This guide covers eight places in and around Maastricht: the Vrijthof square and the Basilica of Saint Servatius beside it, the medieval Sint Servaasbrug over the Maas, the Stadspark along the old city walls, the Dominicanen bookshop in a Gothic church, the buildings of Maastricht University, Plein 1992 in the modern Céramique district and, across the Belgian border, Fort Eben-Emael. Together they tell the city's story from a Roman river crossing to the treaty that created the European Union.
Vrijthof
The Vrijthof is Maastricht's largest square, about one and a half hectares, on the west side of the old town. Long before it was a square it was a burial ground: excavations found late Roman and early medieval cemeteries here, and in 2003 archaeologists uncovered thirteen layers of the Roman road Via Belgica on its north side. The name first appears in 1223, when Emperor Frederick II gave the area to the chapter of Saint Servatius. For centuries it was also a place of public executions; in the French period (1794–1814) it was called Place des Armes, and only in the 19th century did it become the town's main square. Today it hosts the winter fair with its ice rink, the street carnival, a funfair around the feast of Saint Servatius in May and André Rieu's open-air concerts in summer.
- The row of buildings on the west side: the red-towered Gothic St John's Church next to the Romanesque Saint Servatius, and the 16th-century Spanish Government House, now the Museum aan het Vrijthof.
- The Hoofdwacht, the military guard house of 1736, and the plaque honouring the US Old Hickory Division, which helped liberate Maastricht in 1944.
Basilica of Saint Servatius
Saint Servatius was a bishop of Tongeren who, according to tradition, died in Maastricht in 384, and his grave in the crypt is the reason this church exists. The present building grew over two centuries: the nave dates from the first half of the 11th century, the church was dedicated in 1039 in the presence of Emperor Henry III, and the choir and the massive westwork followed in the 12th century. Pierre Cuypers restored it at the end of the 19th century, and after a fire in 1955 brought down a spire, a last restoration ran from 1982 to 1991. Every seven years the relics are carried through the city in the Heiligdomsvaart, a pilgrimage shared with Aachen and Kornelimünster.
- The Bergportaal on the south side, begun around 1180, whose sculpture marks the move from late Romanesque to early Gothic.
- The treasury, with the reliquary bust, key and crozier of Saint Servatius, and the 12th-century reliquary chest known as the Noodkist; four of its panels were sold in 1846 and are now in Brussels.
Sint Servaasbrug
The stone bridge over the Maas was built between 1280 and 1298 to replace an older wooden crossing that collapsed in 1275, a little further south. It is often called the oldest bridge in the Netherlands, although much of it was rebuilt after the Second World War. Seven limestone arches carry pedestrians and cyclists from the old town to the Wyck district on the east bank. Look at the eastern end: there the stone gives way to steel, because two arches were replaced in the 1930s by a lifting section so that larger ships could pass.
Stadspark
Maastricht's main park runs along the southern edge of the old town, where the medieval walls still stand. Parts of it were laid out in the 19th century, and it follows a branch of the little river Jeker, with a small animal enclosure and several public sculptures. The most famous is the statue of d'Artagnan, the musketeer who died during the siege of Maastricht in 1673. The park is also the way to the Helpoort, a gate with two towers built around 1230 and the oldest surviving city gate in the Netherlands.
- Walk along the top of the old wall and look down at the water of the Jeker running past the towers.
Boekhandel Dominicanen
The Dominicans began this church around 1265–1270 and consecrated it in 1294. After the French dissolved the order in 1796, it lost its religious use and became, in turn, a city warehouse, a printing shop, an archive depot, a temporary post office, a concert and party venue and, in the 1980s, a bicycle parking. After restoration in 2005–2006 it reopened as a bookshop, with an interior by the Dutch firm Merkx + Girod: a tall black steel bookcase rises in the nave, so you can climb up and look at the vaults from close by. In 2008 The Guardian called it the most beautiful bookshop in the world.
- The vault paintings by Jan Vasoens from 1618–1619, with the Last Judgement and musician angels, and a wall painting of Thomas Aquinas from 1337, one of the oldest of its kind in the Netherlands.
Maastricht University
The university was founded in 1976 as the Rijksuniversiteit Limburg and took the name Maastricht University in 1996. It is one of the youngest universities in the country and known for problem-based learning, where students work in small tutorial groups; well over half of its students come from abroad. Instead of a campus on the edge of town, much of it lives in old buildings in the centre: the administration sits in a former Franciscan monastery on the Minderbroedersberg, the business school in a former Jesuit monastery on the Tongersestraat, and University College in the Nieuwenhof, a 15th-century béguinage. Walking through the old town, you pass students and monuments at the same time.
Plein 1992
On the east bank, south of Wyck, the Céramique district was built on the site of the old Société Céramique pottery works. The masterplan was drawn up by Jo Coenen, and well-known architects such as Aldo Rossi and Álvaro Siza designed buildings here. Plein 1992 is one of its squares, and its name recalls the year the Maastricht Treaty was signed, the agreement that created the European Union and led to the euro. In the same district stand the Centre Céramique, a public library by Jo Coenen with a display of Roman finds from Maastricht, and the Bonnefanten Museum by Aldo Rossi with its rocket-shaped tower. The Hoge Brug, a footbridge opened in 2003, links Céramique with the old town.
Fort Eben-Emael
Fort Eben-Emael lies just over the border in Belgium, south of Maastricht by the Albert Canal. Belgium built it between 1931 and 1935 to block an attack through this narrow corner of Dutch territory, and at the time it was seen as almost impregnable. On 10 and 11 May 1940 German troops landed on its roof in gliders and put it out of action, the first strategic airborne operation using paratroopers. The fort still belongs to the Belgian army and is kept as a museum, open on tours run by a local association. It is a trip by car or bus rather than part of a walk.
How to see them in one walk
Start at the Sint Servaasbrug and cross into the old town, then walk to the Dominicanen bookshop and on to the Vrijthof, where the Basilica of Saint Servatius stands on the west side. From there head south through the streets where the university has its buildings, past the Basilica of Our Lady, to the Helpoort and the Stadspark along the walls. On another half-day, cross the Hoge Brug to Céramique and Plein 1992, and keep Fort Eben-Emael for a separate trip.
See Maastricht with World City Trail
Our Maastricht scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops, from the Sint Servaasbrug to the Stadspark, and the Sint Servaasbrug, the Dominicanen bookshop, the Vrijthof, the Basilica of Saint Servatius, Maastricht University and the Stadspark are all stops, along with the Markt, the Basilica of Our Lady and the Helpoort. At each stop you solve a puzzle and learn a story, at your own pace.
There is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Maastricht, for people who prefer a different format.
Play the Maastricht scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Maastricht →
Play the outdoor escape game in Maastricht →
Facts checked in October 2026.