Stewardess Valerie’s Top Tips About Her Hometown Maastricht

Maastricht is the oldest city in the Netherlands. It has the allure of a city like Paris. And it has its very own language that sings sweetly in your ears. It gives me pleasure to take you along to my birthplace, Maastricht. You can get there from Amsterdam, by car or train, in just two and-a-half hours.

Maastricht sfeer

1. Enjoying life at an outdoor café

The people of Maastricht know just how to put themselves on display. They don their most fashionable clothes – complete with properly shined shoes and a good hat – and you can see it all perfectly from your spot at the sidewalk café. All you need do is find a place at one of the numerous squares around town, such as Vrijthof Square, Onze Lieve Vrouwe (“Our Lady”) Square, Amorsplein Square, or the Markt (“Market Square”). Standing in the shadow of these grand locations, you can also find what is officially known to be the smallest café in the Netherlands – Petit Café Moriaan (Stokstraat 12).I can really recommend it.

outdoor café at OLV square

2. Wyck, Centre Céramique and the Bonnefantenmuseum

Maastricht is divided into two major sections, divided by the Meuse River. When you exit Maastricht Central Station, you’ll find yourself in the Wyck section, which offers a variety of antique stores, designer clothing, and interior design stores. It is also the hotspot for some fantastic restaurants – for instance, on Rechtstraat. And the Centre Céramique (a library and arts centre) and the Bonnefanten Museum aren’t far off.

Interesting factoid: On the fourth floor of the Centre Céramique, you can find a beautiful model of the city, a copy of the original created in 1748.

Maastricht Wyck

3. Vlaai from Limburg

Your visit to Maastricht is really only complete once you have a piece of the local pie – called vlaai. You can find it in any number of places. However, at the Bisschopsmolen (“the Bishop’s Mill”) at Stenenbrug 3, you can go inside the bakery and they’ll show you just how this speciality is made. That makes it extra delicious. My favourites are rice and cherry vlaai.

Vlaaien from Limburg

4. Carnaval!

Celebrating Carnaval (Mardi Gras as it’s known in the southern Netherlands) is in the heart and soul of anyone born and bred in Maastricht. Very often, they’ll work all year on their costume to celebrate the straatcarnaval (“Street Carnival”). You won’t believe your eyes when you see the parade for the first time, complete with floats, drum corps, and people dressed in some pretty whacky costumes.

Personally, I always try to take out at least one day of the Carnaval season to celebrate with friends and family. Carnaval in Maastricht always starts on a Sunday and ends at midnight on Tuesday. So set aside some time between 26 and 28 February 2017 in your datebook. ;-)

carnaval in Maastricht

5. Light a candle in the OLV Basilica

Whether you’re a believer or not, lighting a candle in the Sterre der Zee (Star of the Sea) Cathedral offers you a moment of peace. It offers a tiny spot where many local inhabitants come to spend a moment, to think about a loved one or to utter a wish. And, even if your wish doesn’t come true, you’ll come away knowing that having been surrounded by all those candles was an impressive experience.

Light a candle

6. Eat Zoervleis in the jazzy Jeker Quarter

Personally, I think the Jeker Quarter is the most beautiful part of Maastricht. It’s easier to slow down in this city’s own “Latin Quarter”. Here, you’ll find many of many of the town’s oldest traditions in art, music, food, and drink. I always order Zoervleis (literally “sour meat”) at my favorite restaurant Café Sjiek (Sint Pieterstraat 13).You can also go for a walk through the city park and on top of the old city walls. On a personal note, the first home I could call my own was in this neighbourhood.

Cafe Sjiek in Maastricht

7. Waltzing on the Vrijthof

If I tell passengers on board that I come from Maastricht, they often mention André Rieu. The world renown of this particular Maastricht native and his Johan Strauss Orchestra became very clear to me this month when I went with my mother to one of his summer concerts on the Vrijthof. They’re always sold out. There, I saw people from China, England, Brazil, Argentina and New Zealand, all of whom had come to Maastricht especially to experience his musical spectacle. Would you like to take part? These open-air concerts are usually held during the first two weekends in July.

