Maastricht

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Quick Facts

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Population

118.004

Coordinates

• Latitude: 50.849847
• Longitude: 5.687259

On Travellerspoint

• 1 Maastricht Guesthouses
• 1 Maastricht Hostels

Contributors

• Utrecht (80%)
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Introduction

Market in Maastricht

© All Rights Reserved Utrecht

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.

Maastricht also deserved a place in European history as the place where the Treaty of Maastricht was signed. This treaty was the bases for replacing over a dozen of local currencies for the Euro.

Neighbourhoods

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.
• Bonnefantenmuseum - Old masters meet modern art in an architectural interesting building.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Maastricht weather is typical of what you get in the Netherlands: mild winters with rare snow, and reasonably warm summers. Still, summers are on average just a bit warmer, while winters are a bit colder on average compared to the rest of the country.

Getting There

By Plane

Maastricht has an international airport, shared with the German city of Aachen, the Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST). Ryanair flies to/from Alicante, Pisa and Girona, Sky Airlines flies to/from Antalya, Transavia to/from Dalaman (Turkey), Faro, Heraklion (Crete), Kos, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Rhodos and Tenerife-South, and Amsterdam Airlines to/from Ankara and Kayseri.

By Train

You can reach Maastricht easiest by train from other cities in the Netherlands, like Eindhoven (1hour), Utrecht (2 hours) and Amsterdam (2,5 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

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

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