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.

At the heart of the Altos de Chavon historical site, this chain-restaurant opened 24/7 is one of the unmissable places of Dominican nightlife. This atmospheric location is one that serves great pizzas and tapas by day, and turns into a relaxed, low-key hang out lounge after dinner hours are over. A wide selection of drinks and cocktails grace the menu, making it an easy pick for an evening out in La Romana. Happy hours from 6pm to 8pm and special evenings organized every week also makes this bar a very dynamic one on the island.

The Lake Constance Festival, better known as Bodensee-Festival, annually and under changing topics displays about 80 events at up to 35 venues. The festival sees itself primarily as an interdisciplinary arts event that every year presents orchestral, chamber and organ orchestras, jazz, theatre, dance and literature as essential parts of its unique program.