Are you looking for the best things to do in Maastricht in the Netherlands? You are on the right page. I have been to Maastricht with my friends for a lovely vacation. The medieval city of Maastricht should be at the top of your list. I will share with you some of the best activities and places to visit around town.
There are plenty of things to do in Maastricht, aside from its huge shopping district. When we visited Maastricht during the summer, I was really looking forward to seeing the town and experiencing more of the Dutch countryside scenes and culture.
Most tourists just aim to visit the congested city of Amsterdam, so visiting Maastricht is something worth doing away from the busy life of the big cities.
Read More: IAmsterdam Review: Is The City Tourist Card Worth It?
Best things to do in Maastricht, Netherlands
1. Saint Servatius Bridge
📍Address: Sint Servaasbrug, Maastricht, Netherlands
The Saint Servatius Bridge is the most popular tourist attraction in Maastricht. Just a few blocks away from the Maastricht train station. The view from the bridge is beautiful and it is a nice welcoming view of the centre of Maastricht.
The St. Servatius Bridge is a stone-arched bridge crossing the River Meuse. It is considered and believed to be the “Oldest Bridge in the Netherlands”. Constructed in the 13th Century, the Roman wooden footpath bridge collapsed and cause many casualties. The bridge was named after Saint Servatius the first bishop of Maastricht.
An image of the Saint Servatius bridge can also be found in any 10 Euro bill, to signify the Maastricht treaty, wherein the agreement between the European nations to use the Euro currency.
2. Basilica of Saint Servatius
📍Address: Keizer Karelplein 3, 6211 TC Maastricht, Netherlands
🎟️Find Tickets – Book in Advance: Maastricht Private Walking Tour With A Professional Guide
🌟 Ratings: 5 / 5
The Basilica of Saint Servatius is another tribute to Saint Servatius in Maastricht. It is impossible to miss this beautiful basilica in the heart of Maastricht. It is one of the best things to do in Maastricht, especially for the pilgrims. Saint Servatius is an Armenian missionary that serves and died in Maastricht in the 4th century. The basilica has been one of the pilgrimage destinations in South Netherlands.
The remains of Saint Servatius can still be found in the Basilica’s treasury. The architectural design of the basilica is a mixture of Gothic, Romanesque, and Baroque styles. The spires of the basilica are one of the distinctive features of the Maastricht skyline.
Just in front of the basilica is a big public square of Maastricht called Vrijthof Square. A great place to enjoy the scenic view of the Basilica and the Maastricht town. Vrijthof Square has loads of cafes and restaurants to choose from.
3. Basilica of Our Lady
📍Address: Onze Lieve Vrouweplein 7, 6211 HD Maastricht, Netherlands
🎟️Find Tickets – Book in Advance: Self-Guided Tour of Maastricht with Interactive City Game
🌟 Ratings: 4.5 / 5
The Basilica of Our Lady is another basilica in the Maastricht. Build dated back the 11th century, the Romanesque style of the Basilica make it look more a fortress with its huge plain walls and small windows. The main hall of the basilica is the home of religious treasures and arts since medieval times.
The main highlight of the Basilica is the miraculous statue of Our Lady, Star of the Seas. This invites a lot of pilgrims from all over the world to visit this beautiful basilica in Maastricht.
Outside the Basilica is the Our Lady Square which has been noted as one of the most beautiful squares in the Netherlands. Filled with different restaurants and cafes for a cosy drink in the plaza while watching the crowds of Maastricht.
4. Maastricht Caves
📍Address: Luikerweg 80a, 6212 NH Maastricht, Netherlands
🎟️Find Tickets – Book in Advance: Maastricht Underground tour
🌟 Ratings: 5 / 5
The Caves of Maastricht is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Maastricht. It was first excavated and mined back over a thousand years ago for the limestone that was used for construction.
During World War II, the Maastricht caves serve as the refuge for the citizens of Maastricht and other valuable treasures and arts of the Netherlands, including some masterpieces of Rembrandt. You can visit the caves and the fortress on a guided tour of Maastricht caves.
5. Maastricht Market
📍Address: Markt, 6211 CM Maastricht, Netherlands
🎟️Find Tickets – Book in Advance: Beer Tasting Petit – Beer Tasting in Maastricht
🌟 Ratings: 4.5 / 5
Right in front of the town hall of Maastricht is the bustling popular Maastricht Market. The market is one of the main things to do in Maastricht every Wednesday and Friday. You can find all sorts of local and fresh produce, different crafts, dutch souvenirs and other bric-a-brac that you can think of.
The stalls can range from 200 to 300 so it is definitely a hectic market day from 9 am to 3 pm. So better get your comfy shoes on and flex that haggling skills.
Another popular market in Maastricht is the Organic and Flea markets in Stationsstrat which is near the train station.
6. Saint Jan’s Church
📍Address: Vrijthof 24, 6211 LD Maastricht, Netherlands
🎟️Find Tickets – Book in Advance: Maastricht Private Walking Tour With A Guide
🌟 Ratings: 5 / 5
The Saint Jan’s Church (Sint-Janskerk) is located next to the Basilica of the Servatius. It is a gothic style church that has been one of the distinctive landmarks in the Maastricht. It was founded in the 13th century that serves the local town as a place of worship and baptismal.
Due to the high volume of pilgrims visiting the next-door basilica, Saint Jan’s church serves mostly the people of Maastricht. It is currently a working Protestant church in Maastricht.
