In Den Ouden Vogelstruys

Top choice in Maastricht


Right on a sunny Vrijthof corner, this classic brown bar features swords, medals and portraits of 1950s patrons on the dark panelled walls. Seven draft beers include two Trappists (La Trappe Blond and Westmalle Dubbel) and carefully selected bottled offerings like local unfiltered Klinker III (8.5%) and Jopen's prize-winning Mooie Nel IPA (aka 'Northsea', 6.5%).

The plaque dates the building to 1730 but historians suggest that the original goes back to at least 1308.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Maastricht attractions

1. Vrijthof

0.03 MILES

Home to a range of city festivities and occasional funfairs, the Vrijthof is an expansive square on which a row of terrace cafes face off against two…

2. Museum Aan Het Vrijthof

0.05 MILES

Exhibitions in this small museum change every few months but even if the current subject doesn't interest you it's worth popping your head inside.

3. St Janskerk

0.08 MILES

This attractive 17th-century Gothic church has a soaring if relatively unadorned interior and a 43m limestone tower whose deep red hue was originally…

4. St Servaasbasiliek

0.12 MILES

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

5. Markt

0.19 MILES

The Markt, Maastricht's commercial heart, still hosts markets several times a week in the shadow of the 1664 city hall, a distinctively spired, cubic…

6. Onze Lieve Vrouwebasiliek

0.2 MILES

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

7. Helpoort

0.33 MILES

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

8. D'Artagnan Statue

0.39 MILES

Of countless battles and sieges that have afflicted Maastricht, the best known was in 1673 when Louis XIV's French army took the city guided by master…