Exploring Nature Around the Highest Part of the Netherlands

Morning! How is the hangover? Hope you are ok, but if not the fresh air today will lift your spirits up. Time to start the car and head over to the first destination of today!

Right next to the border with Germany, you will find the St. Benedictusberg Abbey. You are welcome to come in and see what an abbey is like from the inside. It's also allowed to take pictures, but you can't do it while the monks are in prayer and you can't take pictures of the monks without their permission. Also, keep in mind that this is a place of prayer, so try to keep silent during your visit.

Park your car here.

The best way to see where you are is from above. The Wilhelminatoren is a tower on the only existing mountain in the Netherlands, the Vaalserberg. Before this tower, another tower stood in its place. The first tower was made out of wood and consisted of six floors. It was named after the then Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and opened in 1905. During World War 1 a storm damaged the tower which resulted in tearing down the two top floors. After that the tower had to fight of artillery fire in the war and a lightning strike, only to get knocked down totally by human hands in 1945. But thing just weren't the same without the tower. A new tower was built. 20 meters tall. During the years people tried their best to keep the tower nice. But it took a lot of maintenance. After 65 years the tower was in such bad shape, that it had to be torn down again. In june 2011 a brand new tower opened its doors. This time it was not made out of wood, zo a bit stronger than the last two and also a bit taller, with a height of 35 meters. You can go up onto the skywalk where you can look down through the glass. If you don't like climbing stairs, don't worry, there is an elevator.

What's more fun than running through a maze? Nothing, right? You can do it here every day! The most fun of this labyrinth is that you can hit by beams of water that come out of the wall. So be careful not to get wet! If you haven't seen enough from above, you can go up the tower here as well.

There are a lot of places to eat nearby, but what if we tell you you can have your lunch in another country? That's right, from where you are, you can walk to Belgium to have some excellent Belgium fries. Why settle for the Dutch 'patat' when you can get the real deal, right?

After your delicious lunch, it's time to stretch your legs. It's a short walk to the famous 'drielandenpunt', the Three-Country Point. This is the place where Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany meet. It's quite unique. In the whole world, there are just 176 places where three countries meet. After you take your selfies, walk into the forest. You can pick any path, they are all well-marked. The surrounding area is covered with a beautiful forest. Take a deep breath to get some fresh air in your system. Taking a walk in the forest is also a great way to get away from the tourists. Especially in the summer months, it can be crowded here.

While you are walking around, don't forget to take a picture of the highest point in the Netherlands. Guess how high it is.
The highest point of the Netherlands is 322 meters above sea level to be exact! Not too impressive right? But remember that most part of the Netherlands is below sea level.

Time to get back to your car for the last part of your trip.

Park your car here.

You have arrived in Maastricht and you can have your dinner right here at De Maas. In the summertime, you can enjoy the terrace, but if it's too cold you can of course also eat inside the restaurant. The food is great, the staff is very friendly. Beware that the restaurant is closed on Tuesdays.

After dinner it is time to top of your trip with an evening in Maastricht. A beautiful city where you can enjoy a nice evening in one of the many cafés, take a romantic moonlight walk at the riverside or dance the night away. Just walk to this square and you will find yourself in the heart of the city.

Pick up your car