Aachen Cathedral

Aachen Cathedral keeps the throne room of Europe's first millennium - Charlemagne raised his octagonal palace chapel here around 800, modelled on Ravenna's San Vitale, and its dome of mosaics and ancient columns still centres everything built since. The emperor was buried here in 814; thirty German kings were crowned here between 936 and 1531; and the objects match the resume - Charlemagne's golden shrine behind the altar, the Barbarossa chandelier ringing the octagon, and upstairs the plain marble throne on which the coronations turned. The Gothic choir hall glows like a glasshouse beside the Carolingian core, and the treasury nearby ranks among the richest church collections north of the Alps. In 1978 the cathedral became Germany's first World Heritage site - one of the original twelve inscribed worldwide - which is simply the modern paperwork for a status it has held for twelve centuries.

What you actually see

• The octagon - Charlemagne's domed chapel of mosaics and ancient columns.
• The shrine of Charlemagne - the golden casket behind the altar.
• The marble throne - the coronation seat upstairs, guided tours only.
• The treasury - reliquaries and crosses among Europe's richest hoards.

When to go

Year-round; weekday mornings give the octagon its stillness. Services close the church to sightseeing at intervals, so check times, and December pairs the visit with Aachen's Printen-scented Christmas market.

Honest expectations

The throne gallery is only reachable on the guided tour, and the treasury is a separate ticket - budget for both, they are the point. The interior is smaller than its fame suggests; give the mosaics time to work. Photography permits are asked for inside.

Nearby

Aachen's Rathaus on the old palace site, the Elisenbrunnen springs and the Dutch and Belgian borders minutes away.