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Maastricht in March
Mixed month: March is outside the recommended season (April – October; December for the Christmas markets). Carnival (Vastelaovend) in Maastricht can fall this month. Nothing in our data flags March as a problem, but it isn't the season the place is best in.
The season opens in April, next month.
2 days in Maastricht in March · from ₹33,374 for two
Stay, food & local travel; getting there extra
Before you book March
Closures, crowds and rules at Maastricht this month.
Worth knowing
Carnival: Hotels Book Out
Maastricht's carnival (7-9 February in 2027) fills the old town with costumed crowds from morning to night; hotels book out months ahead and shops and offices close. Join in, or avoid those days.
What’s on in March
Timing a trip around these changes what you pay and what you can book.
Carnival (Vastelaovend) in Maastrichtdates shift yearly
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.
What it costs
For two sharing a room; 2 days on the ground, getting there not included.
Budget
₹33,374 for two
- Room a night₹11,180
- Food a day, each₹4,160
- Main sight entry, each₹1,070
Mid-range
₹66,411 for two
- Room a night₹18,110
- Food a day, each₹9,600
- Main sight entry, each₹1,070
Luxury
₹1,43,350 for two
- Room a night₹35,150
- Food a day, each₹22,400
- Main sight entry, each₹1,070
What March does to prices
- Hotels book out months ahead and prices jump; shops and offices shut.
Totals cover the room (taxes included), food, local transport, entry and a 10% buffer: the figures the planner opens on. These are typical rates; Tourisma has no month-by-month rates for the Netherlands yet, so they don't move with the month.
Getting there
Fly into Amsterdam (AMS), 178 km away
Then: Train · 2h 36m (NS Intercity, direct)
Flights from India: from 8 cities, one way from ₹21,000
Routes compared
Entry rules
Visa needed before you fly for up to 90 days, about ₹11,445
- Apply for a Schengen short-stay (type C) visa at a VFS Global Netherlands centre in India (12 cities, from New Delhi and Mumbai to Kochi and Jalandhar) at least 45 days before you fly, and no earlier than 6 months. Apply to the Netherlands if it is your only or longest stay in Schengen. The fee is €90 (about ₹9,600; €45 for children 6-11) plus VFS's ₹1,855 service charge, and it is not refunded if the visa is refused.
- At the appointment give your fingerprints and photo (skipped if you gave them for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months). A decision takes about 15 days, up to 45 days if more checks are needed. Appointments are hardest to get from April to July: book as soon as your dates are fixed.
- If you have lawfully used two Schengen visas in the last three years, ask for a multiple-entry visa: under the EU's 2024 cascade rules for Indians you can be given a two-year visa, then a five-year one.
- On your first arrival in the Schengen Area your fingerprints and face are scanned at passport control (the EU Entry/Exit System, in full use since April 2026) instead of a stamp. Allow extra time at Schiphol.
Carry: Passport issued within the last 10 years, valid at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen Area, with two blank pages; Completed visa application form and two recent photos (35 x 45 mm); Travel insurance with at least €30,000 medical cover, valid in every Schengen country for the whole trip; Return flight booking and a day-by-day itinerary; Hotel bookings for every night; Bank statements for the last 3-6 months, income-tax returns, and a leave letter from your employer (or business or college papers).
One Schengen visa covers the Netherlands and every other Schengen country (France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and more) for up to 90 days in any 180, but not the United Kingdom, which needs its own visa. ETIAS is only for visa-free travellers, so it does not affect you. Appointment waits vary by city and season: check visa.vfsglobal.com before you book flights.
Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.
Elsewhere in the Netherlands in March
Instead in season this month.
- Keukenhof & the Bulb Fields · good month
Want this as a real plan?
Maastricht in March, day by day, priced for your group.