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

For spices, rice, lentils and everything else from back home: Aachen has a few Asian and international stores, mostly around Jülicher Straße and Hansemannplatz.

New Sherona Supermarket

Heinrichsallee 30, near Kaiserplatz. Indian, Pakistani and African groceries: spices, rice, lentils, frozen food and fresh produce. Open daily.

Nagammaal Markt

Jülicher Str. 4, near Hansemannplatz. Long-running Indian and Asian grocery store. Open Monday to Saturday, 10 am to 10 pm.

Asian aiX Bazaar

Jülicher Str. 20. South Asian and African groceries, fresh produce, halal fish and a fish cutting service.