Kessel

Photo © Herr Bert

Travel Guide Europe Netherlands Limburg Kessel

Introduction

Kessel, Castle

Kessel is a small town about 15 kilometres south of Venlo on the left bank of the river Meuse (Maas in Dutch). In the late middle ages it was an important pont on the road between Cologne and cities in the Netherlands, as this was one of the places where the river Meuse could be crossed. To defend this crossing a castle was built north of this crossing. This happened around 1000 A.D.. Another function was to collect the tolls from ships going up and down the river. In 1312 Kessel was granted city rights, and it was an important town in Limburg, but during the centuries the power dwindled, and of 2010 the town will be part of the new municipality called: Peel en Maas, which also includes the towns of Helden, Maasbree and Meijel.

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Sights and Activities

Kessel - O.L.V. Kerk

Castle Keverberg (now a ruin)
O.L.V. Kerk
St. Antonius mill

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Events and Festivals

Carnaval

The (catholic) south of the Netherlands celebrates carnaval at the beginning of the year. (40 days before Easter). During the days of Carnaval, all the names of the cities and towns get another (a bit loony) name. The party starts at Saturday and ends the following Tuesday. It goes hand in hand with a lot of drinking and dressing up.

Kermis (last weekend of June)
Shakespeare on the castle (summer months)

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Getting There

By Plane

The nearest airports are in Weeze, Eindhoven and Düsseldorf, and also the airports in Maastricht and Cologne are not that far away.

By Train

There is no trainconnection to Kessel. You can get to either the stations in Venlo or Roermond, but you need to the bus (number 77) from there.

By Car

Coming from the north you can get to Venlo using the A73 highway. And switch to the N273 near Venlo to reach Kessel. From the south (Maastricht) you can follow the A2, and connect to the N273. Coming from the west you can use the A67, switching to the N277 near Helden.

By Bus

Kessel - De Maas

The number 77 bus by Veolia connects Venlo and Roermond, on the leftbank of the river. It passes most of the towns there, inclucing Kessel. Line 76 connects Kessel with Helden, and from there it goes to Roermond with a huge detour.

By Boat

There is no commercial connection to this town, there is only a small cable ferry that connects Kessel to Beesel and Reuver on the other side of the river.

If you have your own boat, you can dock at a small visitors harbour, where there is place for a couple of small boats.

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Getting Around

By Car

You can get around by car, and parking free, with usually enough parking places available.

By Foot

The best way to see the town is by foot, as it is not huge.

By Bike

Going by bike is another excellent way to see the town, the surroundings, and connect to other towns in the neighbourhood. There is a special map for bikers which uses dots. By connecting the dots, you can create your own personal route for the day. This map is available at the tourist information shops throughout Limburg. The network even connects to routes in Belgium and Germany.

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Eat

A nice restaurant to go to in the center of town is called 'Aan de Ruine' on the dorpstraat. Another one near to the ferry crossing is 'De Rozentuin'.

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Drink

On the Markt there is a bar called 'de Boesjer' which is the most popular one. In summer it is nice to sit on the terrace either there, or overviewing the Maas, at 'the Boemel'.

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Keep Connected

Phone

Post

The rate for sending a postcard or letter up to 20 grams within the Netherlands is €0.46 (2010). Since 2010 there are stamps available for domestic post which no longer include the value in €. Instead, there are stamps available with either a '1' or a '2' as a substitute for value. The '1' can be used for letters and postcards up to 20 grams, while 20-50 grams require you to use the '2'-valued stamps (or two '1'-valued stamps of course).

Sending items to other EU countries will cost €0.67, while the rest of the world sets you back €0.89 per piece. Stamps are sold at post offices and supermarkets; often the place where you buy your postcards can also supply you with stamps.

Sending parcels abroad is more costly. A standard-sized parcel between 500-2,000 grams will cost you €9.10 for destinations within the EU, and €17.50 to the rest of the world. Parcel service is available from major post offices only; standard-size boxes are on sale there as well.

If you need to receive mail while moving around, you can have it sent poste restante (to be called for) to a post office of your choice, where it will be kept for a month. If you come to claim it, bring a valid ID, and make sure to have told the sender that the name on the envelope must be an exact match with that in your passport. For addresses of post offices, as well as more information, consult the TNT website.