Located at the southern tip of Holland, Maastricht is well placed: next door to Liège and Aachen; two hours south of Amsterdam; and between Brussels and Düsseldorf, Luxembourg and Antwerp. Every year the forces of European art descend on the quiet town for the European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF), the most refined such event on the Continent. Here’s your insider’s guide to where to sleep, eat, drink and play.

Go:

TEFAF

WHAT: The grande dame of fine-art and antiques fairs, with more than 230 dealers and thousands of museum-quality works; best known for its Old Masters but also offering furniture, decorative arts and even some contemporary work.
WHEN: March 13–22, 2009.
WHERE: Maastricht Exhibition & Congress Centre, the Netherlands.
HIGHLIGHTS: The glam invitation-only preview party takes place on March 12. • Taking part for the first time this year are Galerie Boulakia (Paris), Haunch of Venison (London) and Yves Macaux (Brussels), all dealing in modern art; and Kraemer Antiquaire (Paris) and David & Constance Yates (New York), in the antiques section. In addition, seven young galleries will participate as part of TEFAF Showcase. • The Weiss Gallery of London will display the recently rediscovered Anthony van Dyck painting Saint Sebastian Bound for Martyrdom, circa 1622–23, which is priced around $8.9 million. • Hauser & Wirth will offer recent works by Louise Bourgeois. • Coinciding with TEFAF are programs of music and dance, including Raimund Hoghe’s Sacre—the Rite of Spring, choreographed to Stravinsky, on March 13, and Jazz Masters Maastricht, on March 20–22. • The food and service at Brasserie Fifth Avenue at the fair gets better and more efficient each year.
tefaf.com

Fly: OPENSKIES
There are daily flights between New York and Amsterdam on this business- and premium-class airline.
flyopenskies.com

Stay: CHÂTEAU ST. GERLACH
Heads of state and royals passing through the southern Netherlands prefer this grand château with 112 rooms and suites five miles outside Maastricht. Its elaborate gardens are popular with TEFAF-goers who want to shift gears after a day at the fair. “It’s nice to just get out of Maastricht, to have some change of scenery and some air,” says Sperone Westwater director David Leiber. The spa, indoor pool and two restaurants are incentives too.
1 Joseph Corneli Allee, Valkenburg aan de Geul
31-43/608-8888
RATES: $280–$540
chateauhotels.nl

GALERIE HOTEL DIS
Tucked away on a cobblestone street near a picturesque main square, Onze Lieve Vrouweplein, this charming six-room guesthouse has an art gallery on the bottom floor and provides a hearty breakfast in a breathtaking room with a Gothic vaulted ceiling.
28 Tafelstr.
31-43/361-7186
RATES: $180–$210
hoteldis.nl

HOTEL DERLON
In the lounge at this sleekly designed and centrally located 42-room property, European collectors sheathed in designer black sip cocktails over backlit, cube-shaped tables. London Old Masters dealer Johnny Van Haeften says he always has dinner at the hotel’s popular Dutch-French restaurant, Zes, “because it has a great chef and first-class food.” Ask about rooms in the overflow annex next door, Hotel Twee.
6 Onze Lieve Vrouweplein
31-43/321-6770
RATES: $260–$300
derlon.com

HOTEL LES CHARMES
An affordable, little-known hotel located in an 18th-century landmark building in the city’s center, les Charmes has 15 guest rooms decorated with antiques and oil portraits.
18 Lenculenstr.
31-43/321-7400
RATES: $165–$185
hotellescharmes.nl

KRUISHERENHOTEL
Although on the smaller side, each of the 60 rooms in this dramatic hotel (a former 15th-century monastery) has its own mural, as well as an interior by the renowned Dutch designer Henk Vos. William Noortman—son of one of the TEFAF founders and director of the famous local gallery Noortman Master Paintings, now owned by Sotheby’s—sends friends and collectors here during the fair. In the main res-taurant and in a magical inner courtyard are light installations by the German artist Ingo Maurer, including “UFO” chandeliers.
19–23 Kruisherengang
31-43/329-2020
RATES: $260–$500
chateauhotels.nl

 

Eat: BELUGA NEXT DOOR
The two-Michelin-starred Beluga offers “an incredible gourmet experience” in the old-fashioned sense, says Hugo Nathan, the president of Dickinson Roundell, in New York. It’s always booked solid, and luckily there’s the no-reservations Beluga Next Door, offering casual versions of such Beluga dishes as sweetbreads and summer truffles with Muenster and local apples.
12 Centre Céramique Plein 1992
31-43/321-3364