7. Bonnefanten Museum
📍Address: Avenue Ceramique 250, 6221 KX Maastricht, Netherlands
If you love contemporary modern arts, then the Bonnefanten Museum is the place to visit in Maastricht. It is the home of various artwork from different artists around the world in the genre of concept, minimal art and Arte Provera.
It also holds some medieval artwork and paintings from Western Europe craftwork, medieval sculptures and art pieces.
8. Drielandenpunt
📍Address: 6291 BM Vaals, Netherlands
Who says you can’t be in three places at one time? Well, let’s prove them wrong here in Drielandenpunt (Tripoint).
The Drielandenpunt is located in Vaalsberg, the highest point in the Netherlands. It is an international border marker of three countries: the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. It is roughly 30 minutes away via bus from Maastricht and a few kilometres away from Aachen, Germany and Wallonia region in Belgium. This is one of the best things to do in Maastricht with the family and kids.
9. Bookstore Dominicanen (Boekhandel Dominicanen)
📍Address: Dominicanerkerkstraat 1, 6211 CZ Maastricht, Netherlands
🎟️Find Tickets – Book in Advance: Maastricht: Escape Tour – Self-Guided Citygame
🌟 Ratings: 4.3 / 5
If you can notice one thing in Maastricht, this town has a lot of gothic or Romanesque style little churches not to mention they have two basilicas. This is due to their colourful history from Romans, Spanish and French influences.
One of the interesting old churches in Maastricht is the Boekhandle Dominicanen. It is a 13th-century church converted to a bookstore. The high ceiling and colourful stained windows brighten up the interior of the building. No wonder it is hailed as one of the “Most beautiful bookshop of the world”.
The 3-level bookstore also has a cafe where you can sip your coffee while enjoying your book. If you happen to pass by at night, you will notice that the door of this church was also converted into a giant book wooden door.
10. Natural History Museum
📍Address: De Bosquetplein 7, 6211 KJ Maastricht, Netherlands
Do you love dinosaur bones and natural exhibitions? The Natural History Museum in Maastricht is one of the places to visit with family and friends. They have a great anthropological collection of pre-historic dinosaur bones and other fossil items.
The Natural history museum has various activities, exhibitions and events throughout the year.
11. De Bisschopsmolen
📍Address: Stenenbrug 3, 6211 HP Maastricht, Netherlands
🎟️Find Tickets – Book in Advance: Maastricht Sightseeing City Walk
🌟 Ratings: 5 / 5
Visit the oldest working mill in the Netherlands – The Bisschopsmolen (Bishop’s Mill). The mill was built in the 7th century and has been a household name in the town. In the middle ages, it has become the milling station for the Brewer’s Guild to brew their beer.
At present, you can visit Bisschopsmolen’s bakery, which is next door to the mill. Enjoy the freshly baked bread and pies. You must try the fruit flappen, fruit tarts and the famous Rijstevlaai.
These pastries are well known in this Limburg region and known for their gastronomical influence across the Netherlands. The Southern Netherlands food has a mixture of influence from Dutch, German, Flemish and Spanish.
12. Helpoort
📍Address: Sint Bernardusstraat 24b, 6211 HL Maastricht, Netherlands
🎟️Find Tickets – Book in Advance: Maastricht different : Industrial & Fortification Heritage Tour
🌟 Ratings: 5 / 5
The Helpoort is the oldest city gate in the Netherlands. Built in the 13th century to protect the city of Maastricht from invasion. The gates of Helpoort have become the first line of defence of the city and part of the medieval walls that go around the old part of Maastricht.
During the Siege of Maastricht by the Spaniards in the 16th century, the Medieval walls of Maastricht were defeated and fell to the Spanish Netherlands’ rule until the 17th century.
At present, some parts of the medieval wall are still standing around the old part of Maastricht. You can follow it around and some parts of the old wall may be seen up close it is one of the popular things to do in Maastricht for history enthusiasts.
Map of Maastricht, Netherlands:
HOW TO USE THIS MAP TO BOOK YOUR RESERVATIONS:
CLICK the YELLOW MARKER OR THE DROP DOWN MENU next to the title to see the various things to do and point of interest in this guide and CHOOSE your desired preview of the map, whether HOTELS & RENTALS, EXPERIENCES, RESTAURANTS OR OTHERS. Feel free to use the filters, number of guests, and your preferred dates. You can see more information about the different attractions (the GREEN MARKERS) when you click the icons, as well as finding your perfect accommodation that will suit your budget and location. You could also book your guided tours and restaurants using the map.
More posts about the Netherlands
If you are looking for more stunning places to visit in the Netherlands? See our posts on Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neighbourhoods, Keukenhof Garden and the Hague.
The city of Maastricht in the south Netherlands is surely worth visiting. Its medieval charm and history will definitely capture your heart. Have you been to Maastricht?
Share your travel experience in the comment box below.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ryazan Tristram
Travel Writer & Photographer
Ryazan has a Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism and Hotel Management. She also has more than 10 years of work experience gained from working in the hotel and travel sectors in Asia and Europe. Her work has been featured and published on Huffington Post, Reader’s Digest, Discovery Channel, World Travel Guide, MSN, CNBC, GMA, Daily Mail UK, Lonely Planet and many more. She is currently living in the UK as a dual citizen (British – Filipina). Join her in travelling around the UK and beyond with a mission to promote sustainable tourism and share travel guides, travel tips, foodies, history and culture.
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