Somewhere for the weekend... Maastricht

WHY GO NOW?

WHY GO NOW?

"The Netherlands" and "haute cuisine" rarely figure in the same sentence, but "Maastricht", the country's most southerly city, and the words "culinary capital" go together perfectly. Thanks to centuries of Burgundian rule and the gastronomic knowhow of nearby Belgium, eating out here is a delight. The only problem is choosing which of Maastricht's myriad restaurants to try - but, this weekend, the city does it for you. From tomorrow until Sunday, dozens of restaurateurs set up shop on the Vrijthof, at the heart of town, for the annual Preuvenemint (www.preuvenemint.nl), creating the biggest alfresco eatery in Europe. The food spans French, Italian, Dutch and Indonesian, and there's music and revelry until 2am.

DOWN PAYMENT

Ryanair (0871 246 0000, www.ryanair.com) flies from Stansted to Maastricht, with fares this weekend from £127. There's a shuttle bus to the Markt, right in town, or to the station: the 25-minute ride costs €9 (£6.30) return; a taxi costs €25 (£17.50).

INSTANT BRIEFING

Maastricht may be part of the Netherlands, but it's so far out on a limb from the rest of the country that it feels as if it shouldn't be, while the joie de vivre of its citizens makes a welcome change from stolid Dutch sobriety. The oldest city in the Netherlands, founded in 50BC, Maastricht survived both World Wars relatively unscathed, and its narrow, cobbled streets, Romanesque churches and stately patrician houses are made for aimless strolling or cycling: the Stokstraat and Jeker districts are the most picturesque. Even if you lose your bearings, you're bound to wind up by the river Maas, which forms the eastern border of the town's historic centre; on the other side, the bohemian atmosphere and concentration of French shop names makes for a kind of Rive Droite. The tourist office is in the Dinghuis, Kleine Straat 1 (00 31 43 325 2121, www.vvvmaastricht.nl; open Monday-Friday 9am-6pm, Saturday 10am-5pm, Sundays 11am-3pm from May to October).

REST ASSURED

It's typical of the city's multicultural outlook that its most individual hotel draws inspiration from the land of la dolce vita. Botticelli, at Papenstraat 11 (00 31 43 352 6300, www.hotelbotticelli.com), a short walk from the Vrijthof, is done up in flamboyantly Tuscan style - friezes, stencilling and warm terracotta tones - while spidery metal lamps and DVD players are understated nods to contemporary design. The breakfast buffet offers sun-dried tomatoes, salamis and Italian cheeses, and the hotel's trump card is its deliciously tranquil courtyard, complete with fountain. Doubles start at €88.50 (£62).

For a kitsch take on Renaissance Italy, try the Mabi, at Kleine Gracht 4 (00 31 43 351 4444, www.hotel-mabi.nl), where gigantic blow-ups of Raphael's cherubim dominate the cheaper doubles, with romantic results. Housed in a former cinema, the hotel's public spaces are plastered with photos of stars from Hollywood's heyday, while the pricier rooms are cool, simple and spacious. Doubles start at €85 (£60).

Maastricht is a happy exception to the rule that hotels near stations are always dank and seedy. Designhotel La Bergère at Stationsstraat 40 (00 31 43 328 2525, www.la-bergere.com), offers fashionably spare, monochromatic rooms with quirky modern furnishings and softly erotic photos adding colour; the blue-lit brasserie and rooftop gym add to the appeal. Doubles start at €79 (£55). Less fashionable but fun is De Poshoorn, at Stationsstraat 47 (00 31 43 321 7334), offering clean, simple rooms above an earthy-brown café voted the city's finest in 2002; take a top-floor room if you plan to turn in early. Doubles start at €73 (£51).

MUST SEE

Start at the top by climbing the terracotta-red tower of the Gothic St Janskerk, on the Vrijthof (open 11am-4pm daily except Sunday, closed November-March), the main Protestant church in a predominantly Catholic city. Seventy metres high, it offers splendid views of the city, the surrounding countryside and - a novelty in the Netherlands - hills. Admission costs €1.15 (80p). Next door is the rival religion's most significant shrine, St Servaasbasiliek (open 10am-5pm, Sundays 12.30-5pm), an elegant blend of rugged Romanesque and graceful Gothic. Admission to the blissfully light, white interior costs €2.50 (£1.70), and is worth every penny: the treasury houses the earthly remains of St Servatius, first bishop of the Low Countries until his death in AD384, as well as a host of golden reliquaries and sacred objects.

