Semester ticket and public transport in Aachen: How to get anywhere

What the semester ticket is and who gets it

The semester ticket for students in Aachen consists of two components, which together provide an exceptionally extensive range of mobility services.

The first component is the AVV semester ticket, which is valid throughout the Aachen Transport Network. It entitles you to use all buses and local trains on the AVV, i.e. S-Bahn, regional trains and regional express trains, around the clock and seven days a week.

The second component is the German Semester Ticket, which extends the scope to the whole of Germany. With this ticket, students from RWTH Aachen, KathO Aachen, the Cologne University of Music and Dance and the CBS Cologne Business School Aachen can use all public transport buses and trains throughout Germany, i.e. every regional train, every S-Bahn, every bus throughout the country, without having to buy a separate ticket.

The price of both components together is not billed separately. It is included in the semester fee, which you pay anyway when you enroll or re-register. Anyone who is enrolled at RWTH or FH Aachen has the semester ticket automatically, without further application and at no additional cost.

How long is the ticket valid and what exactly is it valid for

The semester ticket is valid for the entire duration of a semester, i.e. generally from October to the end of March for the winter semester and from April to the end of September for the summer semester. The decisive factor is: It applies not only during the lecture period, but also during the lecture-free period, i.e. during the semester break. If you want to travel across Germany by train in July or August, you can do so with the summer semester ticket without buying an additional ticket.

The ticket is valid around the clock, including at night and on public holidays. For everyday life in Aachen, this means that you can take the bus or train at any time of day or night without having to pay attention to times of day or special rates.

What does not apply: long-distance trains such as ICE, IC or Eurostar. The semester ticket only entitles you to use local transport. If you want to travel by ICE from Aachen to Berlin, you need a separate long-distance ticket. For trips to neighboring cities such as Cologne, Düsseldorf or Maastricht, however, the semester ticket is completely sufficient.

What many people don't know: The ticket goes all the way to Maastricht

One of the most frequently overlooked benefits of the Aachen semester ticket is its cross-border validity. Aachen is located in the border triangle, and the ticket takes account of this.

Some cross-border AVV bus lines are included in the semester ticket, including line 34 to Kerkrade and lines 25, 33 and Arriva bus line 350 to Vaals. These connections make it possible to travel to the neighboring Dutch and Belgian border areas at no extra charge.

There is also the Limburg Semester Ticket Add-On, which allows students from RWTH, FH and KathO Aachen to use all public transport in South Limburg. This includes all Arriva city buses in Maastricht, Parkstad and Sittard-Geleen as well as all Arriva regional lines in South Limburg. Specifically, the RE 18 from Aachen to Maastricht, RS 18 from Kerkrade Centrum to Maastricht-Randwyck, RS 15 from Sittard to Heerlen and RS 12 from Maastricht-Randwyck to Sittard can be used. For trips to Landgraaf, Eygelshoven or Heerlen beyond the add-on area, an additional connection ticket of price level 2 is required.

For the Limburg add-on, an identity card or travel document must be carried in addition to the semester ticket.

Maastricht can be reached by train from Aachen in around thirty minutes and is one of the most beautiful cities in the region, with a lively city center, good cultural offerings and one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. Anyone who lives in Aachen and has the semester ticket can visit Maastricht in one afternoon without having to spend money on it. That is an advantage that is worthwhile to really use.

How to use the ticket in everyday life

The semester ticket is not a digital ticket that you show on your smartphone. It works differently, and you have to know that so that you don't have to explain when you get on the bus or train.

According to the AVV, the signed semester ticket together with the student ID, i.e. the RWTH BlueCard, and an official photo ID such as an identity card or passport are considered to be a travel pass. All three documents must be able to be presented during an inspection. Anyone who only has the semester ticket with them, without the student ID, risks an additional payment. Anyone who is international and does not have a German identity card uses a passport as a photo ID.

The semester ticket is also not transferable and must not be shrink-wrapped or laminated. That sounds like a strange limitation, but it's relevant: Some students laminate documents to make them more durable. This is expressly not allowed with the semester ticket.

