Southeastern Netherlands

Shop

Get even more with a Lonely Planet guide.

Amsterdam

$21.99

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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…