In the mood for a short weekend escape to a cute, small city that is close enough to drive to and far away enough to give you that holiday feeling? Look no more, Maastricht is what you need!

We love this Dutch city located between Belgium and Germany. There is something for everyone there: if you want to go shopping, there are many boutiques where you’ll find just what you were missing in your closet. And if you want to change your home deco and give it a new look you will find a lot of inspiration around. We fell in love with a stylish and cute concept store Lifestyle Maastricht in Onze Lieve Vrouweplein 19, which is offers fine and curated home furniture, decoration and accessories you won’t want to leave without.

If you are interested in books, there is a magnificent book shop inside a church, the Dominikanen. It has books in Dutch and English about various topics and disciplines. There is also a café at the back from where you can admire the light coming into the building through the stained- glass windows.

Another church that is worth visiting is the Kruisherenhotel, especially if you are hungry. Here, you can enjoy a lovely meal in a different setting. The former Kruisheren monastery offers an exceptional bar and cocktail experience at Wine Bar Rouge & Blanc or a fine dining when you move upstairs to the mezzanine at the highly praised Kruisheren Restaurant.

A walk around the old quarter of Maastricht is simply delicious. Our recommendation is that you wander around and discover the many different squares and little alleys in the city centre. There are many parks in Maastricht, one of the nicest ones, by day and by night, being the Stadspark. If you like admiring cities from a higher position, climb up the stairs of Sint-Janskerk, one of the two churches in the Vrijthof in the centre. Its tower, which has a peculiar red colour, is the highest in the whole city.

If you want a more modern environment, you can cross the river Maas. Just like in the other parts of the city, you will find numerous cafés and shops.

And to top off your Maastricht experience we warmly recommend staying at Hotel Monastère Maastricht with its classic 14th century elements and Parisian chick. So, you will not forget your trip so quickly and will be coming again and again to this inspiring city!

Text by Júlia Verger Navarro and Pauline Schulze
Images by Júlia Verger Navarro and Heike Perioli