Valkenburg aan de Geul is a nice city close toMaastricht, in the southern province ofLimburg, in theNetherlands. It is a place where to spend a day close to other places such as Maastricht.
Personally I\’ve been several times to this town, and many times also to the unique Christmas market. I discovered also that it is rated as one of theCNN’s 15 of the best places around the world to goand got theaward asEuropean Capital of Christmas in 2018for cities up to 100,000 people and honestly I agree with that. TheKerststad Valkenburg (Christmas Town Valkenburg)was an incredible surprise. Follow me!
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In this little tour, you will have also the possibility to visit the city besides the Christmas tour. You can get there by train or by car, but if you want to park please consider to park at least at 500 meters far from the city center, since the parking cost per hour is quite expensive (1,90 Euros per hour) and it won´t be easy to find parking space.
If you go by car fromMaastrichtto Valkenburg, you can find a typical Dutch landscape with a windmill, even if it’s not the typical Limburg or “Euregio” landscape.
Now it’s time to access to the Kerststad, that means the Christmas town, between beautiful palaces and Christmas lights.
Shops, cafes and restaurants are decorated and designed with Christmas items: I want to advice you this beautiful shop.
1)Now it\’s time to start the real Christmas market tour, starting from the wonderful Winterwonderland Valkenburg and the Kerstal in de Grot (Nativity scene in the cave). the largest underground Nativity Scene in Europe. You can find it in the Kerststal Wilhelminagrot. Every year the exposition changes. Here you could see the Magic Sand from 2014. For more info about opening times and tickets please checkhere.
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2) After the Winterwonderland and the Kerstal in de grot, another great Christmas market is represented by theGemeentegrot Christmas Market(Municipality Cave), the largest and oldest underground Christmas Market in Europe. It is really huge. Here you can see some of the main pictures of this cave. Also for more info about tickets and opening times you can checkhere
3)Another impressive Christmas market is represented by the Fluweelengrot or Christmas Market Velvet Cave. Since the Municipality Cave is the largest, personally I found this smaller one more precious and interesting. You can enjoy the impressive mural paintings, sculptures, the unique 18th century chapel and of course market stalls. For opening times and tickets please check outhere.
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4) The Mergerlrijk is an ancient marl quarry where you can see beautiful marl statues and sand-sculptures. Here you can learn about the history of the caves in Limburg, of Valkenburg how people lived there the last centuries and got shelter during the WWII. During Christmas time you will see also the Christmas village miniatures. I recommend it to visit it as it is worthy. For more info, please clickhere.
5) Another interesting place where to go is theSanta’s Village, especially for its Christmas tree, the Europe\’s largest singing tree with 5000 lights, Christmas balls and dozen of candles. Then you have the classic German-style wooden shops, but honestly they are not that worth.
Close to the Santa’s Village you can also find the beautiful tourist office, the VVV with an interesting group of statues.
And then? Well you can have a walk around and enjoy the city and its lights during the night.
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6) Extra tip: if you are visiting the Valkenburg Christmas Town on Wednesday at 7pm and on Saturday at 7.30 pm you can also enjoy the Christmas Parade. Please go there like 30 minutes before to take a decent spot along Pelerinstraat or Dr. Erensplein.
Travel tips:
I would recommend to spend an entire day, since you could spend a lot of time in visiting the caves. If you want to make it shorter, I would recommend a stroll in the city during the night, the Fluweleengrot, the Winterwonderland and the Mergelrijk.
Please avoid the Santa’s factory: it is promoted but it is not worth a visit.
Valkenburg has also two interesting attractions: theThermae 2000, a wellness complex, and thecasino. I’ve been several times to the Thermae 2000 and I love this spa, but never ever to the casino, since I don’t want to lose money in a place where the casino almost always wins.
Surroundings:
Cities: do not miss the beautiful city ofMaastricht, capital of the region and the stunningAachen, in Germany.
Christmas markets: if you want to visit the Christmas markets of the three countries, please check this post. I recommend in particular to visit the ones in Cologneand Aachen.
Outdoor activities: ideal as starting point for i.e. hiking, mountain and road biking as it is located in the middle of the Heuvelland, the only hill region of the Netherlands. If you want to discover the best hiking trails, do not miss this post.
You can also visit the castle ruins: the only castle upon hill in the Netherlands
Where to eat: I found a nice cafè with affordable prices and decent food, thePub Henry VIII.
How to get to Valkenburg: you can find the relevant informationhere. However, the best way to reach Valkenburg is by train or car
Where to sleep:
If you are on a budget, I would recommed theHotel Sonnenblick, 49 Euros per night per double room.
Mid-range budget: I would recommend you theHotel Vroenhof, approximately 100 Euros per night per double room.
For “luxury” travellers, theChateau St. Gerlachcan be a great option, since you will sleep in a castle: the price is around 210 Euros per double room and per night.
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I really wish we had magical Christmas markets like this in the U.S. Thanks for sharing this – I generally only knew the German Christkindlmarkts, but would love to visit these caves! Buon Natale, Marco! ~ David
Thanks a lot David and welcome back here! Because of a full time job I could not write many posts,but I'm back too. I'm so used to the German markets that this one was a total discovery also for me too. Tanti auguri di buon Natale e felice anno nuovo anche a te! 🙂
Thanks for the great info. If we don't have enough time and have to pick between these 2 cities.. which one would you recommend – The beautiful city of Maastricht, capital of Limburg or the stunning Aachen, in Germany.
Diaries of an explorer 
I really wish we had magical Christmas markets like this in the U.S. Thanks for sharing this – I generally only knew the German Christkindlmarkts, but would love to visit these caves! Buon Natale, Marco! ~ David
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Thanks a lot David and welcome back here! Because of a full time job I could not write many posts,but I'm back too. I'm so used to the German markets that this one was a total discovery also for me too. Tanti auguri di buon Natale e felice anno nuovo anche a te! 🙂
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Thanks for the great info. If we don't have enough time and have to pick between these 2 cities.. which one would you recommend – The beautiful city of Maastricht, capital of Limburg or the stunning Aachen, in Germany.
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I would choose Maastricht during the year, but if you want are into Charles Magne and Xmas markets I recommend you Aachen
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Thank you! We ended up visiting both places . Love Aachen Xmas market and the BookstoreDominicanen in Maastricht
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You are welcome 😉
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