Maastricht City Guide

For the longest time, I imagined that the Netherlands was the equivalent to New Mexico - you know it’s there but it’s easy to miss. Now that I’ve had the chance to sample Dutch living, I don’t know how I could have ever overlooked this country. I am now a devout NL (Netherlands lover)!

To get into the country via plane from the U.S., I could either fly to Amsterdam or Brussels. I chose to fly to Brussels because the flights were astronomically cheaper than Amsterdam’s and the train ride from Brussels took less time to get to Maastricht, which is where I would be spending most of my time.

Access to the country is greatly aided by the extensive transportation system. Basically, you can take a train or a bike anywhere. That actually seems to be the case with most European countries. America has a long way to go to get to that level of infrastructure!

Once in the country, I was pretty intimidated by the thought that locals wouldn’t like me because I was American or, God forbid, they wouldn’t speak a lick of English and I would feel stranded in a sea of Dutchmen. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that most people spoke English and, not only that, they spoke it very well.

At some points, I had to actually do a double take to see if someone was American/Canadian by how well they’d mastered the language and disguised their Dutch accents. And what’s even better is that many were very excited to speak English with someone that spoke it natively.

What perhaps surprised me the most was how often a Dutch national would use a western colloquialism. I would hear phrases like, “Let’s kick it” and “What’s up?” I know those phrases aren’t exactly earth shattering, but I wasn’t expecting there to be so many predominately American expressions used abroad.

Something else I noticed was that the Dutch call their co-workers “colleagues,” coca-cola “cola,” and signature “autograph.” Once I had the language and social interaction expectations down, I moved onto the rules of walking/biking. You might be thinking, “What rules?,” but I cannot stress just how popular biking is in the Netherlands. It’s almost religious… seriously.

What I found while traversing through Maastricht was that the walking paths would be a different color or perhaps even a different elevation than the bike paths. Even so, I would sometimes find myself walking in the bike lane while getting a few amused “She must be a foreigner” glances from the locals. It wasn’t too hard to assimilate to the traffic rules as the Dutch drive on the right side of the road, making it very easy for an American to fit right in. You don’t wanna know how many times I almost got hit by a car in London because I kept looking to my right before crossing the road. Not my best moments!

Something else that probably made me look like a little bit of a tourist was that, whenever I walked into a building's vestibule and there were two sets of doors - an external set and an internal set - I’d instinctively walk to the internal set and expect it open immediately. Well that doesn’t happen in the Netherlands. At least not in the vestibules I’ve been in so far. What does happen is you walk through the first set of doors and then you have to wait for those doors to shut before the second set will open for you.

My assumption is that this is done so that heat can be preserved in the building instead of letting all of the cold air in during winter when people are coming and going. It actually made me wonder why America’s internal vestibule doors do open immediately when you walk towards them. What’s the point of having the second set of doors if they’re just going to open every time someone walks in without waiting for the first set to close? Quite a money and energy waster if you ask me!

However, the downside to the vestibule doors not opening immediately is the issue of egress in case of an emergency. I hope you’ve got the time to wait for the door to open when the building is on fire!

Which brings me to my next observation. Doors open towards you in the Netherlands. I don’t know if you knew this but American doors are actually legally required to open outwards for safety purposes. There was an incident where a fire broke out in a building and no one could escape because people crowded the doors to get out but, because the doors opened inwards, there was no way to escape.

Since then, doors in America have been opening outwards because that is the direction of escape in an emergency. So I’m not sure if there just hasn’t been a fire in the Netherlands akin to the one that made this U.S. door policy, but it definitely feels weird to open a door inwards when I’m so used to pushing them out.

However, what the Dutch lack in door safety, they make up for in bathroom safety! I visited a local library in Maastricht and went to the restroom where I was surprised to find that the lighting in the stall was incredibly dim. Like, almost pitch black. After fumbling around for a light switch to turn the lights on, I uncomfortably asked someone else in the bathroom how to make the lights brighter. I was informed that the lights are so dim because it prevents drug users from entering the stalls with the intent of getting high. Also, if you didn't know, most bathroom stalls in Europe have walls that go floor-to-ceiling so there is absolute privacy, which is a drug addicts dream. Understandably, it’s much more difficult to lay a line of cocaine or shoot up meth when you can’t see what you’re doing, but it also made it exceptionally hard to go to the bathroom.

