We purchased the hotel and ticket package directly from Andre Rieu’s company. Wondering if anyone can share suggestions or helpful information. We are coming into town early the day if the concert. Thank you very much!
Posted by
Oregon
230 posts
How are you getting to Maastricht? By train or plane? Vrijthof Square is about 1 km from the NS train station. The old part of Maastricht is a very walkable, though it takes a while to get use to the meandering streets.
Posted by
West Michigan
156 posts
Hi Allison,
I am so jealous! I have no advice to offer as I have never been to Maastricht. I hope you have a wonderful time. Please write a trip report when you return home. My goal is to purchase ta ticket package for a 2024 or 2025 concert. I will be interested to hear how this worked for you. I am sure the concert will be a magical experience. I have been to three of his concerts in the US.
Traveler Girl
Posted by
OP
28 posts
Thank you Leonard for helping. We (my husband and I) are arriving via car. We are flying into Brussels and then going to Bruges and Ghent. We decided to rent a car rather than take the train as I want to drive around the WWI sights surrounding Ypres as well as visit the American Cemetery. Then Sunday, the date of our concert we are driving into Maastricht and staying at the Derlon which comes with our ticket and hotel package. Our check-in time isn't until 3PM but we are planning to arrive by noon and drop off our car and belonging and start sightseeing. I don't really know what to expect. I an thrilled to be able to attend the concert but don't what else I need to know. Thank you very much.
Posted by
Oregon
230 posts
A lot of downtown is a pedestrian district, with lots of shopping opportunities. I don't know where your hotel is. If you have to drive into town, there are lot of underground parking garages which display the number of available parking spaces.
The old town is inside the mostly delapedated Roman Walls. There are two old churches to visit; 11th C. Sint Servaas and Basiliek van Onze Lieve Vrouwe (Our Lady). Other old buildings in town have been repurposed: a mill into a movie house, a church into a book shop and coffee house, a factory into a mall. You may not have time, as its outside the downtown area, but the Bonne Fanten Museum usually has good exhibits. The Maastricht University is spread throughout town, but I doubt they would have anything special which would compete with the concert. And ask a local to show you the signs "Karl Marx Slept Here". Sorry, I don't have any restaurant recommendations.
EDITED to add: There is a WWII American Cemetery nearby. Outside of town, our favorite site is the Ronald McDonald House designed by Hundertwasser: https://www.visitmaastricht.com/locations/427837301/ronald-mc-donald-kindervallei-regenboogspiraal-hundertwasser
Posted by
The Netherlands
1315 posts
A car might come in handy to visit the American cemetery, but you really don’t want a car to visit Bruges, Ghent and Maastricht. Your hotel in Maastricht is right on one of the busiest squares in the city. Busy with pedestrians and people sitting on outdoor terraces that is, not busy with cars. Have you thought where you will park your car in Maastricht? And in Bruges and Ghent?