These are the best places to travel this summer

Southeastern Netherlands

Shop

Get even more with a Lonely Planet guide.

Shop Book
View over statue of Beeld van Minckelers on markt in Maastricht.
17th, architecture, attraction, belfort, belfry, benelux, blue, building, century, city, crowd, day, dusk, dutch, europe, european, evening, gathering, hall, historic, history, holland, huge, illumination, landmark, limburg, maastricht, market, netherlands, night, nobody, old, outside, people, pieter, restaurant, scenic, sightseeing, square, tourism, tourist, tower, town, travel, twilight, urban, view

©pavel dudek/Shutterstock

Plan your trip with Guide, an AI travel planner!

Create a personalized trip itinerary in seconds using artificial intelligence.

Create a trip

Overview

Things are different below the rivers: the provinces of Noord Brabant and Limburg have a character that's more Catholic, more relaxed, and in the case of southern Limburg, hillier than elsewhere in the Netherlands. Among the obvious southern influences are a preference for good beer and food, as embodied in the concept Bourgondisch: eating and drinking with a verve worthy of the epicurean inhabitants of France's Burgundy.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • St Servaasbasiliek

    St Servaasbasiliek

    Maastricht

    Built above and around the shrine of St Servaas (Servatius), the first bishop of Maastricht, the basilica presents an architectural pastiche whose…

  • Onze Lieve Vrouwebasiliek

    Onze Lieve Vrouwebasiliek

    Maastricht

    Dominating an intimate cafe-filled square, this millennium-old basilica-church is a fabulous example of Mosan architecture, made 'extra authentic' through…

  • Philips Museum

    Philips Museum

    Eindhoven

    From Keith Richards' tape-recorder to a wide-screen projector that once won an Oscar, this engaging museum tells the extraordinary story of the light-bulb…

  • Maastricht Underground

    Maastricht Underground

    Maastricht

    Maastricht Underground runs spooky, amusing and fascinating tours into sections of the vast tunnel network beneath St-Pietersberg massif. Departures run…

  • Fort St Pieter

    Fort St Pieter

    Maastricht

    Set within a deep-cut dry moat, this hefty five-sided brick fort once formed the city's southern defence and is linked to a network of underground tunnels…

  • Zonneberg Caves

    Zonneberg Caves

    Maastricht

    This gigantic network of quarry-tunnels date back centuries but are most intriguing for their occasional charcoal murals and the stories linked to their…

  • Van Abbemuseum

    Van Abbemuseum

    Eindhoven

    This superb modern-art gallery uses elements of its rich collection (including originals by Picasso, Braque, Kandinsky and Léger) along with plenty of…

  • Helpoort

    Helpoort

    Maastricht

    This rough-cut-stone tower-gateway dating from 1229 dominates the most impressive of several fragmentary sections of medieval city wall. You can look…

Get a book. Get inspired. Get exploring.

in partnership with getyourguide

Book popular activities in Southeastern Netherlands