Mayor Edi Rama, internationally renowned as an artist before he took over the post of Tirana's mayor in 2000, decided to give the city a more welcoming look by painting old and Soviet block-style building facades in bright colours. The initiative certainly accomplished its goal of helping the city appear more attractive.

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.

The Norwegian Maritime Museum is located on the Bygdøy peninsula. Here, visitors can enjoy fascinating environmental exhibitions about fishing, shipbuilding, sailing, marine archaeology, and an impressive collection of boat models and marine paintings.

Take a guided tour of Moaning Cavern or get a rush from the rope rappel or caving adventures. Zip lines, climbing and searching for gold and gemstones are other activities offered. Embark on an underground walking tour, or race to the top of a 32-foot tall custom climbing tower with 10 routes and an automatic belay system.