10 x culture and more in Maastricht
In our own country and yet you always have the feeling that you are on holiday in a Burgundian foreign country; That's what we think of Maastricht. Whether it is sharing tapas cafe Madrid, toast with cocktails NOOO (or the Baron Cocktail Club, also a very nice one) or slurping oysters the French way 't Wycker Cabinet: Maastricht is almost always the right place for incredibly good food and drinks. But sitting at the bar in the morning might be a bit of an exaggeration (and we really can't handle it anymore). But hey: there is plenty to do in terms of culture, art and other sights. Museums, theatre, cabaret, dance, film: it's all there. Especially in winter, Maastricht is beautifully magical with all its lights, stalls and coziness.
Keep this list at hand as the ultimate mini guide for a weekend/midweek in Maastricht. Cultural outings with the right lunch tents, coffee stops, restaurants and nice bars to make it a weekend of everything.
This year, Maastricht is once again buzzing with art and culture. TEFAF has listed it all for you. By March 11 to 19 finds the 36e edition of TEFAF, the internationally known and respected art fair, takes place at the MECC. What can you find here? A selection of the best visual arts, antiques and design. During this fair it is one big party in Maastricht when it comes to creative and cultural activities, TEFAF has listed all of these for you and can be found on the website.
In addition to all the fun activities, they have also mapped out various walks through the city for you. The Art & Icons Walk with TEFAF 10 kilometer walk along all the known and undiscovered pearls of the city and a walk along several galleries (even if TEFAF is not). The international atmosphere and allure of the fair is with this one walk tangible throughout the city and you will pass plenty of places to catch your breath. Also pack this list of restaurants in Maastricht included to ensure a good ending point.
Check the entire program on the website from TEFAF.
The magic on the Vrijthof is never lacking, but in December the people of Maastricht always go one step further. Then the Vrijthof is completely enveloped in a magical winter atmosphere. There is a Ferris wheel, a nostalgic carousel and an authentic Austrian Almhütte. You will also find many regional products (more than 250!) from the region.
And then we sleep next door Maison Haas Hustinx & Spa. A boutique hotel with seventeen accommodations in two monumental buildings from 1920 on the Vrijthof. There is a luxurious spa located in the modern extension of the hotel and a private parking lot in the center, just a stone's throw from the Vrijthof. Maison Haas Hustinx & Spa is a hotel that you will never forget. And the latest addition; the Levantine restaurant SAFAR, where the dishes are perfect to share with the table (also a very good tip: the Sunday brunch at SAFAR!) completes the picture.
The historic house of Marres is the place to settle down before and after a dose of culture, especially when the sun is shining, because then you are in the beautiful courtyard. It is now located in the former model room of the Construction Academy Marres Kitchen, right next to the garden. With your head in the sun, choosing something from the Mediterranean cuisine: that sounds like a holiday.
A visit to Marres Kitchen can be perfectly combined with a visit to the Limburg Biennale: a group exhibition that brings together artists of all kinds, professionals, amateurs and hobbyists in a celebration of the arts (much like the Royal Academy's annual Summer Exhibition in London).
Theatre, cabaret, dance: Maastricht has something for everyone and the locations of the theaters are an outing in themselves. There it is Theater at the Vrijthof (yes, right on the Vrijthof) where you can go for a James Bond piece of music, musicals or other concerts. You will also find a cocktail bar on the same Vrijthof Baron Cocktail Club: perfect to end the evening with delicious cocktails. Hit it AINSI Theater not left, located in the former packaging department and close to the Enci-Groeve (a very cool example of how the city has been given back to nature). Or it Conservatorium and the Theater Academy in the cozy Jekerkwartier. Very easy to combine with a night at the beautiful beach Boutique Hotel St. Jacob. It is just around the corner and has a gem of a hidden city garden.
For an overview of all performances in Maastricht, it is best to look here.
The movie theater Lumiere Cinema can be found just outside the historical centre of Maastricht in the Sphinxkwartier, right at the marina 't Bassin. No mega-big blockbusters, but the most beautiful and art-house films. Whichever film you catch: make sure you have enough time to sit down at the in-house restaurant/café. With a huge terrace on the water and only sun, this is a good start (or end) of your film. And also keep an eye on the various activities.
A day in Maastricht is already fun, but you can do and see even more if you take several days. You will find it less than 100 meters from the station Hotel Alex Maastricht. And you definitely want to stay with Alex. A large Portuguese terrace (with sun!), rooms for those who are just out and about and rooms for those who just want to relax and start the day in a bath. Or with a coffee on the balcony, overlooking the Maastricht promenade. The people at Hotel Alex know exactly how to pamper you and isn't that exactly what a (mid) week away is all about? The hotspots and must sees? Alex knows that too. Just ask and then go on an adventure in the Sjoenste Stad.
A few streets away you will find a restaurant NOOO, a pearl on the Maas. Starting with the location, because: hello the nicest district of Wyck and beautiful views! What to expect? Unusual dishes that are fresh, tasty and not too expensive. Oh yes, you are also in the right place for a cocktail.
We can't fit all the tips about Maastricht in one article, so be sure to take a look here all kinds of fun and beautiful things to do in and around Maastricht.
Just around the corner from Lumière Cinema and in the old Timmerfabriek you will find the Music foundry, the music venue of Maastricht. You will find concerts from all music corners here, from indie and rock to electronic and the more heavy genre. There are jazz sessions, music festivals, and on some evenings you can get your feet off the floor and you are in the industrial and creative Sphinxkwartier.
Um, pie? Culture? Yes, that is certainly how we should regard this sweet delicacy from the South. A day without pie is a day not lived is probably the most sold tile in Maastricht (this is completely made up myself, but it could just be). Anyway: baking pies! Bake your own Limburg pie Bakery de Bisschopsmolen! In the past, mothers always baked pies on Fridays, so that you always had something tasty to serve your guests during the weekend. Now that happens a lot less, even though it really isn't that difficult. In the pie baking workshop in the Bisschopsmolen you will learn all the tips & tricks on how to put such a pie on the table yourself.
Cafe Madrid is around the corner and is a very good place to end all that sweet food with savory tapas. Reservations are one thing must, especially if you want to be assured of a (nice) table. Spanish background music, snacks, wine: you can't do anything about it anymore.
Which of course should not be missing from this list is it Bonnefanten Museum. The ideal place to discover surprising permanent collections and changing exhibitions of non-mainstream art and artists. The permanent collection contains many medieval paintings and sculptures (among others), while the exhibitions are often much more modern and offer a place for things yet to be discovered. artists such as the exhibition of the German top photographer Werner Mantz (until February 26).
A half-hour walk from the Bonnefanten Museum you will find the Sphinx passage: the history of the Sphinx and the Maastricht ceramics industry is explained in 26 chapters using tile tableaus. How? At its most creative, of course: with family portraits, factory buildings, old advertisements and toilet bowls (how could it be otherwise). This Sphinx passage won't cost you anything at all.
If you go via Wyck (wherever you Hotel Alex If you walk along the Maas, you can walk straight into the new Céramique district. This district is a completely different side of Maastricht: no narrow, historic alleys, but dynamic and special architecture. Past and present come together. Plenty to walk and see, but also plenty of coffee places and cool spots for lunch or dinner. Join us for the Scandinavian-inspired Bikke Maastricht for a smørrebrød, kannelbullar or another Scando snack. A tour of the beautiful building of Bosch Brewery is also definitely recommended. It is the last complete city brewery in Maastricht and still completely intact with malt house, brewery and brewery house and of course you get plenty to taste.
