Between mining and castles – bike Tours in the Aachen region

Bike Touring Collection by Städteregion Aachen

Tours

20:18 h

188 mi

6,875 ft

If you're intrigued by coal mining heritage and fantastic landscapes, come with us on a bike Tour through Germany's Aachen region. You'll ride through old forests and meadows, along the Wurm and Broichbach valleys and over the heights of the Börde, where heavenly views and surprising stories abound.

Cycling in the footsteps of mining also means discovering the green sides of the Aachen countryside. The slag heaps left behind by the industry are reminders of the now-disused collieries that shaped the region for over a century. The industrial centres of coal mining have long since become tourist landmarks, attracting visitors with museums, parks and panorama platforms on the slag heaps.

In this Collection, we present seven Tours that discover the winding towers, slag heaps and pits of the former Aachen coalfield. You'll explore a constantly changing landscape in the Indeland area and ride past disappeared villages and newly created bodies of water.

Surprisingly, the Aachen region also shows its natural rural side with the protected wilderness of the Wurm and Broichbach valleys and centuries-old farmsteads. The stately castles and fortresses along the way offer inviting places to visit or take a break.

All Tours are loops, so you can easily return to your starting point or join the route at the place of your choice, whether it's a train station, a bus stop or a car park. You’ll find various rest areas and refreshment stops during your ride.

The Aachen region boasts pure variety and numerous highlights of contemporary history from the Middle Ages to modern times.

On The Map

Tours

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Aachener Zeitschleifen (time loops) – black gold
03:24
30.8 mi
9.1 mph
1,150 ft
1,150 ft
Expert
Expert bike ride. Good fitness required. Some portions of the Tour may require you to push your bike.
The Aachen area is considered to be the oldest hard coal mining area in Europe. Amazing how the region has changed in the last 20 years - you will discover an exciting mixture of industrial culture and fascinating landscape. Just as the hard coal, the "black gold", first had to be dug out of the dark…
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Aachener Zeitschleifen (time loops) – forgotten places
02:44
25.6 mi
9.4 mph
575 ft
575 ft
Intermediate
Intermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.
Experience a constantly changing landscape on this tour on the edge of the third largest opencast mine in the lignite mining area. The time windows on this route tell of gigantic changes: from the Celtic period to the 20th century, mining and opencast mining shaped the area around the town of Eschweiler…
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In the shadow of CAP and Emil Mayrisch
02:20
23.5 mi
10.0 mph
625 ft
625 ft
Intermediate
Intermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.
This tour starts at the foot of the 80-metre-high Carl Alexander heap, which was redesigned as the Carl-Alexander-Park (CAP) as part of the EuRegionale 2008. The imposing heap ascent through the peaks of the industrial forest and a great viewing platform invite you to walk the heap before or after the…
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Meadows and forests of the Düvelstadt
02:41
23.2 mi
8.7 mph
1,125 ft
1,125 ft
Expert
Expert bike ride. Good fitness required. Some portions of the Tour may require you to push your bike.
Unobstructed river bends, wide meadow meadows, bygone backwaters, textbook-like impact and sliding slopes or enchanted ponds are among the highlights that this tour has in store. In addition, you will encounter historical buildings along the route, all of which have exciting stories to tell.

You start…
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Mining pyramids
04:02
36.3 mi
9.0 mph
1,550 ft
1,550 ft
Expert
Expert bike ride. Very good fitness required. Some portions of the Tour may require you to push your bike.
Your tour takes you through the northern area of the Aachen city region. The idyllic river and meadow landscape of the Wurmtal as well as a wide Börde landscape interspersed with heaps determine the image of this man-made environment. The route connects a total of six heaps: Anna-Noppenberg, Anna I and…
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Across the heathland near Herzogenrath
03:03
29.6 mi
9.7 mph
1,225 ft
1,225 ft
Intermediate
Intermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.
On this tour you will discover the southern part of the Heidenaturpark with Teverener and Brunssummerheide. The wide heath areas and low moors impress with their colorful variety of heath, moor and forest as well as numerous lakes that were created by the mining of sand and clay in the 20th century…
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Wurm and Broichbach
02:03
19.1 mi
9.3 mph
650 ft
650 ft
Intermediate
Intermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.
On this tour you will explore the idyllic forest, field and meadow landscapes along the Wurm and Broichbach valleys. The largely natural course of the Wurm river has impressive flow dynamics that are unrivaled anywhere in the country. Due to the power of the flowing water, the course of the water is…
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