Walheim-Aachen 24 km back by bus

This varied hike takes you from the bus stop in Walheim to the center of Aachen, where you can take a direct bus back from Aachen Elisenbrunnen to the starting point (buses go several times an hour, and take a bit more than 30 minutes). The hike takes you through pasture, forests, past lime kilns, old railway bridges, along rivers and streams, through villages, forests, parks and the center of Aachen with its world heritage Dom cathedral. I ended up at the Aachener Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) which yearly takes place during the four weeks before Christmas. Parking near the bus stop in Walheim along the road is free. You will find something to eat and drink in Walheim, Kornelimünster, near the exit of the Waldfriedhof, and in the center of Aachen. Most of this hike is through quiet countryside and forests, and you walk through parks until hitting the city streets only about 2 km before the Dom.
You start out from the bus stop on the Schleidener Strasse. You walk towards the Vennbahn, a cycling path on and next to an old railway track. You walk it down a short while, and then walk towards the Kalköfen (lime kiln) and a lime quarry in the woods south of Walheim. You walk along the Inde river to Hahn passing another kiln. You climb back towards the Vennbahn and take a path along it with nice views of the countryside. You walk down and up and have a look on the disused railway before it crosses the Falkenbach viaduct on its way to Breinig. You go down to a riding school below the viaduct. The path passes below the viaduct and then follows the Inde valley to Kornelimünster. Just before the center you have a view of the Itertalviadukt of the Vennbahn to your left. You walk into the center of the old town of Kornelimünster. You walk across the market and take the steps up to the Bergkirche St. Stephanus. You have a nice view here. Across the graveyard of the church is also a Jewish graveyard. You descend again to the back of the former abbey, cross the Inde, and follow the river on a path through the Klauserwäldchen. You cross the Inde and then start your ascent of the rocky hill on the top of which you find the Klauser Kapelle or Maria im Schnee Kapelle. You walk around it and then follow the procession path with the chapels to the edge of the forest and go down the Inde valley. You follow the valley through the fields, cross the Inde, and walk on towards Brand. After a short stretch through the edge of the village you get to the Rollefbach and the Rollefbachviadukt, another railway bridge of the Vennbahn. You go up the viaduct (the last stretch a steep shortcut) and walk across the viaduct with nice views of the meandering Rollefbach. You take a field road taking you down and across the Rollefbach. You cross the Münsterstrasse and continue on the Rindsbergweg, a minor asphalt road. On the Bierstrauch road you pass a Jacobuskapelle. You continue to Eich, walk below the A44 highway, and walk towards Augustiner Wald. Just before the forest you pass the peculiar Camp Gabrielle Petit, a former army camp with dilapidated buildings, which seemed to be accessible to the public. I passed it, entered the forest, and then walked along a meandering forest stream. This stream merged with the Beverbach, and you follow a minor path along the amazingly attractive Beverbach crossing the stream twice on a ford (if you do not have waterproof shoes you’d better take a parallel forest road). A bit further you get to the Waldfriedhof, a large cemetery. You enter through the main entrance, walk through the park to the Bismarck Turm, a tower dedicated to the German statesman. You pass German war graves on your way out another exit. You cross the road and walk along the Rote-Haag Weg past the entrance to Waldhausen. You then follow the Gillesbach into the forest, cross the same L233 road again, and then follow the Gillesbach through a park on the paved Wilhelm-Pitz-Weg all the way until the Gillesbach flows below the railway track near the center. You walk through the Kurgarten Burscheid and then past the Hauptbahnhof. You continue via the AachenMünchener-Platz to the Aachener Dom in the center. You can have a short (or longer guided) look inside this world heritage site. I went into the entrance of the Domschatzkammer, and had a look in the cloister with the Paradiesbrunnen in the center. I then went on to the Katschhof square, the Markt with the Rathaus, and then on to the Elisenbrunnen via the fountain Kreislauf des Geldes. Across from the Elisenbrunnen is the bus stop back to Walheim. The Christmas market (in season) is on the Münsterplatz, Markt and Katschhof.