I spent less than £150 on a weekend in Maastricht, Netherlands – here's how I did it
The hotel After an hour and a half's flight (or less) from Stansted or Manchester to Eindhoven, a 60-minute train ride deposits you in this historic Netherlands city. Check in at Hotel Monastère (below), a boutique stay in a former 14th-century monastery. With original features such as marble fireplaces, ornamental ceilings and stained-glass windows, each of the 52 rooms is unique. Expect king-size beds, blackout curtains and gorgeously tiled bathrooms (from £85 per night; hotelmonasteremaastricht.com).
The square The most famous one in the city is Vrijthof (below). Every July, Dutch conductor (and Maastricht native) André Rieu pulls up with his 60-piece Johann Strauss Orchestra for a series of open-air concerts – surrounding restaurants are booked out by diners soaking up the music and atmosphere (3-20 July 2025; andrerieu.com). During the last week of August, the square hosts the largest outdoor food festival in the Netherlands, known as the Preuvenemint (28-31 August 2025; preuvenemint.nl).
The restaurant Maastricht is an alfresco dining paradise – as you'll see from a waterfront table at seafood haven Les Trois Seaux (les3seaux.nl) in 't Bassin, the city's old harbour turned modern marina. At Brasserie Louis, on the historic Onze Lieve Vrouweplein square, tuck in to the veal croquettes (they're served on two slices of bread with mustard; £14, derlon.com/brasserie-louis). Or secure a spot on the riverside terrace at Cinq (below) for steak tartare, served with side salad and fries (£23, cinq.nl).
The wine Maastricht and its rolling hills have an impressive selection of wineries. The family-run Apostelhoeve is Limburg's oldest vineyard (also one of the Netherlands' largest), producing dry white and sparkling wines (tastings from £19pp; apostelhoeve.com). A little further down the valley, wine estate Hoeve Nekum (below) turns out a variety of whites, reds and rosés (tastings from £15pp; hoevenekum.nl). Or visit wine shop Thiessen for a tasting in its charming little vineyard in the heart of the city (from £32pp; thiessen.nl).
The bookshop Dating from the 13th century, the Dominican Church served as a place of worship for centuries until it was secularised after the French Revolution. The gothic building subsequently did time as an army warehouse, an exhibition hall and a bike shed until, in 2006, it was transformed into a bookshop. With its stained-glass windows, pointed arches and ribbed vaults, Boekhandel Dominicanen, as it is known today, is a must-visit, even for non-readers. Plus, it has a great café (boekhandeldominicanen.nl).
The snack It would be sacrilegious to leave Maastricht without indulging in a cup of coffee and a slice of local Limburgse vlaai (fruit-filled pie, below). The roastery Maison Blanche Dael has been a fixture since 1878 – you can't pass its premises at Wolfstraat 28 and not be drawn in by the aroma of freshly roasted beans (blanchedael.nl). Later, head to bakery De Bisschopsmolen, famed for its lattice-top pies. Try a slice filled with apple, plum, cherry or, my favourite, apricot (£3 a slice; bisschopsmolen.nl).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
200-year-old condom featuring erotic drawing of a semi-naked nun and three clergymen goes on display at Dutch museum
The Netherlands ' national museum is putting a 200-year-old condom that features erotic art of a semi-naked nun and three clergymen on display. The Rijksmuseum said in a statement that the playful prophylactic, believed to be made around 1830 from a sheep's appendix, 'depicts both the playful and the serious side of sexual health.' It is part of an exhibition called 'Safe Sex?' about 19th century sex work that opened on Tuesday. The condom, possibly a souvenir from a brothel, is 20cm (7.8in) and decorated with an erotic image of a nun and three clergymen. The phrase 'This is my choice' is written along the sheath in French. According to the museum, this is a reference to the Pierre-Auguste Renoir painting 'The Judgment of Paris', which itself depicts a Greek myth in which a Trojan prince is asked to judge a beauty contest between three goddesses. Rijksmuseum curator Joyce Zelen said the allusion to Greek mythology suggested that the owner of the prophylactic would've been a high-ranking member of society at the time. She said: 'We believe that whoever acquired the condom would have been fairly sophisticated and well-educated.' The piece was purchased for €1,000 (£840) at an auction in Haarlem last November, and will be put on display until the end of November as part of an exhibition that features Dutch and French prints and drawings on the themes of sex work and sexual health. Before 1839, the year vulcanised rubber was invented, condoms were typically made from linen, animal membranes or, in some case, turtle shells. But they were ineffective, doing little to provide protection against the spread of sexually transmitted diseases or the prevention of pregnancy. Zelen added: 'In the 1830s, when this condom was made, the use of condoms was still frowned upon, especially by the church. 'They were mostly sold under the counter at brothels or barber shops, though there are some reports of luxury shops offering bespoke tailoring.' The possible souvenir is believed to have never been used, Zelen said, after the museum looked at it under UV light. She added: 'It's also unclear whether the nun in the etching is pointing at the bald man, the thin man, or the one who looks slightly overweight. That way, any type of man could feel spoken to.'