CAFÉ SJIEK
This restaurant is a favorite for its “local beer and flowing atmosphere,” says William Noortman. Come for traditional Maastrict dishes like zuurvlees, a sour stew cooked with vinegar, onions and gingerbread.
13 Sint Pieterstr.
31-43/321-0158

IL GIARDINO
This casual pizzeria is a favorite with fairgoers looking for a simple and relaxing meal at the end of a long day. “We all like it, and it’s packed every night” says the New York prints and drawings dealer David Tunick.
15 Onze Lieve Vrouweplein
31-43/325-6229

LE SALONARD
With only six tables and a set menu of French farmhouse cuisine that changes nightly, le Salonard is David Leiber’s favorite restaurant. “It’s a long, drawn-out meal, with fabulous food and incredible wines,” he says. Also check out their bakery across the street.
76 Hoogbrugstr.
31-43/351-0525

MOLO 5
The city’s trendiest upscale Italian restaurant is located in a cellar sunk beneath the Bassin, Maastricht’s small central harbor. Many people order the four-course menu, which changes frequently, but as at most restaurants, there will be a special TEFAF menu on offer.
5 Bassinkade
31-43/327-0033

RESTAURANT ROZEMARIJN
The sleek gray-and-brown Rozemarijn has an exclusive, cozy feel. “One of my favorites for wonderful local food,” says the art consultant and TEFAF board member Michel Witmer. You can talk comfortably over such dishes as coquilles with wild spinach, couscous and caramelized chicory.
19 Havenstr.
31-43/450-6505

TOINE HERMSEN
An open kitchen, candles and wood floors lend warmth and conviviality, but fans like Simon Dickinson return here for the serious seasonal cuisine, such as grilled langoustine with lobster risotto.
2–4 Sint Bernardusstr.
31-43/325-8400

WITLOOF
Losing sight of your meal is easy in Witloof’s riot of patterned ceramic tiles and wallpaper—the space won a national award for the up-and-coming designer Maurice Mentjens. Delicious Belgian dishes—mussels and fries; pepper steak—are served unceremoniously.
12 Sint Bernardusstraat
31-43/323-3538

See:

BONNEFANTEN MUSEUM
Designed by the late Italian post modernist architect Aldo Rossi, this unusual institution exhibits both Old Masters and contemporary work, as well as ancient artifacts from southern Holland that remind you, says Johnny Van Haeften, that “Maastricht was once Roman.” For the institution’s 125th-anniversary, exhibitions of early Italian art and the work of the Flemish painter Jacob Jordaens (1593–1678) open in March.
250 Ave. Céramique
31-43/329-0190
bonnefanten.nl

HEDGE HOUSE
Get inspired at this open-air sculpture gallery, housed in a small private castle 15 minutes outside town, which features works by the master Minimalist Donald Judd, among others. The grounds, designed by the architect Wiel Arets, are open to visitors most Thursdays and Fridays.
1 Kasteel Wijlreweg
31-43/450-2616
hedgehouse.nl

SUERMONDT-LUDWIG-MUSEUM
Located just across the German border, this museum features “a fantastic collection of early Netherlandish wood sculptures,” says Michel Witmer.
18 Wilhelmstr.
Aachen, Germany
49-24/147-9800
suermondt-ludwig-museum.de

Play: BOEKHANDEL SELEXYZ DOMINICANEN
The Dutch architectural firm Merkx+Girod’s update of an 800-year-old Dominican church houses a beautiful bookstore and the Coffee Lovers café. The Rijksmuseum director Wim Pijbes comes here to browse “the good art books” and admire the “very well-done architecture,” he says.
1 Dominikaner- Kerkstr.
31-43/321-0825

CLASS
In the past 15 years, Stokstraat has gone from a gritty red-light district to the city’s most exclusive shopping street, a place to find “great men’s stores and great shoes,” says Acquavella Galleries director Esperanza Sobrino. Dandies love Class for menswear from avant-garde designers like Dirk Bikkembergs.
17 Stokstr.
31-43/325-5831

KIKI NIESTEN
Find everything from Prada handbags to Dries Van Noten jackets at this store, named after its owner, a well-connected local personality. Across the street is Kiki2, a small sales outlet.
28–32 Stokstraat
31-43/321-6432
kikiniesten.nl

NATAN
Europe’s royals have been known to order from the Belgian clothier Édouard Vermeulen, whose prêt-à-porter line, Natan, features timeless designs in rich fabrics. “A great shop for classic styles,” says David Leiber.
10 Plankstr.
31-43/310-0622
natan.be