Your travel guide visitzuidlimburg.com #visitzuidlimburg Zuid-Limburg Narrowest part of the Netherlands Westzipfelpunkt Historical River Meuse city centre of Sittard Sittard Hoensbroek Castle Marl caves Cauberg Heerlen Kerkrade Maastricht Columbus, Cube Continium Vrijthof Valkenburg square Heuvelland GaiaZOO (rolling hills) Gulpen Bonnefanten GERMANY Eijsden Vaals museum Aachen Drielandenpunt (tri-border point) BELGIUM 2 #visitzuidlimburg Welcome to Zuid-Limburg Zuid-Limburg is the southernmost and sunniest region of The Netherlands! Zuid-Limburg borders on Germany in the east and on Belgium in the south and west. As the centre of this border triangle, Germany – The Netherlands – Belgium, Zuid-Limburg boasts a boundless diversity in a small area. Its many attractive destinations and sights, make Zuid-Limburg a popular tourism destination. There is something there to suit every traveller, whether young or old, interested in sports or recreational activities. We invite you to relax and unwind, get active and to explore! Just as you like it best. In Your travel guide you will find all the inspiration and information that helps you make the most of your visit. Have fun! 3 Must do’s in Zuid-Limburg Different from the rest Hiking and cycling region of The Netherlands The Zuid-Limburg region is a true To the south, Zuid-Limburg borders on paradise for hikers and cyclists. the foothills of the Ardennes (Belgium), The hilly landscape features old High Fens (Belgium), and Eifel (Germa- sunken lanes, open plateaus and idyllic ny). This gives the region its character, woodlands. Along the way, picturesque which is not typical for the Netherlands villages and authentic towns alternate. at all; Zuid-Limburg’s wide and gently Our natural environment offers a variety rolling hills are in strong contrast with of possibilities for cycling, mountain the otherwise thoroughly flat Dutch biking, running and horse riding. landscape! 4 #visitzuidlimburg Discover it all! Check visitzuidlimburg.com Highest and narrowest part and border triangle! The Vaalserberg, with its 322.5 metres Breweries and vineyards the highest point of The Netherlands, is Zuid-Limburg has a great beer and located on a border triangle, named the wine culture. It’s not without reason Drielandenpunt. The borders of Germa- that you can find a number of large ny, Belgium and The Netherlands meet and small, high- quality breweries here. here. Additionally, here you can also find They will be happy to show you the the narrowest part of The Netherlands, craft of beer brewing. The often- Echt-Susteren, which borders to the traditional settings make a visit to westernmost point of Germany, the the Zuid-Limburg breweries extraor- Westzipfelpunkt. dinary. Thanks to the excellent marl soil and the good summers in recent A region full of attractions years, wine-growing is well possible in Zuid-Limburg is home to many top Zuid-Limburg. Visit one of the many international attractions such as vineyards and taste it for yourself! SnowWorld, GaiaZOO, Mondo Verde, Columbus Earth Theater and much more. There is so much to experience! Take a discovery tour to the historical and modern sights in beautiful Zuid- Limburg. 5 Marl & Caves Relax and unwind The marlstone quarrying in Zuid-Lim- Zuid-Limburg is the best place to relax burg resulted in a 250 kilometres long and unwind. Its natural beauty, many network of subterranean corridors. facilities and friendly inhabitants with a In this unique environment you now genuine interest in others, make this the can enjoy cave biking, laser gaming and ideal place to slow down. That certainly even culinary delights. When visiting does not mean sitting still and doing in winter, do not miss out on the nothing. It means consciously indulging enchanting, world famous Christmas and allowing yourself peace and quiet, markets, that take place in the under- living a mindful life. ground caves. 6 #visitzuidlimburg More information? Check visitzuidlimburg.com The Source of Europe Due to its long, rich and Prehistoric farmers and band-ceramists above all eventful history, settled down in this area some 7,000 years ago, heralding Zuid-Limburg’s rich we also call our region ‘the history. Due to its rich, long and above Source of Europe’. For thou- all eventful history, we also refer to our sands of years Zuid-Limburg region as ‘Source of Europe’. After all, Zuid-Limburg and its surroundings have and its surroundings have been the source and core of this con- been the source and core of tinent’s history. Discover it for yourself and make an exciting journey through this continent’s history. time to the first farmers, Romans, knights and miners through our unique Experience history up close and watch Virtual Reality film (in Dutch) at the Visit the unique virtual reality film at the Zuid-Limburg Experience in Valkenburg. Visit Zuid-Limburg Experience. 