Waltzing on the Vrijthof

8. Shopping and coffee

Here’s a list of my favourite shops and cafés.

  • Have a delicious lunch followed by homemade cupcakes at Piece of Cake (Bredestraat 28). When the weather is nice, you can eat in their back garden.
  • You can find gifts created by Dutch designers at the Conflict Designmarket (Minckelersstraat 14).
  • For everything vintage from earrings to boots, I like to go to Giensch (Achter Het Vleeshuis 19).
  • One more good fashion place to shop is Kiki’s Stocksale (Stokstraat 33).
  • For coffee to cocktails, it’s Take Five (Bredestraat 14).

Valerie's favourites in Maastricht

9. What a view!

You can get a good view of the city from the Sint-Pietersberg (“Mount Saint Peter”). Here you can find Chalet Bergrust (Luikerweg 71), a good starting point for lovely walks into the countryside and to the marlstone caves. Or just sit and enjoy the view. By the way, I was born in the neighbourhood of Sint Pieter.

10. Magical Maastricht

Maastricht is a great place to visit year-round. Personally, I prefer the summer. But there’s a lot to say for visiting in December. From 2 December to 1 January the city is adorned in a Christmas atmosphere. Be sure to go for a spin on the giant Ferris Wheel on Vrijthof Square. The city is never more beautiful.

Magical Maastricht

11. KLM bus service

Twice a day, a KLM bus shuttles between Maastricht and Schiphol for travellers with a KLM ticket. You can find everything you need to know here.

Bon voyage and see you in Mestreech!

DareSheGoesOn the Bus

Maastricht – also known for:

  • In 1992, the Maastricht Treaty (formally, the Treaty on European Union) was signed here. It paved the way for the European Economic Union and led to the creation of the single European currency, the euro.
  • Maastricht is the standard starting point for the classic Amstel Gold Bike Race.
  • Maastricht native André Rieu is world famous and has put his city on the musical map.
  • The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) ranks among the world’s best. Each year it welcomes about 70,000 visitors.

Maastricht bridge

Posted by:   DareSheGoes  | 
Join the conversation Show comments

Cynthia Dumoulin

Sjoen ;-)!!

DareSheGoes

Danken Cynthia ;-)

DareSheGoes

Danken uiteraard …autocorrect …

DareSheGoes

DAANKE …. :)

joseph oduber

Nice place and nice peoples ,I have lived for 30 years in Holland and went to the south several times for my job and Maastricht was the best place, good hotels , restaurants and the Limburgse vlaai.

DareSheGoes

:) Nice Joseph!

Mieke Reinders

Geweldig Valerie heel mooie promotie voor Maastricht.Top!!!!

DareSheGoes

Dank je wel tante Mieke! :)

juan

thanks 4 sharing your city 2 the world!
everything is great at Holland!

bedankt

DareSheGoes

It was a pleasure Juan!

Eliana Arre

From Santiago, Chile I want to thank for this Interesting publication. I visited Maastricht in July 2014 for Andre Rieu ‘s concert. Beautiful city and beautiful people too. I spent very good time and hope to come back soon…..maybe July next year. Nice to hear about KLM bus from Schipol to Maastricht.
Best Regards

DareSheGoes

Thank you for your kind message Eliana, super you’ve visited Maastricht. See you there!

W8post

Andre Rieu is geboren Amsterdammer en spreekt niet eens het Maastrichtse dialect naar behoren! Import Maastrichtenaar die zijn faam te danken heeft aan ene ‘Jos Ghyzen’ van Radio Hasselt – België, die in zijn programma ‘Te Bed of niet te Bed’ Andre promoveerde met ‘de Nachtegaal’ (Maastrichts Salon Orkest). Overigens is Andre Rieu een geweldige PR-magneet voor Maastricht, dat dan weer wél!

Esperanza Buitrago

Dear sir or Madam, I got a ticket from Amsterdam to Aruba and return and just found out about the KLM bus from and to Maastricht. My travel details are as folllows below. Is it possible to change it leaving and returning with the bus from Maastricht?