Telegraph
8 hours ago
- Telegraph
Dutch museum buys 200-year-old condom for safe sex exhibition
A world-famous Dutch museum has bought a 200-year-old decorated condom, and will display it as part of an exhibition on sex in the 19th century. The historic contraceptive, likely to have been made from a sheep's appendix, will join masterpieces including Rembrandt's The Night Watch in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Dating back to about 1830, it is particularly notable because it has an erotic etching printed on it. The Rijksmuseum said it believed the condom was 'more of a luxury brothel souvenir than an actual used condom'. The etching shows a naked nun spreading her legs and pointing at three clergymen holding up their robes and sporting prominent erections. Underneath is written 'voila, mon choix' in French, which means: 'This is my choice.' Experts believe the image is a parody of both celibacy and the Judgement of Paris from Greek mythology, and that the contraceptive was probably made in France. Only two such objects are known to have survived to the present day. It is now the centrepiece of 'Safe Sex?', an exhibition on 19th-century prostitution and sexuality in the museum's Print Room, which runs until the end of November. 'You just have to have an eye for it' The condom went to auction in Haarlem in November and was bought by the museum for €1,000. Joyce Zelen, the print art curator, told Het Parool newspaper: 'Condoms with prints on them have sold for much more money in the past twenty years. I think this one didn't stand out among six thousand other lots. You just have to have an eye for it. 'For us, it is an example of a special object on which printmaking has been applied: an etching has been printed on it, a copper plate on a piece of appendix. We cannot see with the naked eye whether it came from a sheep, goat, horse or cow, so we would like to do DNA research on that.' In a statement, the museum said: 'Acquiring the condom has enabled us to focus on 19th-century sexuality and prostitution, a subject that is under-represented in our collection. 'It embodies both the lighter and darker sides of sexual health, in an era when the quest for sensual pleasure was fraught with fears of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases – especially syphilis.' At the time, condoms were used more for protection against disease than contraception, which was a taboo frowned on by the church. There is evidence that ancient Egyptians used contraceptive sleeves 6,000 years ago. Linen sheaths were used from the late 15th century. Later, fish bladders, animal membranes and leather were used. Rubber condoms appeared after 1839 when vulcanised rubber was discovered.
BreakingNews.ie
8 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
200-year-old condom goes on display at Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum
The Netherlands' national museum has a new object on display that merges art with Amsterdam's infamous Red Light District: a nearly 200-year-old condom, emblazoned with erotic art. The Rijksmuseum said in a statement that the playful prophylactic, believed to be made around 1830 from a sheep's appendix, 'depicts both the playful and the serious side of sexual health'. Advertisement The condom (Kelly Schenk/Rijksmuseum via AP) It is part of an exhibition called Safe Sex? about 19th century sex work that opened on Tuesday. The condom, possibly a souvenir from a brothel, is decorated with an erotic image of a nun and three clergymen. The phrase 'This is my choice' is written along the sheath in French. According to the museum, this is a reference to the Pierre-Auguste Renoir painting The Judgment of Paris, which depicts the Trojan prince Paris judging a beauty contest between three goddesses. Advertisement The condom is on display until the end of November.
