Maastricht is closer to Brussels, Aachen and Liège than it is to Amsterdam, and it behaves accordingly. People sit outside for longer, lunch takes as long as it takes, and the squares are not places you cross on the way somewhere, they are the destination. Here is what each of them is for.
The Vrijthof
The big one. A large open square with two churches side by side on one side, the Romanesque Sint-Servaasbasiliek and, next to it, the red tower of the Sint-Janskerk, and a solid wall of café terraces facing them. It is where the city holds its concerts and where carnival begins.
Honest note: the Vrijthof terraces are the most expensive in Maastricht and you are paying for the view of the churches. Some evenings that is exactly what you want. On a normal afternoon there are better places to sit.
The Onze-Lieve-Vrouweplein
Two minutes away and completely different: a small square under plane trees, closed at one end by the huge fortified west front of the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwebasiliek, a church facade that looks like a castle keep, because it more or less was. Inside the entrance is the chapel of the Star of the Sea, banked with candles left by people who still come to light them.
This is the best square in the city to sit in. It is shaded, it is quiet, and the building at the end of it is a thousand years old.
The Markt
The working square. In the middle stands the seventeenth-century town hall by Pieter Post, free-standing, with a double staircase, so the square wraps entirely around it. On market days it fills with stalls and it is the loudest and most local place in Maastricht. It is also where the buses go from, which tells you what kind of square it is.
Plein 1992
A modern square by the river, named for the year the Maastricht Treaty was signed here, the agreement that created the European Union in its current form and set up the euro. It was signed in the Gouvernement building on an island in the Maas, just downstream. The square is unremarkable to look at. The name is the point, and almost every visitor walks over it without noticing.
Sint-Amorsplein and the bookshop
A small triangular square with terraces, and around the corner one of the buildings people travel to Maastricht for: a bookshop inside a thirteenth-century Dominican church, with a black steel structure rising three levels into the nave and a café in the former choir. Go in.
Beyond the squares
The Sint-Servaasbrug, parts of which date to the thirteenth century, crosses to the Wyck side, which is quieter and full of small shops. The Helpoort is the oldest surviving city gate in the Netherlands. And under the Sint-Pietersberg south of town is a network of marl tunnels, cut over centuries, which can only be entered on a guided tour, do not attempt it alone; people have become lost in them.
Seeing them on foot
The squares are five minutes apart and the connections between them, the gates, the wall fragments, the alleyways, are the interesting part. A city game gives you a route of puzzles that ties them together and tells you at each stop what you are looking at, which suits a group better than a guided tour and gives you an excuse to sit down at the end.
Not sure how it works? Read how to play first.
Frequently asked questions
Which square in Maastricht is best for a drink?
The Onze-Lieve-Vrouweplein for atmosphere and shade, the Vrijthof for the view and the evening, the Markt for prices and local life.
Why is Maastricht associated with the European Union?
The Maastricht Treaty was signed here in 1992. It created the European Union in its present form and laid the groundwork for the euro.
Is Maastricht the oldest city in the Netherlands?
It makes the claim, and so does Nijmegen. Both have continuous Roman roots; the argument has been running for a long time and is not going to be settled here.
How long do I need in Maastricht?
A day for the squares, the churches and the bookshop. Two days if you want the caves, the fortifications and the Bonnefanten museum.
Can you visit the caves under Maastricht?
Only with a guide. The tunnel network is large and disorienting, and going in without one is genuinely dangerous.
Does Maastricht work for a group outing?
Very well. It is compact, the squares absorb large groups, and there is more good food per street than almost anywhere in the country. See the options for companies and groups.
Pick a square and stay a while
Walk between them in the morning and choose one to settle in for the afternoon. Want help planning something for a group? Get in touch. Curious about the rival claim to being the oldest city? Our guide to things to do in Nijmegen puts the other side.
