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.

The Western Mountains (also referred to as "hills") make for an excellent day trip into nature. You can take a 20-minute cable car trip to the top; the 'Dragon Gate' carved into the side of the hill is an unmissable highlight, which also affords spectacular views of Kunming and Dianchi Lake. The tomb of Nie Er, the composer of the national anthem of China, rests on the hill.

The splendid Yuantong Temple is the most important Buddhist site in the entire province, with a history of nearly 1200 years. Unlike at other temples, you enter at an elevation and make your way down through tranquil temple grounds – these feature ornate pavilions and halls (the main hall maintains Yuan dynasty architecture), mountain caves and stone staircases. carved directly into the cliff sides.