Plan your visit to Maastricht
From 1 to 30 December 2022, Maastricht will once again be a beacon of light, ready to welcome you with open arms. But even during the Christmas holidays when Magical Maastricht ends, there is plenty to do in Maastricht. To help you maximize your time in the city, we have some smart travel and parking tips that will help you get to Maastricht quickly and take all the stress out of your visit and you can enjoy it longer.
General tips for your visit:
- Visit Maastricht on a weekday. Not only is it less busy, but shops will also have all the time to provide you with advice or add some finishing touch as they wrap your Christmas presents. There’s also plenty to do in Maastricht on weekdays!
- Before visiting, see whether you could take public transport, cycle, or otherwise leave your car at home – that way, there’ll be less traffic on the roads leading to Maastricht. If you visit Maastricht by bus or train, you will receive a 10% off-peak hour discount if you travel via the glimble travel app. If you really have to drive, park on the outskirts at P+R Maastricht Noord. It’s free, and you can take bus number 10 or 30 to the city centre.
- Want to know where there’s traffic? Our Smart Map has a ‘traffic updates’ display option that shows you busy sections of road (orange) as well as very heavy traffic and gridlock (red).
- Discover Maastricht in a different way by walking through Maastricht’s other neighbourhoods: Wyck, the Sphinxkwartier, or the Jekerkwartier.
Magical Maastricht’s main feature is the Magical Maastricht event on Vrijthof, complete with a covered skating rink, stalls, and a Ferris wheel! But Maastricht has even more to offer you during the winter months. Its vibrant cultural life and local businesses will welcome you with open warms as you walk along the magical light routes and enjoy the illuminations around every corner. See magicalmaastricht.nl for all the best tips for the whole family. Here’s a taster:
- Walk along the three illuminated walking routes and discover the city in a special way
- Recharge with in the finest bars or with a hot chocolate
Quickly to the center of Maastricht
Maastricht has good public transport connections, locations are within cycling distance and there are closest parking locations from all directions that are within walking distance of the city center.
Choose the 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, near the station (first 24 hours free of charge) or Vrijthof.
Extra opening hours stalls Kesselskade and Markt during shopping evenings:
- Friday 6, Saturday 17, Wednesday 21, Friday 23 parking Kesselskade and Markt both open until 10 pm.
- Tuesday 27, Wednesday 28 and Friday 30 December Kesselskade parking open until 20.00 and Markt parking normal opening hours (Mon-Wo until 21.30, Thu until 22.00, Fri-Sat until 21.30 and Sun 19.00).
The opening hours of the parking facility at the station are linked to the first and last train (and vary daily). Fifteen minutes before the first train and fifteen minutes after the last train, the bicycle parking is open.
In Maastricht, you can also easily get from a to b with the shared bicycles of Arriva 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.
Extra advantageous in the month of December, you can take advantage of 10% off-peak discount on NS and Arriva trains and Arriva buses in Limburg if you travel via the travel app glimble. This applies to your train tickets from your home station, even throughout the Netherlands.
- 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.
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, shopping evenings and Christmas holidays. 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.
General tips:
- Park on the side of the river Meuse that you’re coming from. Have a look at the tips below to see which car parks (or multistoreys) you’ll arrive at first on your route into the city.
- The car parks and multistoreys on the west side of Maastricht (including P Vrijthof, Sphinx, and Frontenpark) are often the first to fill up.
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- 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’.
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- 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’.
- 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.
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- 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’.
- 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.
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- 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.
- 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.
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- 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.
- Check de Slimme Kaart voor alle parkeerlocaties in de binnenstad van Maastricht of ga naar de website van Q-Park. Via de website van Q-Park kun je al vooraf een parkeerplaats reserveren dat inhoudt dat je op kenteken in- en uitrijdt. Dit maakt het parkeerproces nog sneller, want je hoeft niet op het knopje te drukken voor je parkeerticket en niet meer langs (de rij van) de betaalautomaat!
- Check the Smart Map for all parking locations in the city center of Maastricht or go to the Q-Park website. Q-Park's website allows you to reserve a parking space in advance, which means you can drive in and out by license plate number. This makes the parking process even faster, because you don't have to press the button for your parking ticket and no longer have to pass (the queue of) the pay machine!
- If you are coming by motorcycle or long distance bus driver check our parking information website.