With its seven fantastic theme worlds, Hannover Adventure Zoo is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Northern Germany, and a perfect spot for observing more than 3,000 animals. As the Canadian landscape Yukon Bay, the Sambesi boat trip or the summer toboggan runs are just a few of its highlights, this sight will take up all your day, and all your memories.

You’ll feel like you’ve crossed the border, but you’re not quite there yet. Of course, you’re aware that Maastricht’s central location in the Euregio means you can be in Belgium very quickly. But you don’t really feel it until you see how the city, and the countryside around it, is layered with a unique mix of foreign influences. With the Sint Pietersberg hill, the historic caves, the vineyards, Fort Sint Pieter, and Château Neercanne as backdrop, this part of the city has everything you need to capture that holiday feeling. Sint Pieter was its own municipality until 1920. This part of the city was always outside the city walls (and so had it the toughest in times of war). Then, it was mainly farmers who lived here; now, it’s mostly families, epicureans, and a few descendants of the inhabitants of that old Sint Pieter. Today, Sint Pieter is Maastricht’s most popular residential district, not just for its beautiful houses but because of its ideal location between city and green. And it still feels like its own town, with its own social life, and charm, even though it’s just a stone’s throw away from the city park. In fact, it has the best of both worlds: village and city. Nature and culture.

The historic timber-framed buildings of the Old Town are among the most special sights of the city centre, as strolling through picturesque narrow streets disclose inviting cafés and restaurants as well as exclusive boutiques and cute little shops. While walking around will always make for a great atmosphere, Germany’s oldest flea market takes place at the banks of the Leine river every Saturday.