5 June 2023
Maastricht is in full bloom. People drink a glass of wine on one of many terraces, the new collections just arrived in the shops and small boats pass by on the river Maas. The southernmost city of the Netherlands knows like no other how to bring out the holiday feeling in its visitors. That, combined with some pretty cool hotspots, makes this the ultimate Fijnproevers destination.
When you arrive in Maastricht by train, you immediately enter the Wyck district. The Wycker Brugstraat is the main artery towards the Sint Servaasburg, which takes you across the Maas into the center. However, you will already find a number of good restaurants on the Wycker Brugstraat. Such as the luxurious Harry’s where they have a delicious roasted cauliflower dish on the menu, in addition to oysters, lobster and a very extensive wine list. At Onglet the focus is on excellent meat dishes. And if that’s a little too chic, Café Zondag is always a good place to drink a coffee in the sun.
One of the side streets off the Wycker Brugstraat is the Rechtstraat where you will find independent boutiques such as WEN (where they sell brands like Designer Remix Collection and Coster Copenhagen), By Duut (Humanoid, Rue Blanche and Hope) and La Neuvieme (Acne Studios and Xirena). Atelier Zoë is an organic skincare and wellbeing boutique where the owner gives her customers a facial with Led Light, which rejuvenates your skin. The products of brands such as Mukti, Innersense and Vemel are all independent, fair and sustainable. At Bikke around the corner you can have a nice Scandinavian lunch afterwards.
If you like to have lunch on the Maas, visit Noon. On the terrace of this restaurant you look out over the city and you can try some sharing dishes, although there are also stuffed salads and sandwiches on the menu. A little further into the Wyck district, Tuur has opened its doors. An intimate restaurant where you can walk in without a reservation and where you can try seasonal dishes made by the friendly owner and chef Arthur Kissels who was inspired by his grandmother Josephine’s authentic recipes.
As part of Visit Maastricht’s Fijnproevers campaign, where they share their best tips on the site and offer discounts on hotels and parking if you visit the city during the week, they recommended the Vaeshartelt hotel, which is an eight-minute drive from Maastricht. Many high-profile figures lived in this castle, including Petrus Regout, who made his fortune with crockery, but it was also a military base. Now it is a hotel and conference center on a huge estate. Modernly furnished, with many different areas. The rooms are very basic. A nice way to combine the city with nature, because there are also many beautiful walking and cycling routes around Maastricht.
On the other side of the Maas you’ll find the center of the city. One of the restaurants that people come to from far and wide is Safar op ‘t Vrijthof. You really need to know where to find this restaurant, because it does not have a large sign and you enter through hotel Maison Haas Hustinx. Once inside you enter a sleek interior in a greenhouse with a small courtyard garden where you’ll enjoy the most delicious Lebanese dishes such as fattoush, moutabbal, crisp cauliflower and braised lamb. Of course together with a tasty (natural) wine.
We often fill our city trips with food, drinks, shopping and a museum visit, but have you ever considered following a workshop? De Glazerij is the company of Guido Dilweg who makes beautiful works of art from stained glass (he has more than 40k followers on Instagram for a reason!) and also likes to share his knowledge through workshops. In his studio in the center of Maastricht, he teaches you how to cut glass, bend lead and make a beautiful composition. And in the meantime you can enjoy a tasty Limburg pie (or in Dutch vlaai). After four hours you go home with your own stained glass work of art. Nice!
Apart from the city center, you’ll also love the previously reviewed Sphinx Quarter, where you’ll also find some pretty amazing places to visit.
For more information, check out: www.fijnproeversmaastricht.nl
This is a paid collaboration with Visit Maastricht.
