24 Hours in Maastricht, Netherlands
The perfect bank holiday getaway!
Journey Time: Approx 2.5 hours driveThis trendy city that combines historic buildings with contemporary architecture is such a great escape for us in Luxembourg. Especially during public holidays because the Netherlands are one of the few surrounding countries which don't have the same public holidays as the Grand Duchy. We thought it was a great overnight trip for the May 1st holiday and would really recommend it if you are looking for a quick getaway, even for the weekend.
Where to stay? The Dutch.
In general, my favourite area for Maastricht is the Wyck area because there are more independent stores here with character and colour. The old city centre with the 3 main squares are a great attraction too but they feel more touristy so for something with character choose this area. The Dutch is a self-proclaimed 'lifestyle hotel'. It really is such a trendy and affordable place to stay.
It is perfectly situated in Wyck so that you can explore the cool areas where you'll find young locals and tourists enjoying the independent shops and bars. The hotel focuses on bringing people together and there are some great communal areas, from their lobby bar that is small in size but big in character to their hangout area for guests which offers free coffee and fruit 24 hours a day. If the weather is nice, don't forget to check out their artsy courtyard which features a gorilla sculpture hanging from the wall and a crocodile on the floor.[gallery ids="3385,3383,3382,3381,3395,3394"] The rooms themselves are minimal, except for the gorgeous mini Smeg fridges! The only thing you may want to pay attention to is that they don't serve a traditional breakfast but rather a basic "breakfast bag" with a piece of fruit, yoghurt and granola. For other hotels in the area, look at Townhouse Hotel and Beaumont Hotel.
Where to eat?
Breakfast
Instead of having a hotel breakfast, why not enjoy a breakfast in one of the many cozy breakfast places? We took a liking to Van Wijck but you will discover plenty more on the main streets of Wyck.
Lunch
There are plenty of cuisines in Maastricht and you can get your fix of pretty much anything you want. There's plenty to explore but here are some that I think are particularly worth visiting...do be careful not to get caught out though, many restaurants are closed on Mondays!
Some local friends recommended Marres Kitchen which serves delicious middle eastern food in a very relaxed and unpretentious setting. It has a lovely courtyard and garden as well so it's a great option for a warm summer's evening. Some other lunch places you might like: Tasty Thai and Cinq.
Dinner
We didn't like the place we chose for our dinner so I won't bore you with the details! Instead, I'll tell you about a place that we went to for lunch that we think would have been a fantastic chic and sophisticated restaurant for dinner. It's called Brandson , and it is known for it's bar, dining room feel. The food was delicious! Some other recommendations we received from friends include Restaurant 'O' for seafood and traditional Brasserie style Harry's, we hear their Sunday brunch is great too!
Drinks
Here are some great bar recommendations from local friends that I thought I would share with you! There is a top secret bar called Mr Smith, a nice bistro wine bar with a terrace area is the 't Wycker Cabinet.
Must-see
[gallery columns="4" ids="3403,3404,3405,3407"]Maastricht is a beautiful city to just wander and explore, I didn't want to bombard with you recommendations so I will just leave you with one 'must-see'. There is a beautiful bookshop which is located inside an old cathedral. The building is historical and stunning and you almost want to whisper when you enter because of how special the architecture is but then you realise that everyone is chatting away and checking out their huge book collection. They have a lovely cafe called Coffeelovers Diminicanen, so it's a great place to stop for an coffee too.I'll leave you with a couple more pictures of our trip...until next time!
