Maastricht
Travel Guide > Europe > Netherlands > Limburg > Maastricht
Introduction
Maastricht, just like Nijmegen, claims to be one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands. But unlike Nijmegen, the places has not been inhabited permanently. That said, there was already some sort of settlement about 2500 years ago by the Kelts, at a place along the Maas where wading through the water was possible. This is also what the name Maastricht literally means.
Maastricht is located along the shores of the Maas River in between the highest hills in the country. It is one of the most popular cities in the Netherlands, but mostly amongst Dutch, Belgian and German tourists. Surprisingly few other foreign visitors come to the city.
The city has about 120,000 inhabitants, including a large number of students, both from abroad as from other parts of the Netherlands. It is a very lively city, with many restaurants and pubs and living the good Bourgondic life here is not that difficult. As a bonus, the historical hart of the city provides the visitor a good combination of culture and nightlife. And if that is not enough, around Maastricht is a beautiful landscape with green hills along the shores of the Maas river and cross border visits to Germany and Belgium are very easy and straightforward as well. That said, it is a good place to base yourself for a few days or even a week.
Sights and Activities
For the first time visitor, here are some places you really have to go:
- The Vrijthof, with the Saint Servaas Church and the Saint Jans Church
- The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe Plein (Square) with the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe Church. Both places are lined with restaurants and terraces where you can try the famous whitebeer Korenwolf or have a good meal, for example sour meat.
- The central market square with the town hall
- The Saint Servaas bridge across the Maas River.
Events and Festivals
Getting There
By Plane
Maastricht has an international airport, shared with the German city of Aachen. It has many charterflights in summer, but also a good deal of other flights throughout the year. For schedules, destinations and fares, check the Maastrich Aachen Airport website.
By Train
You can reach Maastricht easiest by train from other cities in the Netherlands, like Eindhoven (1hour) or Utrecht (2 hours). For details check the National Railway website.
By Car
The national highway A2 runs straight through the city and is very busy during summer as it connects the Netherlands with destinations south like Belgium and France.
By Bus
By Boat
Eat
Drink
This is version 8. Last edited at 6:09 on May 15, 08 by GeoBot (+56). 4 articles link to this page.
Except where otherwise noted, content of this article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License