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Maastricht Travel Guide

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Maastricht is the southernmost city in the Netherlands, in the province of Limburg, close to Belgium and Germany.

Contents

Understand

The town is a good mix between students (mostly medical and business, a lot of them from abroad) and locals. This keeps the town alive and fresh.

Information

The VVV is the local tourist agency, and in fact, the tourist agency throughout the entire country. If ever you're lost in the Netherlands, just look for a VVV. They'll help straighten you out, and sell you a map too!

For information about all (cultural) events in Maastricht, try to find a copy of the 'Week in Week uit'. They are distributed all around the city.

Talk

Maybe even more than in other parts of the Netherlands, people know how to speak foreign languages. So don't worry if you don't speak Dutch, many Maastricans are happy to converse with you in English, German or even French.

Get in

By air

There is an airport near Maastricht, the Maastricht Aachen Airport, which you can reach by the local bus system, or by taxi. Flights to Maastricht are more expensive, but more convenient than flying into another city, such as Amsterdam, and travelling to Maastricht by train.

Airports

By train

There is an extensive rail system in the Netherlands. Although Maastricht is not considered an international rail station, there is an hourly link to Liege, Belgium. In addition there are direct trains to Eindhoven, Utrecht, Amsterdam and Haarlem once an hour (soon twice).

Local trains will take you to Heerlen twice an hour.

Train stations

  • Maastricht
  • Maastricht Randwyck

Train information

By car

There a two motorways from and to Maastricht: A2 (Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Sittard, Belgium and France - "Route du Soleil") and A79 (Heerlen, Aachen).

By bus

  • Bus 420 from Aachen serves Maastricht on an hourly basis.
  • Eurolines Netherlands has a bus stop at the Central train station in Maastricht. In Liege is the Belgian Eurolines stop, which serves different routes to the Maastricht stop.

Get around

By car

By bus

The city has a bus system called the Stadsbus ("City Bus") that travels over most of the city and to surrounding areas. Tickets can be bought on the bus, or in advance with a pass called a Strippenkaart "Strip-card".

You can purchase the Strippenkaart at the train station, or any post office or newsagent. There are two denominations, €6,40 and €19,20. The lesser of the two has 15 strips on it, and the larger 45. So, each strip costs about €0,42, and each trip on the bus takes at least 2 strips. So a ride on the bus might cost about €1. Depending on where you go, the fare increases. This is much cheaper then buying the fare on the bus, as a trip purchased from the driver might cost between €1,60 and €2,20.

See

Civic Buildings

  • University Maastricht Library, Grote Looierstraat 17 (centre) & Universiteitssingel 50 (Randwyck)

Museums

Tourist Attractions

  • The Caves - a local Marlestone mine, tours given in Dutch
  • Coffeeshops (eg. Mississippi on the Wilhelminakade, at the Maas quai)
  • 'Regular' shopping centre, known for its excuisity.

Do

Cinemas

Culture

  • Visit the Uitbalie in the Theater on the Vrijthof for (last minute) tickets to almost any cultural event

Eat

Eating out in Maastricht is seldom cheap, with most restaurants catering to a posh older crowd, rather than the student population. On weekdays, good and relatively low-priced sandwiches can be had at Deli Belge and Somethin' Good, both on Tongersestraat, close to the Economics and Law faculties of the Universiteit Maastricht.

  • De Preuverij, Kakeberg 6, tel 043-3250903. Tucked on a narrow street off Tongersestraat, De Preuverij offers good meals at low prices, and by night, it is a popular drinking venue with UM students. Try the 3,90€ vegetarian lasagna.
  • Sour Meat (Zuurvlees)

Drink

Maastricht has many bars, restaurants, pubs and dance clubs, located on Vrijthof and Market Squares, and in the center of downtown it's nearly impossible to walk around and not see anything to do.

  • Maastricht is great for a night out (Maastricht is home to both a University & Institute). therefore, lots of students, also lots of foreign companies are based here so a mixture of international pubs & clubs can be found here.
  • Maastricht is known for its yearly "Carnival," a tradition celebrated in many towns in the south of the Netherlands.

Sleep

  • Only in the night of July 1st, 2006 there is an official campsite near the center of Maastricht
  • Until mid-2007 there won't be a youth hostel in Maastricht. After that, there will be a Stayokay-Hostel in the Maaspavillion, Maasboulevard 101.
  • Until then and also thereafter you can try Hospitality exchange of which there is an active community in Maastricht.


Cope

Religious services

Holy mass in catholic churches in Maastricht:

  • Sint Servaas Basilica, Keizer Karelplein. Sat: 18:00; Sun: 10:00, 11:30; Mon-Sat: 09:00 (Sint Servaas chapel)
  • Onze Lieve Vrouw Basilica, Onze Lieve Vrouweplein. Sat: 17:00 (crypt), 18:30; Sun: 09:00, 10:00, 11:30; Mon-Sat: 09:30
  • Sint Matthiaskerk, Boschstraat 99. Sat: 17:30; Sun: 11:15; Tue-Fri: 08:30


Directory of christian churches in Maastricht

Get out

  • World War II Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial [1]: take the N278 9.5 kilometers (6 miles) east of Maastricht. The cemetery is located just west of the village of Margraten. Open daily except for December 25 and January 1; 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The cemetery is the final resting place for 8,301 American military dead. A monument is inscribed with the names of 1,723 Americans whose remains were never found or identified. The site contains a chapel and museum with three engraved operations maps describing the European Campaign. Free. Fun.


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