Christmas market season has begun and no one does Christmas markets better than Europe! We’ve been to Christmas markets in Germany, France, Switzerland, England, The Czech Republic, and now The Netherlands! While they have their similarities, each has something unique to it. I love checking out the ice skating rinks, ferris wheels, and even curling competitions. It’s hard not to feel like you’re at the North Pole or Santa’s workshop with the myriad of crafts and food available to shop and taste, toasty warm beverage in hand of course! But whether it’s vin chaud, mulled wine, glühwein, or glögg, a Christmas market is my favorite activity this time of year. Over the weekend we took Lola to the Magical Maastricht Vrijthof, which is the Christmas market in Maastricht, Netherlands!
Getting to Maastricht
It’s quite easy to take a train from Amsterdam to Maastricht, which is what we normally would do. Our original plan was to drive to the Christmas market in Valkenburg but we learned too late that a ticket was required and they were sold out. That was a rookie mistake we won’t make again! But we still had the car booked so we pivoted and drove to Maastricht instead. The city center of Maastricht is car free, so you’ll need to research parking ahead of time. I found the city’s website with an interactive parking map to be most helpful. You can see how many parking spaces are available in live time! We found a garage that was only a 10 minute walk to the market.
On our walk from the parking garage to the Christmas market, we stopped into Bookstore Dominicans, a multi-level independent bookstore inside a 13th century Dominican church. This is the place for book lovers of all ages. They even have vinyl records and a café. It was very busy and festive inside – I spotted a Christmas tree made from books. The church has had an interesting history since its birth. In 1794 when the city was conquered by the French, the church was used as a horse stable for the French cavalry. For the next couple hundred years it became several other things including a slaughterhouse, a boxing ring, and a bicycle depot. One thing I love about old European churches is that they always draw your eye up and the ceilings are often one of the most spectacular parts. At Bookstore Dominicans the ceiling is covered in centuries-old frescoes. On the walls is a painting of Thomas Aquinas that dates from 1337, making it the oldest image of Saint Aquinas in all of Europe. The more you know! 😉
Magical Maastricht Vrijthof
The Maastricht Christmas market is located in Vrijthof square. This is the main square of the town surrounded by historic buildings, like the Basilica of Saint Servatius, and cozy cafe terraces. Visitors to the market can stroll through a tunnel of lights and visit Saint Servatius as part of the festivities. I really enjoyed the beauty of this church and their nativity scene right at the entrance.
While the Maastricht Christmas market isn’t huge, it certainly had a lot of fun things to do. The ferris wheel was really impressive! We didn’t try it because we had Lola with us, but I can imagine the view from 150 feet up is pretty impressive! You’re also enclosed in a glass gondola so even in freezing weather you’ll be cozy. There is also a traditional carousel, a sizable ice skating rink, and a funhouse experience.
Our first stop was to grab a glühwein and warm up a bit. We then spent time walking around and seeing the different stalls. There are the traditional things for sale like ornaments, candles, sheepskin rugs, and various knit garments. When we got hungry we went straight for the currywurst stand for a Polish sausage wrapped in a bread roll topped with mustard and grilled onions. It was maybe one of the best sausage broodje we’ve ever had at a Christmas market. For dessert there are traditional oliebollen, waffle treats, hot chocolate, and these little marshmallow puffs with a crispy wafer bottom that were dipped in chocolate and amazing! We finished our Christmas market food tour with a couple of beers, including a cherry beer called Kasteel Rouge that I really liked.
Everyone was in the Christmas spirit at Magical Maastricht Vrijthof! If you’re looking for a fun Christmas market in The Netherlands, I recommend Maastricht!
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xo – Erin
Magical Maastricht Vrijthof Christmas Market appeared first on CathedralsandCafes.com. If you see this content published anywhere else, please email cathedralsandcafes@gmail.com.
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