Aachen, 11.-19. June

Welcome to our Survival Guide! DOWNLOAD

Here you will find information about us, that should help you to "survive" BEST-events in Aachen.

What do you need to bring to Season Courses?

• first of all: YOU!
• BEST spirit
• a visa, necessary only for citizens of FYR Macedonia, Russia, Serbia-Montenegro, Ukraine and Turkey for all the other countries, where BEST is active you won’t need visa. (we will help you if you need an invitation)
• rain-cloths and sweater are needed all year. In winter you need to be prepared for temperatures below 0° C, in summer bring your swimming-wear.
• a typical drink, food and funny songs from your country for the international evening
• sleeping bag
• you should sleep enough BEFORE the course

Health

Please bring a foreign health insurance with you! In most European countries you can get the E111-form, which is a European standard. Anyway if you make a private insurance make sure it has a sufficient cover. It is also sufficient if you’ve got the new European health insurance card.
You can drink water from the tap everywhere in the country without problems (sometimes it is even better than soda).

Money/Prices

The German currency is the Euro - 1 Euro = 100 Euro-Cent.
The price-level in Germany is about European average.

Tips: Tips are not obligatory in Germany but quite normal in bars and restaurants.

Opening hours

Most shops and offices are opened between 8 A.M. and 6 P.M. (bakeries open earlier), some until 8 or 10 P.M., on Saturday only in the morning (some supermarkets are open all day, offices don’t work on Saturday). Besides you can buy most things in some gas stations 24 hours a day (but it’s way more expensive).

How to get here

There are several different ways of getting to Aachen.

If you want to come by train, for example via Cologne or via Paris or via Brussels or anywhere else, you’ll find everything you need at www.bahn.de. You will arrive at Aachen central station (“Aachen Hbf“) and someone will pick you up there.

If you want to fly and you can’t find a cheap flight directly to Aachen-Maastricht (MST) (NL –about 30 km from Aachen), you may try going to Düsseldorf or to Cologne, and to Aachen by train.
Train tickets from Cologne: 14,80 € (one way)
Train Tickets from Düsseldorf: 18,30 € (one way) or cheaper is the “Schöne-Fahrt-Ticket” for 16 € (you can ride trains with it for 2 hours)

If you come by car, just use google maps.

If you need any other info on how to get here (on foot, hitchhiking, teleportation, ect…) just write us, we’ll be glad to help you.

Useful web-pages:

University of Aachen: www.rwth-aachen.de 
German Railway: www.bahn.de
Official Website of Aachen: www.aachen.de
Airport Düsseldorf (DUS): www.duesseldorf-international.de
Airport Cologne (CGN): www.koeln-bonn-airport.de
Website you can check for flights www.checkfelix.com or www.swoodoo.com

One more www.skyscanner.net
If you find a flight, that you like to take check the homepage of the company. Sometimes it's even cheaper ;-)

Important telephone numbers
police 110
ambulance 112
fire-brigade 112
directory enquiries 11833 (national), 11834 (international)
bonding office +49(0)241 / 40 33 52
All organiser:
Personal information, after you were excepted.

Infos about Aachen

Aachen is love at first sight. Approaching the town, you may not see an imposing skyline, but nature's greenery makes you feel heartily welcome! Aachen lies in a virtual valley, surrounded by fields, woods and hills. At its portals - close by where three countries meet, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium - you find the nature reserves of the Ardennes and the Eifel. And Aachen exhilarates: its warm water springs have been enjoyed for more than two thousand years! From Roman times there have been good connections with the rest of Europe. Today, the town is reachable by motorways from Cologne and Dusseldorf, Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris.

Every year millions of visitors come to Aachen in order to see the historical sights in connection with Charlemagne. The guests mainly come from neighbouring countries like The Netherlands, Belgium and France. However, others come from European countries that are further away and even from the United States. Aachen invites day visitors to a stroll through the town or a city tour focussing on the cultural aspects of the town. Those visitors that stay overnight may be participants of large congresses or come to Aachen on business or just want to get to know the town during a weekend break.

Most people just visit Aachen to buy “Printen”.

The "Printe" is the Aachen "national baking product". The name Printe is derived from the English term "to print". In earlier times pressure moulds that were cut into wood were used for the Printen manufacturing. Those moulds gave the Printen their characteristic shapes. The baking recipe is still guarded by the Aachen Printen bakers as a "family secret". The Printen specialty comes in many variations: hard and soft, with herbs, chocolate or nuts and in all kinds of shapes.

The RWTH (Rhineland-Westphalia Technical University) plays a big role in Aachen’s future. The idea of a unified Europe, which has been formed by Charlemagne a long time ago, also contributes to a life that is oriented towards the future. The economical future of Aachen has been guaranteed for a long time ahead due to the establishment of large corporations in the area. All of this shows that Aachen is not just a town with a long and rich past but that it is also oriented towards the future.

Aachen turns apparent contradictions into a sparkling entity. A metropolis nestling in natural surroundings, with a southern Germanic atmosphere, an historic tradition and all the allure of modern living.

Is this promising too much? Come and see for yourself!