Complete the holy trinity by visiting Onze Lieve Vrouwebasiliek, a pure Romanesque structure with a huge frontage that dominates the leafy Onze Lieve Vrouweplein. The interior (open April-October, 11am-5pm, Sundays 1-5pm) is simpler and more sober than St Servaas's, but the sumptuous carvings on the choir's capitals and a statue of local hero Charlemagne alleviate the gloom. Admission costs €1.60 (£1.10). If you're on the square on the Sabbath, delve further into the city's past by popping down to the cellar of the swanky (and slightly soulless) Hotel Derlon, which houses Roman remains from the second century onwards. It offers what may well be the only museum of archaeology on the planet to double as a breakfast room. Admission is free from noon to 4pm on Sundays; otherwise it'll cost you from €265 (£185) to stay.

A more modern addition to the city's skyline is the bulbous dome of the Bonnefanten Museum, at Avenue Céramique 250 (00 31 43 329 0190, www.bonnefanten.nl; open 11am-5pm daily except Mondays), where the superb permanent collections span medieval sculpture, old masters - including works from Amsterdam's soon-to-be-refurbished Rijksmuseum - Arte Povera and 1970s minimalism. Until 7 September, you can see works by the Scottish artist Peter Doig. Admission costs €7 (£5).

The city's least expected claim to fame is that it saw the real-life D'Artagnan swash his last buckle. In 1673, aged 62, the fourth musketeer was killed while leading an attack on the city walls. Those fascinated by fortifications can trace the history of the city's defences, from the 13th-century Helpoort to the underground shelters used in the Second World War, on a series of guided tours, mostly in Dutch: contact the tourist office for details.

MUST BUY

Connoisseurs come to Maastricht in March for the prestigious European Fine Art Fair, but if your budget is more Tate ready-framed than Tiepolo, you'll find a wide range of contemporary prints, photos and graphics at the Bonnefanten Museum's excellent shop (open 11am-5pm, closed Mondays). A Sol LeWitt-designed plate costs €68 (£50).

For traditional specialities from Maastricht, visit Die Kiekoet, at Heggenstraat 2 (00 31 43 325 3026), which stocks Limburgse flan, rommedou cheese and chocolate Grameerkes. Like most of Maastricht's shops, it's closed on Sundays.

MUST EAT

Serious foodies should try for a table at Toine Hermsen, St Bernardusstraat 2-4 (00 31 43 325 8400), which beats stiff competition for the title of Maastricht's best restaurant. Michelin-star status helps, as does its intimate setting in a townhouse near the Onze Lieve Vrouwebasiliek. The extravagant evening menus offer turbot with morille mushrooms and truffled noodles, homemade duck foie gras and braised rabbit. A more modest option is the two-course lunch at €25 (£17.50).

For sheer atmosphere, you can't beat the cobbled terrace of Petit Bonheur, at Achter de Molens 2 (00 31 43 321 5109). Lamp-lit and creeper-covered, it's wonderfully romantic, and the Franco-Belgian food is good enough to maintain the mood. A three-course menu costs €25 (£17.50).

For snacks, head for the fish stalls on the Markt (except on Sundays), or cross the river and visit the Centre Céramique, a concrete colossus that houses a cultural centre and Blanche Dael CoffeeLovers (open 8am-6pm, weekends from 10am). Purveyor of the city's finest coffee, it also offers excellent Italian-style sandwiches and salads.

INTO THE NIGHT

In fine weather the town centre turns into a gigantic terrace, so you need look no further than the bustling Vrijthof or the leafy Onze Lieve Vrouweplein for a people-watching perch. Beer buffs should cross the river to visit Take One at Rechtstraat 28 (open 4pm-2am, closed Wednesdays), offers obscure brews from all over Benelux, or head to the Poshoorn (see Rest Assured) for the quintessential café experience.

If, as Faithless once asserted, God is a DJ, then his spiritual home must be Nightlive, at Kesselkade 43 (weekends only; 00 31 43 362 8278, www.nightlive.nl), a Baroque church that's been converted into clubbing heaven, with house, techno and R&B on the hymn sheet.

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