I will be in Aachen in a few weeks and noticed it's right next to the Belgian border. Has anyone ever been to Maastricht or Liege and is there much to entice me over the border. Unfortunately, I will only be in Europe a few days, as I would love to have the time to go to Brugge or Brussels.

Aachen has a pleasant pedestrianised town centre, and a cathedral that is central to our understanding of Europe. Liege is a great city, French in feeling. Maastricht has a Catholic, Baroque, southern European feel. <BR> <BR>Bruges is three hours from Aaachen by train, so a day visit is within reach. For example, leave Aachen 0714, change Brussels Midi 0907 to 0931, Bruges 1026. Then Bruges 1559, Aachen 1856, or hourly until Bruges 1859, change at Brussels Midi, Aachen 2211. <BR> <BR>All these trains have buffet cars or refreshment trolleys. <BR> <BR>Please write if I can help further. Welcome to Europe. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines, London <BR> <BR>Fodors <BR> <BR>

Thumbs up for Maastricht. I've never been to Liege - - sounds like I would like it; I liked Louvain (Leuven). <BR> <BR>To be in Aachen and not to go see der Koelner Dom (the Cologne Cathedral), would be a little bit like being near Paris, and never going to see the Eiffel tower, IMO. I know there will likely be a variety of opinions on what (if any other) reasons there are to go to Cologne, but this was an achievement in architecture (tallest in the world before the Eiffel tower) that boggles the imagination. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex

FYI--I have been to the Dom in Cologne and it was wonderful. This trip, I plan on spending a day in Cologne to see the museums and drink their excellent beer.

Frankly I would forget Liege. I was there for a week in July '97 for a conference, and there aren't many attractions, certainly nothing to compare to the cathedral in Aachen, or Bruge or Bussels. Much of Liege was rebuilt after WW II.

Two snaps up for Maastricht; pretty little town, not so overrun with tourists (at least it wasn't a few years ago). There are marl caves nearby which are intriguing.