← Maastricht Marathon·Day trip

Liège: A Sculpted Station and a Hill of Steps After Maastricht

A cross-border train to a Walloon city with a white-ribbed Calatrava station, a riverside museum and a famous flight of steps.

DurationDay trip
TransitTrain from Maastricht to Liège-Guillemins, about 35 to 45 minutes
DepartsMaastricht Centraal

After the Maastricht Marathon: Liège

The Route: Maastricht → Liège → Maastricht Logistics: Train across the border, about 35 to 45 minutes each way, with a handful of services a day. Check NS and SNCB for the current timetable. Liège-Guillemins is a 15-minute walk or a short bus from the centre. Marathon Month: May Duration: Day trip

Maastricht ──(35-45 min, train)──> Liège-Guillemins
     ^                                   │
     └──────(35-45 min, train)───────────┘

The station at Liège-Guillemins looks like a ship's rib cage that has been given a coat of white paint. Santiago Calatrava designed it, it opened in 2009, and the glass-and-steel vault is larger than most cathedrals. It is the first thing you see after leaving the platform, and it explains why people take this train for a day.

Check the current timetable before you go. A single is paid at the station or in the SNCB or NS apps, and a cross-border ticket may be cheaper than two separate ones.

May in Liège: daytime highs are about 16°C to 19°C, with sun and the odd shower. The city is hilly, so dress for variable weather. Check museum opening days, because Monday closures are common.

Day Trip: Liège

From the station, a flat walk of about 1.5 kilometres leads to the Meuse, and a longer riverside path is paved and level. The Boverie museum, in a restored 1905 exhibition palace in a park on an island in the river, is a short, flat walk from the Guillemins area. Entry is around €10 and prices vary, so use the figure as a guide only. It has lifts and seating, and it is a calm place for an hour. Check the current opening days.

The Montagne de Bueren is a flight of 374 steps climbing from the old town, and it is the famous thing to do. Skip it today. A flat alternative is the Place Saint-Lambert and the lanes of the Carré district, the old centre, where cafés and bars cluster. Sunday and Monday closures are common, so check before you walk far.

Lunch is a Liège waffle, dense and caramelised, sold from stands in the centre, or a plate of boulets à la liégeoise, meatballs in a sweet-sour sauce, with frites. Order the sauce on the side if your stomach is unsettled.

The Palais des Princes-Évêques, a large old palace with courtyards, is open to walk through and gives an easy flat hour.

Return to Guillemins in the late afternoon for a train back to Maastricht. Check the last train before you plan dinner.

Getting to the airport

Liège Airport is small. Most visitors fly from Brussels (BRU), reached from Liège-Guillemins by train in about 1 hour 15 minutes. Check the SNCB planner.