The naveo app, available for iOS and Android, is recommended for searching for connections in the AVV network. It shows current departure times, connections and possible fault reports. Alternatively, online information is available at auskunft.avv.de.

A practical advantage that many people don't know: take children with you for free

Anyone who has children or siblings or nieces and nephews visiting benefits from a rule that is included in the semester ticket and is barely known: The semester ticket allows up to three children under the age of 15 to travel free of charge throughout the AVV network. This is valid at no extra charge and without special registration. So anyone who goes on a trip to Aachen city center or to the Eifel with children, for example, does not have to buy a separate ticket for the children.

The semester ticket and the decision to live: Why the two belong together

For students who are still looking for an apartment in Aachen, the semester ticket is a relevant factor when deciding where to live, which is often underestimated.

Anyone who lives close to the campus, i.e. in the area around Campus West at RWTH, makes do most of the daily trips on foot or by bike. In this case, the semester ticket is primarily used for trips, weekend trips, errands in the city center or trips to more distant destinations. The advantage of an apartment close to campus is that you don't have to worry about bus connections and cycle times when you have to go to class in the morning.

On the other hand, anyone who lives further afield for reasons of cost, such as in Laurensberg, Richterich or Burtscheid, invests time in commuting every day. The semester ticket makes this commute free of charge, but it doesn't make it any shorter. Like the best residential areas for students in Aachen Accomplishing yourself in everyday life depends precisely on this balance: time for money, commuting for rent.

The Good Shepherd residential project is located directly on Campus West and is therefore in a position where you barely need the semester ticket for everyday student life, but all the more so for everything else. If you want to take the train to Maastricht from there, you'll be there in thirty minutes. If you're planning a weekend in Cologne, get on at Aachen Central Station, which can be reached in just a few minutes, and travel at no extra charge. The semester ticket allows Aachen to be used as a place of residence across its entire geographical range.

More about available apartments in this location: https://guterhirte-wohnen.com/apartment

What the ticket has to do with sustainability

One aspect that is rarely made explicit in the discussion about the semester ticket is the ecological one. If you have a semester ticket and use it, you travel by bus and train instead of by car. In a city like Aachen, where parking space is scarce and expensive and many student apartments have no parking space anyway, the semester ticket is also an invitation to omit the car or not even need it in the first place. Anyone who would like to find out more about how Aachen is doing Living sustainably leaves, finds further approaches in the Good Shepherd's Campus Magazine.

The semester ticket and getting started in Aachen: What international students should know

For international students who come to Germany for the first time, the semester ticket is a concept that does not have an equivalent in every country of origin. In many countries, there are no integrated public transport networks with a single ticket for all means of transport. It is therefore all the more important to understand the system from the outset.

Who the RWTH Welcome Week , there you will find out, among other things, how to activate the semester ticket and how to carry it correctly. If you missed the Welcome Week or would like to know more in advance, you can find all the necessary information on avv.de and in the NAVEO app.

A common mistake among international students is not having activated the semester ticket or not carrying it correctly and then being left without a valid ticket during an inspection. This can be avoided with simple preparation: take your BlueCard with you, sign your semester ticket, have your passport with you. Then you're ready for every check.

If you are wondering how to get started in Aachen as an international student overall, you will find Housing guide for international students all further relevant steps.

conclusion

The semester ticket in Aachen is one of the best mobility offers that students in Germany can get: It is valid throughout Germany, extends all the way to Maastricht, does not cost an extra cent and is also valid during the semester break. Anyone who knows and uses it has full freedom of movement in Aachen and far beyond without having to pay for tickets. Anyone who lives in an apartment close to the campus and goes to university on foot every day also uses it for everything that goes beyond everyday student life: weekend trips, city tours, visits to foreign countries close to the border.

If you're still looking for a fully furnished apartment close to campus, from which you can use all of this: https://guterhirte-wohnen.com/apartment

Or get in touch directly: https://guterhirte-wohnen.com/kontakt

Source: Aachener Verkehrsverbund AVV, avv.de/de/tickets-fuer-bus-bahn/semesterticket

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