What’s on at Aachen Cathedral?
Visiting hours for tourists (December 2024)
MONDAYS – THURSDAYS: 11am to 6pm (last admission 5.45pm)
Please note the following exceptions:
• Christmas Eve, 24 December, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. due to Christmas masses
• 1st Christmas Day, 25 December, 13:00 to 17:45
• 2nd Christmas Day, 26 December, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• New Year’s Eve, 31 December, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. due to annual thanksgiving service
FRIDAYS + SATURDAYS: 11am to 7pm (last admission 6.45pm)
SUNDAYS: 1 to 5.45pm
Every Sunday evening praise with music and prayer at 6 pm (approx. 30 minutes)
Please note the following exceptions:
• Sunday, 22 December, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. (Concert by the Cathedral Singing School from 4 p.m.)
Guided tours
- Guided tours take place Monday to Saturday between 11 am and 5 pm on the hour, Sundays from 1 pm to 4 pm.
- A guided tour in English is offered every day at 2 pm.
- Tickets are available daily at the Dominformation.
- Advance booking is required for group tours!
Services
Eucharistic celebrations are held in Aachen Cathedral on weekdays at 7am and 10am, on Sundays and public holidays at 8am, 10am and 11:45am. All people are cordially invited to attend!
Christman 2024
- Christmas Eve: 4 pm Christmas Mass – 6.30 pm Christmas Mass – midnight Christmas Mass
- 1st Christmas Day: 8 am Holy Mass – 10 am Pontifical Mass – 11:45 am Holy Mass – 6 pm Pontifical Vespers
- 2nd Christmas Day: 8 a.m. Holy Mass – 10 a.m. Pontifical Mass – 11.45 a.m. Holy Mass
News from Aachen Cathedral
Find out about current projects and upcoming dates here.
Plan your visit to Aachen
Welcome to Aachen Cathedral!
Every year, more than 1.2 million people from all over the world visit Germany’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. When church services are not in session, you can explore the Cathedral at the following times:
| Monday – Thursday* | Friday-Saturday* | Sunday* |
| 11 am to 6 pm | 11 am to 7 pm | 1 pm to 5:45 pm |
To be on the safe side, we recommend a call to the Dominformation, tel.+0049 241 47709 145.
Important information:
The Gothic choir hall and the Hochmünster on the second level with the imperial throne are only accessible as part of a guided tour.
Aachen Cathedral Treasury
The Cathedral Treasury is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm. It closes at 2 pm on Mondays.
We recommend borrowing audio guides.
Expercience our concerts and events
Aachen Cathedral is home to Germany’s oldest boys choir: the Aachen Cathedral Choir. The choir is also known by its Latin name of Cappella Carolina. It has existed for more than 1200 years. In 2011, it was joined by the Aachen Cathedral girls choir.
The two choirs, other ensembles and church musicians sing and play during worship services and concerts at Aachen Cathedral, creating an unforgettable “acoustic experience in a sacred space”.
Readings and other cultural events are also held regularly.
Aachen Cathedral: Church and World Heritage Site
Aachen Cathedral is the best-preserved building from the Carolingian period. For more than 1200 years, it has captivated people from all over Europe. To this day, Aachen Cathedral combines ecclesiastical functions and historical traditions:
- as final resting place of Charlemagne,
- until 1531, as the coronation church of the Roman-German kings and
- as the pilgrimage church on the occasion of the Aachen Pilgrimage, which takes place every seven years.
Due to its special (architectural and) historical significance, Aachen Cathedral was the first cultural site in Germany to be inscribed in UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1978.
