6 - 23 July 2023 Put in my calendar

André Rieu

André Rieu concerts at the Vrijthof

On July 6-9, 13-16 and 20-23, 2023, the Vrijthof will again be the site of summer concerts by André Rieu and his Johan Strauss Orchestra. As in previous years, the entire square has been designated an event site.

Traffic measures around Vrijthof square

Measures will be taken around Vrijthof on concert days to ensure traffic can continue to flow smoothly.
For that reason, Vrijthof will be closed to traffic from 4:30 PM until the time the concert finishes after midnight. The Q-Park underground car park on Vrijthof can still be accessed via Keizer Karelplein-Sint Servaasklooster.

Traffic stops

The Vrijthof square and the surrounding area will be closed to all traffic (except pedestrians) at the following locations:

Hondstraat at the junction with Witmakersstraat and Cortenstraat;
Bredestraat, at the junction Sint Jacobstraat;
Keizer Karelplein, at the junction Oude Tweebergenpoort and St. Servaasklooster (driving direction Vrijthof);
Statensingel, at the junction Grote Gracht;
Helmstraat, at the junction Grote Gracht.

Traffic marshals will be posted at each cordoned-off location to make sure everything runs smoothly. Local traffic will still be able to use the Witmakersstraat-Kapoenstraat route towards St. Jacobstraat, Papenstraat, Bouillonstraat, or Lenculenstraat.

Vrijthof itself will be entirely closed from 5:00 PM to 2:00 AM. Between 5:00 PM and 12:30 AM, only people with an admission ticket (from 6:30 PM) or accreditation will be allowed to access the square.

Information for residents and businesses on Vrijthof

Homes and businesses will remain accessible to you and your guests. To ensure you can continue to access your home or business, please apply for a resident and/or visitor pass (max. 10 visitor passes) via www.rieuvrijthof.nl by 19 June.
Holders of these passes will not be able to access the concert area on the square; instead, they will be expected to move from the admission point to their destination using the shortest possible route.
Parking facilities will remain accessible, although a vehicle access pass will need to be applied for for any locations within the area closed to traffic. You will receive a residents’ letter from André Rieu Productions with more information on this point.

Travel and parking tips for your visit to the concert

By bicycle

If you live within cycling distance, come by bike and get off in the city center. Park your bike in one of the free parking lots near the Market, Kesselskade or near the station (first 24 hours free of charge).

The following applies on the André Rieu concert days:

The bicycle parking facility on Kesselskade will be open for longer – until 2:30 AM – on the days of André Rieu's concerts (The shed closes as soon as it is empty and may close earlier than 02:30 AM).
Bike parking Market regular opening hours apply (Thursday until 10:00 PM, Friday and Saturday until 9:30 PM and Sunday until 7:00 PM)
The underground bicycle parking at the railway station facility will remain open until fifteen minutes after the last train arrival.
The underground bicycle parking facility on Vrijthof will be accessible prior to the closure of Vrijthof (around 4:30 PM), and again after midnight. This bicycle parking facility is managed by Q-Park.
The bike racks on Vrijthof will be removed on Tuesday 27 June 2023. A mobile bicycle parking facility will be set up on Keizer Karelplein. Any bicycles or mopeds that remain parked on Vrijthof after this date will be taken to the Bicycle Depot on Gerardusweg. Please make sure you also pick your bike up from the mobile parking facility before it is removed.

In Maastricht, you can also easily get from a to b with Arriva's shared bicycles or OV-fiets. You can then park at a distance or make the first part of your journey by public transport and continue by bike. Want to know where to find these bikes? Check out the map of Maastricht with all the locations and information about the rates.

Let yourself be driven by public transport

Don't get behind the wheel yourself and opt for a driver. Maastricht is easily accessible by train and bus.

From the north Amsterdam/Eindhoven/Roermond/Sittard-Geleen via NS or Arriva trains.
From Heerlen/Valkenburg and Aachen by train from Arriva.
From the south Eijsden/Visé/Liège by SNCB stopping train or TEC buses.
By bus from Aachen and the route along the N278 with bus line 350.
By the buses of De Lijn from Belgium to the station or at the Markt

With Arriva's Euregioticket you travel easily with one ticket by bus and train through the Maas-Rhine area for € 19 per day. There is a weekly or weekend ticket available from the bus driver, vending machines at stations or public transport service points and online.

Service updates for Vrijthof buses

From Wednesday 28 June up to and including Sunday 9 July 2023, from Wednesday 13 July up to and including 16 July 2023, and from Thursday 20 July up to and including Thursday 27 July 2023, bus numbers 4 and 7 will travel along an alternative route via Statensingel. Buses will not stop at Markt, Vrijthof, Bouillonstraat, Tongersestraat, Calvariestraat, Kommel, and Helmstraat. Instead, they will temporarily use the existing stops at Boschstraat/Markt, Boschstraat/Maagdendries, Mosae Forum, Cannerplein, and Emmaplein.

Parking tips and the shortest route to the parking locations

Coming by car? The parking garages in the city center often fill up quickly, especially on weekends. The tips below will help you save travel time looking for a parking space and therefore have more time in the city center. You can also choose to park nearby, but keep in mind that the parking location of your choice might be full and you will have to deal with long(er) queues and extra travel time.