Speaking of drugs, if you're plan is to go to Maastricht to smoke marijuana, you'll be very disappointed. The Dutch are notoriously lax with their drug laws but every city is allowed to make their own rules on the matter and Maastricht is a little stricter than most. Only legal residents of the city can purchase weed and there's no getting past this because every smoke shop IDs their customers before letting them enter. Sorry to disappoint!

Plug type: Two-pronged round pin plug, type "C"

Currency: Euro (€)

Language: Dutch natively, English comfortably

They drive on the... right side of the road

Primary means of transportation: Bike, bus, train, car

Key phrases: 

Yes → Ja (“Yah”)

No → Nee (“Nay”)

Hello → Hallo (“Ha-low”)

Hi → Hoi (“Oy”)

Goodbye → Dag (“Dakh”)

Bye → Doei (“Dooey”)

Thank you → Dank je wel (“Donk-yuh-vel”)

Thanks → Bedankt (“Buh-dahnkt”)

Please → Alsjeblieft ("Als-yuh-bleeft")

Excuse me → Pardon (“Par-dohn”)

Sorry → Sorry (“Soh-r̃ee,” roll the “r”)

Telephone code: +31

Emergency services number: 112

Credit card acceptance: Cash is the primary and your best bet. Maestro is a close second, as long as the card has a magstrip and chip.

Tokyoto

A restaurant serving sushi and classic Asian dishes. The twist to Tokyoto is that it's all you can eat for €25 so long as you finish all of your food. If you don't, they charge you extra for the items you haven't eaten.

Dress: casual

Kesselskade 62, 6211 EN Maastricht, Netherlands

Alley Cat

A combination between cafe and bike repair shop. Very cool ambiance, incredibly friendly staff, and great coffee.

Dress: casual

Hoenderstraat 15-17, 6211 EL Maastricht, Netherlands

Burgerlijk

Excellent restaurant serving some of the best burgers and fries I've ever had. They also make their own gin.

Dress: casual

Rechtstraat 37, 6221 EG Maastricht, Netherlands

FAB

A bistro dedicated to recreating American fare. Incredible sweet potato fries.

Dress: casual

Markt 6, 6211 CH Maastricht, Netherlands

Livin' Room

A cafe serving delicious sandwiches and drinks. A good place to sit and do work or bring friends for a get-together.

Dress: casual

Heggenstraat 7, 6211 GW Maastricht, Netherlands

SAP Bagel & Juice Bar

Delicious bagel and juice cafe. A great place to drop in and grab some food before hopping on the train.

Dress: casual

Stationsstraat 8, 6221 BP Maastricht, Netherlands

Teazone

An eclectic shop/cafe serving tea from a very lengthy menu. Fabulous for hunkering down with a good book and reading. Be sure to pet the owner's Australian shepherd dog.

Dress: casual

Koestraat 9, 6211 HR Maastricht, Netherlands

Dadawan

Large Asian fusion restaurant with an interesting interior and lots of seating. Delicious food that you can eat in or take out.

Dress: casual

Spoorweglaan 1, 6221 BS Maastricht, Netherlands

Coffeelovers

A chain cafe that serves great coffee and food. Good place to sit and do work or chat with friends while sharing a meal.

Dress: casual

Ruiterij 2, 6221 EW Maastricht, Netherlands

Pinky

Perfect place to pick up a waffle. There are a few located in Maastricht.

Dress: casual

Maastrichter Brugstraat 34, 6211 ET Maastricht, Netherlands

KAFETHÉA

Vegan cafe that serves excellent coffee and baked goods.

Dress: casual

Mariastraat 6, 6211 EP Maastricht, Netherlands

Cucina50

Serves excellent Italian dishes with a very hospitable waitstaff. Their pizza is superb.

