The Mecca

Aachen Cathedral built in 805 AD

Have Aachen dreams? I’m working on a travel piece with everything you need to know to take a trip to the mecca of equestrian sport: Aachen, Germany. The perfect start-of-summer holiday for fans of equestrian sport - with plenty to do for non-horsey companions, including a superb spa and one of the most ancient cathedrals in Europe.

Aachen is highly walkable, boasts mild weather, and is off the tourist trail. Easy access to a train station will take you to Amsterdam, Brussels, and Dusseldorf within a pleasant few hours. Enjoy great food, beautiful platzls and free music festivals in the city park: all the best of what the continent of Europe has to offer, wrapped up in “the spa city of Germany.”