Name: Esperanza Buitrago Diaz. Flying blue number KL1042658152

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Kind regards,

Esperanza
20 aug. 2016 – Heen Rechtstreeks Totale reistijd : 10u. 5min.

· Amsterdam
· AMS 12:25
· · Oranjestad
· AUA 16:30
· 10u. 5min.
7.879 km
· KLM 765
· Economy (V) Stoelen
· AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A330-300 | Maaltijd
27 aug. 2016 – Terug 1 tussenstop Totale reistijd : 11u. 20min.

· Oranjestad
· AUA 17:45
· · Kralendijk
· BON 18:35
· 0u. 50min.
195 km
· KLM 765
· Economy (T) Stoelen
· AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A330-300 | Maaltijd
Tussenstop: 1u. 5min.

· Kralendijk
· BON 19:40
· · Amsterdam
· AMS 11:05 + 1 dag
·
· Aankomst op 28 aug. 2016 9u. 25min.
7.792 km

DareSheGoes

Hi Esperanza, let me forward this to our klm costumer service! Have a good flight!

Allessandro Conte

Nice place, nice pictures, nice impressions, gets back nice memories from last year. I lived there 14 months, and enjoyed it, but for younger people, I think nearby cities like Aachen and Liège are also very beautiful and have much more to offer, especially when you like nightlife. The pubs and clubs in Maastricht are mostly very similar (boring mainstream) and close very early, Liège and Aachen much more avant-garde, young and dynamic from dusk till dawn, like it should be in the western free world.

Allessandro.

DareSheGoes

Hi Alessandro, nice suggestions thank you!

Herman Jans

Thank you for the wonderful memories your photos bring us. Have been there twice and are coming back in 2019 to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary with all our friends there. And, of course, we only fly KLM.

DareSheGoes

Yeah! How wonderful and congrats on your 50th wedding anniversary! Thanks for flying with KLM.
Kind regards, Valerie

Clarinda

Weeeee, what a quick and easy sooulitn.

Maastricht Running Tours

Check out our running tours on which you get to see Valerie’s Highlights and much more. Our guided running tour takes you in about 1,5 hours (about 6 kms) along the most beautiful spots in town. During various stops we tell you about the rich history but also about the current days.

The last 3 years we received the Tripadvisor Excellence award. See you soon!

Irene van Kuyk

Ik heb genoten van je blog. Ben al sinds 1960 weg uit Nederland. We hebben in vele landen gewoond, oa Bermuda waar onze kinderen zijn geboren. Sinds 1965 hebben we down under gewoond, eerst in Australia, de Pacific (Fiji en New Caledonia) en New Zealand. We hebben 2 New Zealand born kleinkinderen.
Voor medische redenen zijn we naar Singapore gegaan, waar Marcel, mijn man helaas is overleden. Ik heb nog steeds mijn huis in Auckland/NZ maar blijf voorlopig in Singapore wonen.
Alhoewel ik de kortste tijd van mijn leven in Nederland heb gewoond, hou ik toch nog steeds heel veel van dat gezellige land. Ik lees daarom altijd met veel interesse alles over “The Little Kingdom by the Sea” en heb bijna alle miniature KLM huisjes. Hopelijk kan ik heel gauw Nederland weer bezoeken en ga dan zeker naar Maastricht. Ik kijk er echt naar uit. Irene

Petra van Boetzelaer

Hallo Irene, op zoek naar tips over Amsterdam lees ik jouw bericht hier uit Singapore, mijn geboortestad! Over een paar weken ga ik er weer naartoe voor een school reünie, we verblijven op de Hollandse Club. Ik kijk er erg naar uit weer in de tropen te zijn, de geuren en kleuren te herkennen.
Hartelijke groet, Petra

DareSheGoes

Hallo Irene, wat fijn om te lezen dat je de blog leuk vond. Toevallig is mijn volgende vlucht naar Singapore! Wie weet tot aan boord en geniet van het mooie Nederland. Hartelijke groet, Valerie

Beverley

We visited Maastricht earlier this year for our friends wedding. We fell in love with the place and the people. Just reading you your travel tips makes me want to return to this wonderful city. Thank you for the memories Maastricht xxx

DareSheGoes

You’re welcome Beverley! Glad you liked the blog about Maastricht. :)

Belfastchild

Nice city, but the real beauty of Limburg is outside Maastricht, when you follow the Geuldal towards Valkenburg and Schin op Geul. Absolutely stunning area for walking or cycling.

