Maastricht
Today’s Maastricht is a city of culture, learning and business. Besides Maastricht is one of the three leading conference cities in the Netherlands. Maastricht is the oldest, most Southern city in the Netherlands and has a population of 125,000. With a history stretching back some 2,000 years ago, the Romans, Spaniards, French and Germans have all left their mark in Maastricht. Maastricht has been the crossroads of cultures and trade for thousands of years.
The old buildings are joined by renovated buildings, museums, bridges, an art university and districts where new architecture is combined with the old. The city treasures its past and new buildings are designed to fit into and respect the existing old architecture. In Maastricht a culinary lifestyle dominates. Food, wine, dine and enjoy are keywords in Maastricht and surroundings. There are a lot of restaurants (quite a few of them with Michelin stars), bars and terraces, affordable for any budget, and always with fine quality.
MECC Congress Venue
The Maastricht Exhibition & Congress Centre (MECC) is an ultramodern, dynamic organisation that organises and provides accommodation for fairs, conferences and major cultural and sporting events. The newly renovated congress centre consists of three multi-functional floors which can all be reached from the registration area.
The upgrade and expansion of MECC Maastricht results in a brand new conference center allowing MECC and Maastricht to play an even larger role in the international conference and exhibition world.
Address details MECC MaastrichtForum 100
6229 GV Maastricht
Accessibility MECC Maastricht
By car
Signage to MECC is visible as soon as you reach the outer ring of Maastricht. Follow these signs until you reach the MECC car park. If you are travelling south on the A2/E25 motorway (from Amsterdam-Eindhoven), take exit 55 signed ‘Randwyck-MECC’. If you are travelling north on the A2/E25 motorway (from Paris-Liège) take exit 56 signed for ‘Gronsveld-MECC’.
Parking
Parking at MECC Maastricht is €4 per hour, with a maximum of €19 per calendar day. (First 30 minutes free). Please follow the signs 'P' upon arrival at the MECC.
Parking for people with disabilities is possible at MECC Maastricht in several parking spaces. On P4 (near the main entrance) there are 6 disabled parking spaces and in P1 there are 2 disabled parking spaces on each floor up to a total of 12. These are located directly next to the lift shafts. However, to be allowed to use these parking spaces, you need a disability card in order not to get a ticket.
You can also make a reservation for your parking ticket already via this link: MECC Parking reservation
By train
Maastricht has three railway stations, Maastricht North, Maastricht Central Station and Maastricht Randwyck Station. Maastricht-Randwyck station is located 250 meters from MECC Maastricht and is part of the national and international railway network.
A train departs every 15 minutes from Maastricht Central Station to Maastricht – Randwyck and vice versa.
After arriving at the Maastricht-Randwyck station you walk in southerly direction, onto the Universiteitssingel. Take the first street on your right hand side, onto the Joseph Bechlaan. Continue on this street until the third street on your right hand side. Turn right and keep walking straight ahead, after two minutes you will see the MECC congress center.
By City Bus
You can use the city bus to visit the city in the evening and for your daily transportation between your hotel and the congress venue.
A city bus stops in front of MECC Maastricht every 10 minutes. The following lines stop in front of MECC Maastricht:
Bus 1 “De Heeg”: bus stop Forum
Bus 5 “Heugem”: bus stop Forum
Bus 15 "Eijsden": bus stop Forum
Bus 57 “Gulpen”: bus stop Forum
Travel to the Netherlands
By Air
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
International airport, flights arriving from and departing to worldwide destinations. Train / car / taxi to Maastricht take approximately 2.5 hours. From Amsterdam Schiphol airport you have three options to reach Maastricht by train, depending on the time your flight arrives. From Schiphol airport you can catch a direct train to Maastricht via Utrecht. This trains departs two times per hour. For the most up to date travel information please visit: www.ns.nl.
KLM shuttle bus
If you are flying with KLM, there is a KLM Bus Service available between Schiphol and Maastricht. To make use of this service, you should book a KLM ticket to your destination with Maastricht as the ending point. The KLM shuttle will take you efficiently and comfortable from Schiphol airport to the rearside of the Central Station in Maastricht (Meerssenerweg) or Maastricht Aachen Airport (Vliegveldweg).
Please note: the KLM shuttle can only be used if the service is visibly included on your ticket. The itinerary shown on your ticket should begin and/or end in Maastricht. If you have booked a KLM flight departing from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and you would like to depart from Maastricht using the shuttle bus service, you can contact KLM to add the KLM shuttle service to your booking, this is free of charge.
