You would almost miss them. Almost. Because as soon as you pass the entryway to the St. Servaas Basilica, you’ll figure out that it’s worth walking on. You’ll see for yourself that Maastricht doesn’t end at the Vrijthof. Sometimes you just have to take those few extra steps. That’s when Maastricht will surprise you with just how surprising the city centre really is. The Vrijthof has a number of little streets leading into it from all directions. They include Brusselsestraat, Grote Gracht, and De Kommel. Unlike the more idyllic boulevards in most of the rest of the city, these streets evoke a feeling of the urban, the artistic, the unknown. Here, students and locals come and go: artists, designers, professionals. It’s an area that’s moving fast: new shops, start-ups, young businesses, surprising concepts. Yet at the same time, it’s bursting with historic buildings, and is still very much a place where locals want to live. In truth, you can’t really describe the streets around the Vrijthof in a few words. It’s where local, university, business, authentic, forward-looking, and surprising Maastricht all come together.

Wyck has often been described as the up-and-coming part of Maastricht. Even though it’s still a dynamic area in development, it’s already seen a real transformation from ten years ago. Today, it’s hard to imagine that there was a time that this side of the Meuse was dismissed as ‘outside Maastricht,’ and the people of Wyck were considered bumpkins. But this history has also had a defining impact, and made Wyck into the unique urban borough that it is. The many contemporary and exclusive shops, hotels, restaurants, and creative enterprises that have come here in recent years are a perfect fit with the long-standing local boutiques, fine food shops, and the locals themselves. That’s what makes Wyck one of the best places in Maastricht to live, work, and shop. On weekdays Wyck is bustling with business from the train station to the river, and on weekends it is just as jumping, with the tourists and day visitors tarrying here to ‘warm up’ for a day out on the town. Today, it’s rightly said that you haven’t seen Maastricht until you’ve seen Wyck!

The Aachen Town Hall, a distinctive example Gothic architecture, is a historic symbol of the city's rich past. Originally built in the 14th century on the ruins of Charlemagne's palace, this iconic building has witnessed numerous coronations and remains a testament to Aachen's medieval grandeur. Today, it serves as a museum, offering visitors a glimpse into its regal history.