816 to 1919. On this hike, you will follow in the footsteps of this…
by Jesko
Get recommendations on the best single tracks, peaks, & plenty of other exciting outdoor places.
Plombières (officially called Bleyberg until 1919) can look back on a more than eventful history. This is where not only borders that have changed for centuries meet, but also different language areas. The community was shaped by the interests of the respective rulers due to the rich deposits of zinc…
by Jesko
The Landgraben is an important testimony to Aachen's city history, which you can still visit in some places in the Aachen Forest. This fortification was built between the 14th and 17th centuries to protect the outer borders of the then Aachen Empire. Boundary stones were erected where roads and paths…
by Jesko
The Aachen city forest, called Öcher Bösch by the locals, was primarily used for hunting and timber harvesting in earlier centuries. Nowadays it is under protection and represents a popular and valuable local recreation area. Here you can hike for kilometers without having to leave the extensive forest…
by Jesko
The focus of this round is the Dutch border town of Vaals and its beautiful surroundings. You can easily get to Vaals by bus from Aachen, Maastricht or Eupen, for example. Magnificent buildings and panoramic views await you along the way. Both in Vaals and in the district of Lemiers you will discover…
by Jesko
Orsbach is a district of Aachen, even if you would never guess how close it is to the big city if you didn't know it. The small town is so quiet and agricultural. It is surrounded by wide fields and also framed on three sides by the Netherlands. A large part of the hike runs directly along this border…
by Jesko
Hiking Collection by Ostbelgien
Hiking Collection by Ostbelgien
Hiking Collection by Nationalparkregion Schwarzwald
Bike Touring Collection by Schwarzwald Tourismus