In this article, we will see the best Places to visit in Aarau, Canton of Aargau in Switzerland. Lively alleys, buildings steeped in history, and shopping pearls await you from the train station to the old town. The intact Aare landscape is in the immediate vicinity and invites you to take a walk.
The old town of Aarau attracts numerous sights. As in no other small town, the impressive architecture of different epochs can be viewed in a small space.
Aarau owes its nickname “City of Beautiful Gables” to them. You will also find many shops and bars in the old town for extensive shopping and relaxing. Below we are listing top 11 Places to visit in Aarau Switzerland.
1. Old town of Aarau
With its pedestrian zone, the old town is a fantastic place to shop. Shops, restaurants, and bars do a flourishing trade, with visitors also being attracted by the town’s diverse range of markets and concerts. Annual highlights include the Maienzug children’s and youth festival, the Bachfischet lantern procession, and the Aargau Rüeblimart carrot market.
2. Look Up Around The Old Town
On the way to the picturesque old town streets, you should definitely look up from time to time: The more than 70 richly painted roof soffits of the old townhouses are a specialty. The remarkable view of the Aarau’s gables will surely mesmerize you. Even though the gables are the triangular part of the roof, what we’re talking about is found in the roof’s underside. It’s very easy to spot them as they are painted with colorful, intricate designs.
3. Shopping in the old town
The beautiful ambiance in the oldest and most charming part of the city makes shopping a special experience. Numerous smaller and larger specialist shops, boutiques, specialty shops, and shops for sports and leisure are located in the picturesque alleys of the historic old town. There are public parking spaces and multi-story car parks around the pedestrianized old town, from which the shopping streets can be reached on foot in a few minutes.
4.City Hall
The oldest part of the town hall is the 13th-century tower Rore, the «castle in the city». The tower Rore was originally a fiefdom of the Counts of Kyburg. From 1515 the small castle was continuously converted into the town hall and since then it has been expanded many times over. It is still the seat of the city administration today. The bronze sculpture “Fährmann” (1955) by Alexander Zschokke is located on the corner of the Zollrain.
5. City Church (That’s one of the best places to visit in Aarau)
Between 1471 and 1477, today’s church was built in place of a smaller previous building. Most of the stones come from the demolished Obergösgen Castle and were brought here on the Aare. Foreman Gisel took over the scheme of the monastery church of Königsfelden for the new building. After the Reformation in 1528, the twelve altars were removed and the pictures burned. In 1965/66 the church was restored to its original simplicity and placed under monument protection.
6.Obertorturm
The Obertorturm dates from the 13th century and is the best-preserved medieval tower in Switzerland. In the 15./16. In the 19th century, it was increased to the high watch. Inside the Obertorturm there was a prison and the tower house. The iron clock from 1532 can still be admired on the 9th floor, and a carillon on the top floor. The upper gate consists of a gatehouse that is attached to the tower and protrudes to the original wall.
7. Well of Justice (That’s one of the best places to visit in Aarau)
The fountain of justice on the church square originally stood at the wayside intersection of Rathausgasse – Kronengasse / Kirchgasse. In 1905 he was relocated because of the increasing traffic. The fountain is dominated by a sandstone Justitia statue, the original of which from 1643 can be viewed in the Aarau City Museum. The column is made of French limestone, the fountain trough is made of Mägenwil shell limestone and the base is made of granite.
8.Roggenhausen Wildlife Park
At the Roggenhausen Wildlife Park, you can observe rabbits, ponies, goats, sheep, wild boar, deer, ibex, and many other animals from up close. The park is nestled in the countryside to the west of the city and is open every day throughout the year. The Wildlife Park has been one of the region’s most popular excursion destinations for over 100 years. It also has a large playground, a scooter track, and a restaurant with garden seating, which makes it ideal for family outings.
9. Hallwyl Water Castle (That’s one of the best places to visit in Aarau)
The romantic moated castle Hallwyl is located at the outflow of the Hallwilersee in the Aargauer Seetal. It was built in the 12th century and was owned by the von Hallwyl family until the 20th century. Today the Hallwyl moated castle houses a museum. The diverse exhibition is divided into 11 topics and ranges from the Middle Ages to the modern age. A selected member of the von Hallwyl family will be featured on each exhibition theme. In the Kornhaus you will learn exciting facts about the customs and trade in the Seetal and on the Mühleinsel you can marvel at the castle mill with the water wheel.
10. The Dragon Castle
Lenzburg Castle is one of the oldest and most important hilltop castles in Switzerland. Over 1,000 years of history are waiting behind thick walls to be explored and experienced. This tourist attraction is one of the Best Places to visit in Aarau. The exhibitions in the castle show the life of knights and nobles in the Middle Ages, the residential museum introduces the former castle residents and their way of life in the court, and in the prison, visitors can experience the conditions in the penitentiary system of the 17th century up close. On the roof, there is a children’s museum, where young visitors to the castle can dress up as they please and meet Fauchi in the dragon research station.
11. Aarau City Museum – Stadtmuseum Aarau
The collection of 60,000 objects is the memory of Aarau. Building culture and city history are exposed through exhibition and mediation in the old building. With the extension and the reopening, the Aarau City Museum is starting an important repositioning: The former residential museum has been cleared out, over 1200 objects have been re-staged and the key media of the 20th century, photography and film, are the focus of exhibitions, events and collaborations.
Best Places to Visit in Aarau
- Old town of Aarau
- Look Up Around The Old Town
- Shopping in the Old Town
- City Hall
- City Church
- Obertorturm
- Well of Justice
- Roggenhausen Wildlife Park
- Hallwyl Water Castle
- The Dragon Castle
- Aarau City Museum