Note:

From 16:30, Vrijthof will be closed to traffic. Parking garage Q-park on Vrijthof will then remain accessible during the concert days only via Keizer Karelplein-Sint Servaasklooster. Traffic controllers will give instructions on site.
If you would like to drop off a disabled person before parking your car (kiss & ride), you can do so at the traffic control centre on Keizer Karelplein or near the museum on Vrijthof. The shortest route by which wheelchair users can access Vrijthof is along Witmakerstraat, Kapoenstraat, St Jacobstraat or via St Servaasklooster.
You can stop to drop someone off or pick someone up anywhere in the city centre where no stopping restrictions apply, and where doing so will not lead to dangerous situations or traffic jams. We would appreciate it if you could pick a quiet spot to do so.
Car parking spaces can be booked in advance at several Q-Park locations. Alternatively, you can use the Q-Park app. The transaction will be completed in the app, and your license plate will be recognized when you drive up to the barrier. The benefit of doing so is that you don’t need to take a ticket, meaning there is no need to queue at the payment terminal afterwards.

Tip: Check the Smart Map for all parking locations in the city center of Maastricht.

Parking tips if you’re travelling from Eindhoven/Sittard/Heerlen
- From the A2 or A79: park for free at P+R Maastricht Noord. You can get to the city centre on bus number 10 for €2.40 (day return), or take bus number 30 to the main railway station/Wyck. Bus line 3 runs via Nazareth, Groene Loper, city centre to Wolder. A group ticket for groups of three to five people costs €5.95. Up to two children between the ages of four and eleven can travel for free with a paying adult.
- It’s cheaper to pay for parking on a P+W site on the outskirts of Maastricht – Vrijthof square or Markt square are just fifteen minutes’ walk away. If you’re coming from the north, park at P Bonnefanten. At the weekend, you can also park at the Gouvernement car park for €12 (all-day parking) if P Bonnefanten is full.
- Choose a parking location on your route: De Griend, P+R Station, De Colonel, Plein 1992. To access these parking locations, follow the parking routes ‘Wyck-Station’ and ‘Céramique-Wyck’.
Parking tips if you’re coming from the Heuvelland area on the N278
- Park for free at P+R Maastricht Noord. You can get to the city centre on bus number 10 for €2.40 (day return), or take bus number 30 to the main railway station/Wyck. Bus line 3 runs via Nazareth, Groene Loper, city centre to Wolder. A group ticket for groups of three to five people costs €5.95. Up to two children between the ages of four and eleven can travel for free with a paying adult.
  Take the N2 tunnel northbound from Akersteenweg/John F. Kennedybrug and then take exit 1 Bunde onto Nieuwe Limmelderweg.
- It’s cheaper to pay for parking on a P+W site on the outskirts of Maastricht – Vrijthof square or Markt square are just fifteen minutes’ walk away. If you’re coming from the north, park at P Bonnefanten. At the weekend, you can also park at the Gouvernement car park for €12 (all-day parking) if P Bonnefanten is full.
- Choose a parking location on your route: Plein 1992 or De Colonel. To access these parking locations, follow the parking routes ‘Wyck-Station’ and ‘Céramique-Wyck’.
Parking tips if you’re coming from Eijsden/Liège
- Follow the A2 tunnel to the north and park for free at P+R Maastricht Noord. You can get to the city centre on bus number 10 for €2.40 (day return), or take bus number 30 to the main railway station/Wyck. Bus line 3 runs via Nazareth, Groene Loper, city centre to Wolder. A group ticket for groups of three to five people costs €5.95. Up to two children between the ages of four and eleven can travel for free with a paying adult.
  Take exit 1 Bunde northbound and turn left onto Nieuwe Limmelderweg.
- It’s cheaper to pay for parking on a P+W site on the outskirts of Maastricht – Vrijthof square or Markt square are just fifteen minutes’ walk away. If you’re coming from the north, park at P Bonnefanten. At the weekend, you can also park at the Gouvernement car park for €12 (all-day parking) if P Bonnefanten is full.
- Choose a parking location on your route: Plein 1992 or De Colonel. To access these parking locations, follow the parking routes ‘Wyck-Station’ and ‘Céramique-Wyck’.
Parking tips if you’re coming from Riemst/Tongeren and Maastricht-Zuidwest
- It’s cheaper to park at P+W Stadspark or Frontenpark (fixed, all-day parking rate: €12) Vrijthof square or Markt square are just fifteen minutes’ walk away.
- Choose a parking location on your route: Onze Lieve Vrouwe, Mosae Forum, or Sphinx.
  - If these car parks are full, check out the car park at Bonnefanten – it costs €12 a day at the weekend and €27.50 a day on weekdays.
Parking tips if you’re coming from Lanaken/Smeermaas and Maastricht-West
- If you’re coming from Belgium, follow Brusselseweg in Smeermaas and enter Maastricht via Belvédèrelaan. You’ll get to Maastricht faster, and you won’t have to wait at the ramp meter on Bosscherweg. Take the same road on your way back – it’s just as quick.
- P+W Frontenpark offers low-cost parking (fixed, all-day parking rate: €12). Vrijthof square or Markt square are just fifteen minutes’ walk away.
- Choose a parking location on your route: Sphinx, Mosae Forum, or Onze Lieve Vrouwe.
  - You could also park on the outskirts at P+R Maastricht Noord, or park on the east side of Maastricht at P de Griend, P+R Station, Colonel, or Plein 1992.

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