The Aachener Gipfelsteig takes in some of the most stunning landscapes in the Aachen region. With a varied network of lanes and paths, distant vistas, dense woodlands and bubbling streams, the regions is just waiting to be explored. The route is easy to access by public transport and provides the perfect way to enjoy Aachen and its environs in a new, active and sustainable manner.
By completing the Aachener Gipfelsteig in just 7 hours and 10 minutes, on a cold, but sunny January day, trailrunners Helge and Hendrike have set the benchmark for future attempts to beat this new course record.
Well done, Helge and Hendrike. Does anyone else fancy the challenge?
The route can be completed in three stages of 16, 19 and 17 kilometres respectively, each of which starts and ends at a bus stop. This means you can be at the main bus station in downtown Aachen within half an hour. The first stage starts at Berensberg in the north of the city and runs in an anti-clockwise direction to the Preuswald. The second stage then continues to Brand-Freund, and from there by way of the third stage back to Berensberg. Of course, you can pick up the route wherever you want, or walk in a clockwise direction instead.
The Aachener Gipfesteig is not waymarked. All stages are described in detail in German on the DAV portal alpenvereinaktiv.com
The Aachener Gipfelsteig was launched at the opening night of the 2025 Dutch Mountain Film Festival in Aachen on Tuesday 4 November, attended by the brand new Oberbürgermeister of the city, Dr Michael Ziemons. Come and collect your own printed version of the route during the festival week, or download the PDF here below.
Happy Trails!
The Aachener Gipfelsteig route and map fall under the following Creative Commons license and are the exclusive property of the Dutch Mountain Film Festival and DAV Sektion Aachen. Use for non-commercial purposes is permitted on the condition that the Dutch Mountain Film Festival and DAV Sektion Aachen are credited as being the creators of the route. For any other forms of use, please contact us.
BY: credit must be given to the creator.
NC: Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted.
ND: No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted.
