Maastricht

The southernmost Dutch city, wedged between Belgium and Germany and different in feel: Roman and medieval streets, the Vrijthof square with the Basilica of St Servatius, the Dominicanen bookshop in a 13th-century church, and the hand-dug tunnels of Mount Saint Peter (Sint-Pietersberg), seen only on guided tours. Hills, castles and the cave town of Valkenburg are close; the carnival in February and the Christmas markets (in Valkenburg's caves) fill the region. A direct train from Amsterdam takes about 2 h 20-2 h 35 (about €32). Liège in Belgium and Aachen in Germany are about an hour or less by train or bus (ESTIMATE).

Highlights

• The Vrijthof and St Servatius
• A bookshop in a Gothic church (Dominicanen)
• Guided tour of the Mount Saint Peter caves
• The city walls and the Helpoort
• Limburg vlaai and Burgundian food
• Valkenburg's caves and castle
• Carnival in February

Things to do

• Old town walk: the Vrijthof, St Servatius and the HelpoortMorning · 2h 30m
• Guided tour of the Mount Saint Peter cavesAfternoon · 1h 30m
• Boekhandel Dominicanen and the Basilica of Our LadyAfternoon · 1h 30m
• Day out to Valkenburg: caves and castle ruinMorning · 5h
• Limburg vlaai and an evening on the VrijthofEvening · 2h

Tours & tickets

When to go

Best time: April – October; December for the Christmas markets

• King's Day (Koningsdag) — The national holiday for the King's birthday: the whole country dresses in orange, every street becomes a flea market (the vrijmarkt, from the evening before), and Amsterdam's canals fill with party boats and its centre with up to a million people. Trains into Amsterdam are packed and hotels cost their most; book months ahead, or watch it in a calmer city such as Utrecht, Haarlem or Delft. Museums open, many shops close.
• Remembrance Day and Liberation Day — On 4 May at 8 pm the whole country stops for two minutes' silence for the war dead, with the national ceremony on Dam Square in Amsterdam; trams and trains halt. On 5 May free liberation festivals with music fill parks in Haarlem, Utrecht, The Hague, Rotterdam and other cities.
• Carnival (Vastelaovend) in Maastricht — Three days of costumes, brass bands and street parties in the Catholic south before Lent, biggest in Maastricht, where the old town fills from morning to night. Hotels book out months ahead and prices jump; shops and offices shut. Easy for vegetarians: the food is fries, vlaai (fruit tart) and snacks.
• Christmas markets and the Amsterdam Light Festival — From late November Maastricht holds its Christmas market (Magisch Maastricht) on the Vrijthof, and Valkenburg, 15 minutes away, holds markets inside its caves; Delft and Utrecht have smaller ones. In Amsterdam the Light Festival puts light art along the canals from late November into January, best seen from a canal boat in the evening. Markets close by Christmas or the New Year.