7 Visit our historic cities Discover more cities and villages Check visitzuidlimburg.com/ discover Valkenburg Hidden between the moss-green hills, in the heart of the ‘Heuvelland’ nature Maastricht reserve, sparkles the marlstone town of Valkenburg. With its beautiful sur- Historical buildings and trendy design- roundings, caves and ruined castle it er shops. Majestic churches and cosy has been a landmark for over 130 years. pavement cafes. Spectacular festivals In winter, Valkenburg turns into the and spacious squares. Maastricht has it Christmas town of The Netherlands. all! It is with reason that Maastricht is a popular destination for both shopping and weekend breaks. 8 #visitzuidlimburg Heerlen Eijsden The city of Heerlen boasts an abun- The old village centre of Eijsden is lo- dance of art, culture and creativity. cated right along the river Maas (Meuse). Join a city walk and be amazed about On the quayside (Bat) beautiful monu- the amount of national and internatio- mental buildings are situated. The nal street art, visit its special cultural 'Diepstraat' street has a typical archi- events like Cultura Nova or enjoy an tectural style in this region, called the evening out in the local theatre, the Mosan Renaissance: features 17th and Parkstad Limburg Theater. 18th century mansions. Further south along the river Maas, Eijsden Castle Sittard boasts its freely accessible French gardens. Fancy combining a moment of reflec- tion with culture, history and a cosy Vaals historical city centre? Then Sittard is the place to be! Only even in the vibrant Around the border triangle you can city centre there are as many as five walk endlessly across the vast German, different places of worship within Belgian and Dutch forests. Here, you will a short distance of each other. And findEurope's largest maze, two lookout also enjoy the good life on Sittard’s towers and the highest point of The historical market square, one of Netherlands. Cities like Aachen (Aix-la- Limburg’s best hidden gems! Chapelle), Liège and Maastricht are only a stone’s throw away. 9 Endless miles of footpaths Discover all routes! Check visitzuidlimburg.com/ to-do Hiking is a popular leisure activity in The Netherlands. There’s a simple but perfect The individual routes are between 2 guiding system with colour- and 20 kilometres long and take you through the most beautiful parts of the ed wooden waymarkers for region. Detailed hiking maps provide a carefree hike, while taking visitors with useful information and in Limburg’s beautiful hilly interesting facts about Zuid-Limburg. landscape. 10 #visitzuidlimburg Themed walks → Panorama Route 14,5 km Schinnen There are also themed guided walks, concentrating on flora and fauna or on Hiking map code: SC08 monuments and cultural sights. There is This versatile route includes everything something for every taste. that makes Zuid-Limburg fun. Centuries- old castles, convivial pavement cafes, The most scenic hike authentic half-timbered houses, chur- ches, lush hillside forests and rolling → The river Geul 5,9 grasslands. You will come across them km from the village of all on this hike, in the beautiful surroun- Mechelen to Epen dings of the village of Schinnen. Hiking map code: Wi20 → Special estate 4,3 Zuid-Limburg at its best! The babbling Buitengoed km river Geul is one of Limburg’s jewels. Geul & Maas On this hike you follow the course of this stream from the village of Mechelen Code Wanderkarte: Va15 to Epen. A real valley hike with little dif- Imagine yourself in a different world, ference in altitude and cosy pubs on the on this hike between the hamlet of way for a great pint of Limburg beer! Houthem and the town of Valkenburg. Enjoy the babbling sound of the river Geul, winding through the valley, but- terflies fluttering amongst the diverse vegetation, and Château St. Gerlach, exuding noble class. 11 Cycling in Zuid-Limburg Find out more! Check visitzuidlimburg.com/ to-do The Netherlands is a popular cycling holiday destination and venue for various cycling The cycle paths in Limburg are wide events. and everywhere, the sign posting is perfect and the entire infrastructure is geared to the needs of cyclists. The hills and the varied landscape provide new spectacular views around every bend in the road, fantastic views of the River Maas plains and impressive panoramas of three countries. 12 #visitzuidlimburg Cycle route Cycle racing junction network The excellent cycling infrastructure Zuid-Limburg was the first region of the offers racing cyclists ideal training Netherlands where the so-called cycle opportunities, such as the many paved route junction network was developed roads to the various hills: the Cauberg for hobby cyclists. Every cyclist can (140 m) in Valkenburg, the Keutenberg plan his or her individual route with (167 m) in the village of Schin op Geul the help of the corresponding numbers and the Eyserbosweg (190 m) in the that are assigned to the route, and then village of Eys.