DareSheGoes

I love Maastricht and it’s surroundings. Thanks for your comment.

Marco

I have been 2 times in Maastricht because my fiancé is from there and I love that city. I hope to be there soon again.

DareSheGoes

Meidske vaan Mestreech how nice! Enjoy Maastricht with your love :)

Yvonne Houwers Feij

I love your pictures , thank you for showing off Maastricht.
I live in Canada now, but was born and raised in Maastricht, I always miss
My city and try and visit as often as I can..
greetings from Vancouver island.
Yvonne Houwers -Feij

DareSheGoes

Hi Yvonne, Je kunt het meisje wel uit Maastricht halen, maar Maastricht niet uit het meisje. Zelf woon ik ook ivm werk in Amsterdam maar moet na een aantal weken even terug om lekker thoes te zien :) lieve groet uit Amsterdam Valerie

Sharon jefferies

My favourite European City

DareSheGoes

:) cool!

Egypt

You’ve got to be kidding me-it’s so trlntparensay clear now!

Danny

Nice article. One remark though; Nijmegen is the oldest city in The Netherlands, not Maastricht. I think the bus service is available to Nijmegen as well right?

DareSheGoes

Hi Danny,

Thanks for your comment: there are a few cities who may call themselves the oldest city and Maastricht is one of them so there’s no specific oldest one (wikipedia). kind regards Valerie

Stephen Nutt

I loved Maastricht was there 16th July for Andre Rieu Concert was fantastic..

DareSheGoes

Hi Stephen, the picture in the bus was made on the 16th July ;-), I went to Andre Rieu with my mom on the 15th! Was great evening, thanks for loving Maastricht!

Emma

Isn't it true that only the House can authorize spending tax money? The President can request it but do9e3&#0ns;t the House have to approve all spending. I believe the President can't spend any money until authorzed by the House.

Jack Meyer

Hello Valerie,
Nice story, will visit in about 3-4 years I hope, one question everything says start at Maastricht, what if you want or have to land at Schiphol and want to go to Maastricht, does this bus do it as well. Love to try this one time.

DareSheGoes

Hi Jack, thank you, when you book your ticket Maastricht is your final destination or departure point then the busservice is included. Otherwise you have tot take the train ;-)

jose roberto de oliveira

Linda cidade em um lindo país. Conheci Maastricht apenas pelo filme do Concerto de Andre Rieu e o bandeonista argentino, na música Adios Nonino. Sou brasileiro e adoro a Holanda. Preciso conhecer mais .

DareSheGoes

Gracias Jose! Mi amo Adios Ninino!

King

mannificegt points altogether, you simply won a emblem new reader. What might you suggest in regards to your submit that you made a few days ago? Any sure?

Ronny Peggie en Rick

Merci voor de tip ivm de KLMbus van Schiphol naar Maastricht. We zullen er op onze volgende reis zeker gebruik van maken. Grtjs oet Virginia Beach

Joey Witte

Nice tip ivm de klmbus! Wist ik ook niet..

Ik zie vooral klassieke tips over Maastricht, voor de hedendaagse reiziger die van gezond, snel en vers leeft ben ik zo vrij om ook een tip te geven: Mickey Brown’s. Ze hebben twee vestigingen en de broodjes zijn heerlijk en (fairtrade) koffie starbucks-achtig is super!

LOLITA M. BALBOA

Beautiful Maastricht. Looking forward visiting this beautiful place. I am a KLM fanatic. Every time I spend summer vacation in my sister’s place in Brussels – I always take KLM flight and I never tired visiting amsterdam especially the tulips garden in Lisse Holland.

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