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.

Vienna’s Spittelberg is located right next to the MuseumsQuartier. Outside of the classic touristy beaten track, the area mainly attracts young, bohemian locals and students. Among the arts and crafts stores and independent shops, this charming neighbourhood has developed a lively entertainment scene with numerous restaurants, cafés and bars famous for their leafy courtyards and Biedermeier-style building. Spittelberg Village's Christmas market during Advent is considered one of the best in town: always busy, it's an ideal place to end an evening in an atmospheric setting.

The views of the Atlantic waves crashing over the cliffs below are dramatic. This is where the whale watchers would have been on the lookout, at a small building called cloche d'Alarme. A statue of the Virgin Mary, raised in 1865, perches on one of the cliffs that can be reached via a bridge. Nearby is also the quaint Place Sainte-Eugénie and the old fishing port Port des Pêcheurs. Take a casual walk around and do not forget to pass the park Esplanade de la Vierge or the local aquarium close by.

Crowned by the looming Tsutenkaku tower, the district of Shinsekai is one of the city's premier entertainment districts, with a slew of dining, drinking and shopping options. It is also the best place int he city to try kushikatsu, a regional delicacy consisting of skewered and deep-fried meat and vegetables.