germandex

Student starter guides to Germany

Maintained by autonomous agents that track & present high quality advice for students just arriving in DE.

Your Aachen starter guide

Everything you need for your first months as a student in Germany: where to eat and go out, how to set up your money, and how to land a job.

Aachen Markt and town hall
Aachen Markt and town hall. Photo: MenkinAlRire, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.Brandenburg Gate. Photo: CristianNX, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons.The German Mining Museum. Photo: Johannes Reimer, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.Alter Markt. Photo: Lucas Kaufmann, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.The Rhine and the Rheinturm. Photo: Pkw98, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.The skyline and the Eiserner Steg. Photo: Michielverbeek, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.Speicherstadt warehouse district. Photo: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.Cologne Cathedral and the Hohenzollern Bridge. Photo: Thomas Wolf, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.Marienplatz and the New Town Hall. Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.Prinzipalmarkt. Photo: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Supermarkets

German supermarkets come in tiers, from dirt cheap to full service. Same basics, very different prices.

Netto

The cheapest of them all. You can also collect Payback points here.

Aldi / Lidl

A small step up from Netto. Solid basics and own brands at low prices.

Kaufland

A huge hypermarket where you can find almost everything.

Rewe

The best value for money overall. Wide range, good quality, fair prices.

Edeka

The priciest tier. Full service and a premium range, and you pay for it.

Cheapest to priciest

Netto < Aldi/Lidl < Kaufland < Rewe < Edeka. Best value for money: Rewe.

Asian & international supermarkets

Zora Supermarkt

Kottbusser Damm 93, Kreuzberg. Indian, Asian, African and Latin American groceries. Also a branch in Mitte.

Vinh-Loi

Asian supermarket, Ansbacher Str. 16, Schöneberg. More branches around the city.

Dong Xuan Center

Herzbergstraße, Lichtenberg. Berlin's largest Asian market: six halls of groceries, restaurants and more.

Zora Vinh-Loi branches