South Limburg: Maastricht, Valkenburg and the three-country point

Route description

Maastricht sits on the Meuse close to the Belgian border, a city of squares, churches and cafés quite different from the rest of the Netherlands. Park at one of the park-and-ride sites or a garage by the river, and walk from the Vrijthof to the Onze Lieve Vrouweplein. On the Sint-Pietersberg south of town, Fort Sint Pieter guards the entrance to kilometres of old marl-quarry tunnels, visited on guided tours.

Drive east about 15 km through the Geul valley to Valkenburg, a small resort town under the ruins of its castle. The ticket includes passages cut in the marl below. In the caves around the town, Christmas markets are held from mid-November. The hills here, gentle by other standards, are the steepest in the Netherlands and popular with cyclists.

Continue by the N278 through Gulpen and the rolling countryside of half-timbered farms and orchards to Vaals. Just south of the town, the Vaalserberg rises to 322 m, the highest point of the European Netherlands. There is a viewing tower, a maze and the stone that marks the point where the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany meet.

Aachen is 5 km beyond the border. Charlemagne made it his capital, and his octagonal chapel forms the core of the cathedral, a UNESCO site since 1978. The city is also a spa, with hot springs. It is a low-emission zone, so you need a green sticker. The whole trip is short enough for a weekend and works in any season.