Dress: casual

Stationsstraat 50, 6221 BR Maastricht, Netherlands

Bistrot-Bar 't Wycker Cabinet

Fabulous bistro with a heftier price tag but delicious dishes. Great for cozy, candlelit dinners.

Dress: business casual

Wycker Brugstraat 29b, 6221 EB Maastricht, Netherlands

BrugGes, Belgium

Known as the "Venice of the North." Very romantic city that looks as if it came straight out of a fairytale.

Time from Maastricht by train: 3 hours

Brussels, Belgium

Showcases a town center that offers plenty of shopping and eating opportunities. You can't go without stopping by the Leonidas chocolate shop.

Time from Maastricht by train: 2 hours 45 minutes

Ghent, Belgium

Picturesque town with canals and Gothic architecture.

Time from Maastricht by train: 3 hours

Always have spare cash on you

Although credit cards are pretty widely accepted, there are still a few instances where certain cards, if any at all, are not taken. For instance, I went grocery shopping at Albert Heijn (a common Dutch grocer) and when I was checking out, the cashier wouldn’t take my Visa because they only accepted MasterCard (known as “Maestro” in Europe). Luckily, I had cash on me. Otherwise, I would’ve been in quite a tight spot. I suggest travelling with at least 50-75 euros at all times in case you get stuck with a bill that can’t be paid by card.

Push the “Open Door” button on a train before it stops

When I was going from central Brussels to Maastricht by train, I was getting close to my stop and went to the doors just as the train came to a halt. When I pressed the button to open the doors, nothing happened. I went to another door and did the same thing but the doors wouldn’t open. And then we were moving again! So, as soon as you hear the conductor announce the next stop, hop up quickly and run to the door to press the button. And maybe just press it a few times after that until you get to the station, just to be safe. 😉

I wasn't really used to pushing a button in order to get the doors open because, in America, they tend to just open automatically. It took me a few rides to realize that people were actively pressing something in order to trigger the unlocking mechanism that controlled the doors. It probably has something to do with safety and energy efficiency, but it certainly had me clueless when I first arrived in Europe and was stuck missing my stops because it hadn't occurred to me to press the button!

Check in and out when using inner city transportation

When using inner city transportation systems in the Netherlands, you have to tap your ticket/travel card on a card reader so that the distance you’ve traveled can be measured and you can be billed accurately. The card readers are usually stationed at the entrance to train, tram, or bus stations so that you can tap your ticket to before taking your ride. When you are ready to hop off at your destination, tap your ticket to the card reader at your stop. If you forget to check in and out, you will be charged for the greatest distance that can be traveled on each respective system. To correct this, you have to call the ticket company with details and proof of your route so that they can erase the charge.

London had the right idea to install ticket gates that you have to check in and out of before the gate will open to let you pass. In Maastricht, you are stuck with having to remember to check in and out every time you travel as there are no gates preventing you from passing. I'm ashamed to admit that I have, on occasion, purposefully neglected to check in/out just to save a few bucks. I know, I know - take your side-eye elsewhere.

The North Caves

There is an intricate network of underground caves that are the result of limestone excavation over man years. You can take a guided tour throughout the system. To learn more about the North Caves, click here.

Luikerweg 71, 6212 NH Maastricht, Netherlands

Canal cruise

You can take a canal tour through Maastricht's beautiful Meuse River and take the city in from a different perspective. To learn more about the canal cruise, click here.

Maaspromenade 58, 6211 HS Maastricht, Netherlands

Panoramic Viewpoint

For a small fee, you can scale the Basilica of Saint Servatius tower and take in all of Maastricht from the panoramic view at the top.

Keizer Karelplein 3, 6211 TC Maastricht, Netherlands

Carnaval

If you have the opportunity to go to Maastricht in February, you should take the opportunity to attend the city's Carnaval, which is essentially Mardi Gras (except a thousand times more festive... and family friendly). Maastricht residents take the festivities very seriously, starting the preparations for their costumes (yes, there are costumes) a year in advance. It'll be cold, but so fun. To learn more about Carnaval, click here.