The KLM shuttle bus runs twice a day, if the bus has an unexpected delay, KLM will change your booking free of charges. the shuttle bus timetable is available at www.klm.com
Brussels Zaventem Airport
International airport, flights arriving from and departing to worldwide destinations. Train / car / taxi to Maastricht takes 60 minutes. The train station is located below the terminals, level -1. The train from Brussels Airport will take you to Leuven / Louvain where you can change trains to Liège. In Liège you can take a direct train to Maastricht. For the most up to date travel information please visit: www.nshispeed.nl.
Düsseldorf Airport
International airport, flights arriving from and departing to worldwide destinations. Car / taxi to Maastricht takes 1.5 hours. A train brings you from Düsseldorf Airport to Aachen Central Station. In Aachen you can take a direct bus from Aachen to Maastricht Central Station www.flixbus.com. For the most up to date train information please visit: www.nshispeed.nl.
Maastricht Aachen Airport
Flights to and from Bulgaria, Cape Verde, Croatia, Egypt, France, Gambia, Greece, Italy, Malta, Spain and Turkey. Bus / car / taxi to Maastricht takes 15 minutes. There is a bus connection between Maastricht Aachen Airport and Maastricht Central Station, www.arriva.nl.
Eindhoven Airport
Flights from over 80 European airports come and leave on a daily basis from Eindhoven. Train / car / taxi to Maastricht takes about 60 minutes. There is a direct train connection from Eindhoven Central Station to Maastricht Central Station. You can take bus 400 or shuttle 401 from Eindhoven Airport to Eindhoven Central Station, www.ns.nl.
Charleroi Airport
Flights from over 40 European airports come and leave on a daily basis from Brussels South - Charleroi Airport. Taxi to Maastricht takes 1 hour and 50 minutes. You can also use public transport to and from the airport which is located only 20 minutes from Charleroi South station. Once there, it is possible to take a direct bus (line A) to or from the airport. www.ns.nl.
Cologne-Bonn Airport
International airport, flights arriving from and departing to several worldwide destinations. Train connection to Maastricht takes approximately 2.5 hours, car / taxi to Maastricht takes about 1 hour. From Cologne you can take the train to Aachen. In Aachen you can take bus line from Aachen to Maastricht Central Station. For the most up to date train information please visit: www.bahn.de or www.flixbus.com.
Dusseldorf Weeze Airport
Alicante, Bologna, Edinburgh, Faro, London, Marseille, Milan, Pisa, Porto, Rome, Stockholm, Valencia. Car / taxi to Maastricht takes 1 hour. Shuttle bus to Venlo and subsequently train to Maastricht takes 2 hours. The shuttle bus to Venlo departs every two hours. It takes 35 minutes to go to Venlo. In Venlo you can take a train to Maastricht. To reserve tickets for the shuttle bus you visit: www.airport-weeze.de. To plan your journey from Venlo to Maastricht please visit: www.ns.nl.
By Train
Maastricht has three railway stations: North, Central and “Randwyck”.
From Central, you can walk into the city center. Many hotels are located within walking distance of this station. “Randwyck” is at just 250 meters from the congress centre MECC Maastricht. Also the Academic Hospital (MUMC+), Maastricht University, Maastricht School of Management, NH Hotel and Apart Hotel Randwyck are within walking distance of the “Randwyck” railway station.
Maastricht-Amsterdam (Schiphol)
From Amsterdam Schiphol airport you have three options to reach Maastricht by train, depending on the time your flight arrives. From Schiphol airport you can catch a direct train to Maastricht via Utrecht. This trains departs two times per hour. For the most up to date travel information please visit: www.ns.nl.
Eurostar
From London St. Pancras you can book a direct train service to Brussels via www.Eurostar.com. This journey takes three hours. In Brussels South (Brussels Midi) you need to change trains to Maastricht. You can book a ticket via www.nshispeed.nl. Total travel time is about 4 hours.
Thalys
From Paris you can travel to Maastricht by train in less than three hours (changing trains in Brussels or Liège). Information and reservations can be made at www.thalys.com and www.nshispeed.nl.
By Car
Maastricht is located on the E25 junction on the A2 motorway (Amsterdam-Brussels) and the A79 motorway (Liège-Aachen/Cologne) with good links to other European motorways. The conference centre is located directly on the E25/A2. Take the Randwyck/MECC/AZM turnoff and follow signs for MECC or MECC Parking.
From the north (Amsterdam, Utrecht, Eindhoven) E25/A2
From the west (Brussels, Hasselt) E40 > E25/A2 or E314/A2
From the south (Paris, Liège) E40 > E25/A2
From the east (Berlin, Düsseldorf, Köln/Bonn) A79
Useful Links
www.9292ov.nl
latest information on public transport in the Netherlands
www.ns.nl/reisplanner
Journey planner from Dutch railways (Nederlandse Spoorwegen)