Weekend Trip to Aalen: The Perfect 48-Hour Plan

Aalen, the charming town at the foot of the Swabian Jura, is the perfect destination for a relaxing weekend. In summer 2026, the former Roman town shows itself at its liveliest.

Day 1 – Arrival and the Roman Museum: Start your Saturday with breakfast at ‘Kaffeemühle’, a lovingly run café on the marketplace. Once you’re nicely fuelled up, head to the Limesmuseum, which reopened in 2025 following extensive modernisation. The interactive exhibition brings Roman history to life. The cavalry displays on the outdoor grounds are a particular highlight.

For lunch, we recommend ‘Brauhaus Aalen’, with Swabian cuisine and home-brewed beer. After a short break, the ‘Urweltsteinbruch’ beckons – a former quarry where you can find fossils up to 180 million years old. Hammers and safety goggles are provided.

The evening belongs to the ‘Aalener Sommernacht’. The town centre transforms into a stage with live music, street performers and extended shop opening hours.

Day 2 – Nature and views: After breakfast, hop on the Schwäbische-Alb-Bahn for a few minutes to reach the ‘Aalbäumle’, the town’s landmark. The climb up the 26-metre-high viewing tower is rewarded with a panoramic view over the Remstal. Numerous walking trails start from here.

For the afternoon, we recommend a visit to ‘Tiefer Stollen’, a former iron ore mine. The tour through the visitor mine is fascinating and offers welcome relief from the heat on warm summer days.

Round things off with dinner at ‘Limes’, a restaurant serving Mediterranean cuisine with a terrace overlooking the Alb. Aalen bids you farewell with a sunset you won’t forget in a hurry.

Saturday begins underground: at the Tiefer Stollen visitor mine, guests ride the pit railway into the mountain and experience how iron ore was once extracted here – bring a jacket, as it stays cool down below. Back in daylight, the Limesmuseum puts the Roman frontier history at the UNESCO World Heritage site into context; the Aalen cavalry fort was once the largest north of the Alps.

At lunchtime, the old town calls: around the marketplace and Spionturm – the Aalen ‘Spion’ watches over from the town hall – inns serve up Swabian classics from Maultaschen to Zwiebelrostbraten, while cafés take care of dessert. The pedestrian zone then invites you to browse the independent shops.

The afternoon belongs to the heights: the climb to the Aalbäumle, the viewing tower on the Langert, rewards you with views over the town, the Welland and the Albtrauf escarpment – including a stop at the tower hut. Families can take in the woodland playground along the way, while the sporty can extend their walk along the escarpment paths.

Those keen to learn something instead head to the explorhino: the university’s science centre turns natural science into a hands-on programme – the best address in town for children and adults alike on rainy days. Alternatively, the Urweltmuseum displays fossils from the Jurassic seas of the Ostalb region.

In the evening, Aalen reveals its sociable side: brewery inns with their own beer, wine bars and international cuisine fill the old town’s lanes – in summer, people sit outside until the church clock gives its warning chime. Culture lovers should check the programme at the Stadthalle and theatre.

Sunday opens up the Ostalb region: hikes along the escarpment trails around the Welland, a cycling loop through the Kochertal valley, or a trip to Kloster Neresheim with its famous abbey church – the surrounding area delivers panoramic views every half hour. In winter, the region’s cross-country trails and ski lifts take over.

Sunday is also a day for indulgence: brunch in the old town, coffee on the marketplace, and Swabian specialities from the delicatessen to take home – from Alblinsen lentils to Most cider. If you fancy it, round off the weekend with a visit to the Limes-Thermen spa and let it wind down in the thermal waters.

Practical info: Aalen is easily reached by train from Stuttgart and Ulm, the town centre is walkable, and buses and bikes help with day trips. Accommodation, from old-town hotels to country inns, is usually easy to arrange – except during the Reichsstädter Tage, when the whole region celebrates.

So 48 hours in Aalen come together as a well-rounded mix: Romans and mining, escarpment and old town, spa and ridge walks. The Ostalb metropolis doesn’t push itself forward – but it reliably delivers, and that’s exactly why weekend visitors like to come back for a second visit.

Those travelling with children can simply reshuffle the building blocks: the mine in the morning, playground and ice cream at midday, explorhino in the afternoon – Aalen is a pleasantly straightforward destination for families, with short distances and fair admission prices. A visit to the mine dwarves in the Stollen also stays in young visitors’ memories for a long time.

For those who enjoy good living, it’s worth keeping an eye on the festivals: the Reichsstädter Tage in autumn, the Grüner Markt and the breweries’ events bring life to the squares – if you can time your visit to coincide, you’ll experience the town at its most sociable. In between, Aalen remains what it is: relaxed.

So the weekend ends with a clear verdict: the Ostalb region has plenty to offer – Roman, mining, sporty and culinary. And because so much lies close together, there’s still plenty of time for what matters most: simply sitting back, enjoying good Swabian food and watching the Albtrauf escarpment in the evening light.

So: pack your rucksack, borrow a miner’s lamp and give the Ostalb a weekend – Aalen will pay it back with interest.

And if you want to delay your departure, take one last hour on the marketplace: a coffee in the sun, a glance up at the Spion, and the good feeling of having discovered a town that many only know from the motorway sign – Aalen rewards exactly that kind of curiosity.