Hello.

Any recommendations on German towns or cities not too far from the Dutch border. We'll be staying in Amsterdam. Will have already travelled a great deal prior to arrival in Amsterdam, so wouldn't want to go too far.

Thanks in advance.

Ross.

Maastricht is a nice city to visit, and right across the boarder is Aachen. Both are larger cities. Monschau is a wonderful little village with a great setting in the valley. Well worth a visit. Great during Christmas time.

To the top, please.

Maastricht is a very good choice.

What is your unstated objective? Is it more than to just say you have been to a german town? Not being critical with the question.

Will you have a car or are you relying on trains? If you have a car, how far are you willing to drive (two hours? three?) Are you interested in day or overnight trips?

I only spent an overnight there, so I cannot tell you about things to se in the area, but a cool place to stay is the Parkhotel Wasserburg-Anholt. A delightful castle-hotel (upscale) with a real moat - - swans swimming in it - - and all the trappings. They have theior own museum, but I did not go in (left before it opened).

Best wishes,

Rex

I will be relying on trains for transportation. I have already been to Germany twice; Cologne and Heidelberg. I was just thinking of something additional to do during my stay in the area. I have already visited Amsterdam as well, but will be there for a few days with someone who has not.

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

Ross.

Maastricht is (I think) in Belgium. Enjoyed both it and Aachen. While in the Amsterdam area I would suggest a visit to the Kroller-Muller Museum. It was built in the 30's but is quite modern. You can go by combo train/bus. Just tell the clerk at the train station you wish to go to the Kroller-Muller museum and he will sell you the ticket combo. There are free bikes. The museum is in the woods. CJ

Maastricht is in the Netherlands but close to the Belgian border and its atmosphere is more Belgian than Dutch IMO.

Myriam, don't you mean that Maastricht is more French than Dutch? I found that part of Belgium is more French than France - including their attitude. I loved Maastricht BTW and think that Aachen would be a great border town to visit - full of history and quite cosmopolitan.

I don't know whether Muenster is too far away from the border for your travelling plans.
Closer to the border is Kevelaer if you're religious or interested in churches (it's a place of pilgrimage).

I agree with Dutch re Aachen, the city of Charlemagne. Lovely town, full of history.

Thanks for all of the responses so far. Anyone else?

Ross.

Maastricht is certainly Dutch, but to Dutch people it has a "foreign" feel to it. Do try to visit; it is a very charming town, and not too big. Have you been to Antwerp? Very easy to do from Amsterdam too.

If you plan on going to Maastricht it's good to know that actually there's a lot of road construction works going on. Also the Vrijthof square is under construction and that's the most relaxed place of Maastricht IMO. Because of the works the town doesn't look too clean right now. Works won't be finished before the end of this year.

We made an impromptu stop in Kleve (Germany) last year - just over the border from Arnhem near Emmerich - and had a peek at the nearby Roman ruins in Xanten. Unfortunately, both these towns can only be accessed by train via Duisburg and a car is most convenient. You might look into Muenster or Duesseldorf as train destinations.