TRAVEL GUIDE | CABANA TRAVEL | WORLD OF CABANA 


If you're heading to TEFAF Maastricht this year and wondering where to eat, shop and soak up culture beyond the fair, Valentin Loellmann has you covered. The Maastricht-born designer shares a highly curated personal guide to the charming Dutch city – from the cozy haunts of his student days, to the landscapes and industrial ruins that continue to inspire him today.

 

BY VALENTIN LOELLMANN | CABANA TRAVEL | 14 MARCH 2025

 

My Favorite Place to Stay: 

My own place of course! But for visitors to Maastricht I’d look at Chateau Sint Gerlach or their other venue Chateau Nercanne - both are a bit outside Maastricht, but they have this historic character to them, with creaking wooden floors and old paintings. They kept the character and magic of the old buildings, and are surrounded by what's left of the Dutch 'real nature' with hills and old trees inside the Heuvelland.

My Favorite Restaurant: Marres Kitchen

A part of the contemporary museum Marres House for Contemporary Culture, this kitchen was originally run by a young team who used to make snacks and drinks for events, then later it turned into a restaurant. The menu hasn't really changed since it opened, but at least I know what I want to order! They have a beautiful courtyard inside a garden that you don't often find in Maastricht, so I recommend to go on a warm day when you can sit outside and get lost in the other world of light and trees.

 

 

My Favorite Cozy Bar: Take Five 

This is a bar, Take Five, with a clothes shop, Traders Pop, next door (see below). I worked in the bar for five years both during and after my studies. I used to run the bar nights by myself and played jazz records that the owner collects.

My Favorite Shop: Traders Pop

Traders Pop, which was too expensive for me when I worked at the bar, has become the main source for my wardrobe. It always has cool things, music and people, like a kiosk where the community meets and certain styles are exchanged. One of the owners is behind the counter every day, with stories that last through generations. I really respect the three brothers that run it as they managed to build a community of young and old. Their bar and shop add so much to the city, which can be quite conservative. You can feel this energy when you are there or when you run into one of them. Without them, and their businesses, I might have left Maastricht after my studies.

 

 

My Favorite Thing to Do: Walking

Maastricht has beautiful hidden spots just a little bike ride out of the centre. There's the large cave systems with lots of history, reaching miles into the mountains. There's some industrial ruins, which have created beautiful landscapes and completely new ecosystems, and a few lakes to take a dive in, if it's warm enough. Maastricht itself is very charming, with its old centre and cute houses. It can get rather crowded as people love to come here for the weekend and sit on one of the many terraces.

My Favorite Museums and Galleries

Obviously we have TEFAF, which is really big. The pieces you can see and even buy there (if you can afford them!) are quite extraordinary. We also have the Bonnefanten Museum, which is the biggest one in Maastricht. I never really had a favorite museum, but I am building my own cultural centre at an old gas factory in the town. It is a foundation that will be open to the public, but it's really more about the energy of a place and the community that is centred around it. Art will be part of the foundation, and nature, but I don't like giving things name tags, it will just be part of the total experience. The foundation will open in 2030 and the first public building (a 200m squared pavilion with a pergola, next to the factory) will open this summer.

 

 

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Valentin Loellmann will be showcasing new work with David Gill Gallery at TEFAF Maastricht 15-20 March

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