Maastricht curls around the Meuse at the narrow waist of the Netherlands, closer to Belgium and Germany than to the rest of its own country. Locals sometimes joke that it feels more Burgundian than Dutch, and the evidence is on the plate and in the glass: vlaai, a fruit pie from Limburg, and cafes that stay lively long after midnight. It is the oldest city in the Netherlands, founded by the Romans as Trajectum ad Mosam, the crossing of the Meuse, and the stone bridge that replaced theirs still carries pedestrians.
History is layered here. The Basilica of Saint Servatius holds the relics of an early bishop, and the Basilica of Our Lady, Romanesque and calm, sits a short walk away. A medieval Dominican church has become one of the world's most photographed bookshops, with shelves climbing the nave. In 1992 the Maastricht Treaty, which created the European Union as we know it, was signed in the city. Under Sint Pietersberg, the hill to the south, old marl quarries form a labyrinth of tunnels that has sheltered both people and art in war.
Riding here is gentle but charming. The Netherlands is flat almost everywhere except this corner, where the land lifts into the Heuvelland, a rolling region of orchards and sunken lanes around Valkenburg. The Cauberg there is known to cycling fans from the Amstel Gold Race. The roads are narrow, tidy and well signed, and the bends are easy. Dutch police are strict and speed cameras are frequent, so keep the throttle polite and enjoy the view of half-timbered farms and fields of fruit.
From Maastricht you can slip across to the Belgian Ardennes or the German Eifel within an hour. Fuel is easy: the city is large and stations sit around the ring road and the motorway. In town, park in a garage and walk; the centre is a maze of one-way streets, and bikes can be tricky to park on cobbles.
The best months are May and September, when terraces are open and the hills are green.