Margraten

Margraten is a village in South Limburg, the southern most region of the Dutch province of Limburg. This town of 3,400 people (2021) is on the main road between Maastricht and Aachen. It is mostly known for the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial. As there's not all that much else to see or do, most people come here on a daytrip. Nonetheless, there are some options to stay and eat.

Understand
The military cemetery of Margraten is the 3rd largest World War II cemetery for unidentified soldiers in Europe and the final resting ground for no less than 8301 American soldiers. Many of the graves have been adopted by locals, who attend to the white marble crosses and sometimes place flowers. The American president George W. Bush visited the Margraten cemetery in May 2005. Although visits by other Americans, both relatives and former army comrades of the deceased used to be common, the number of people that comes here has decreased heavily over time.

The town itself is part of the municipality of Eijsden-Margraten. Other major population centers in this community include Cadier en Keer, Noorbeek, Mheer and Sint Geertruid.

Get in
Margraten is on the main road from Maastricht to Aachen, and therefore easily reachable over the N278 from both directions. Bus line 50 will bring you here from Maastricht, Vaals or Aachen. The military cemetery is served by many buses, including line 50, but also line 150 (Gulpen-Maastricht) and line 48 to Valkenburg.

There is no train station.

The nearest airport is Maastricht-Aachen Airport, which receives only a few international discount carriers. Better options are Cologne airport (about 1 hr. away), Dusseldorf airport (1.5 hr) or even Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (3 hr).

Get around
There's not all that much to see apart from the cemetery. The town itself is small enough to explore on foot. The cemetery is about 1,5km out of the village centre, along the main road. Walking there is easy, but it also has its own bus stop called Militair Kerkhof, served by a range of bus lines. Line 50 can take you from the main road bus stop near the village centre to the entrance.

Buy
Most relevant shops are concentrated in the heart of town, roughly around the Amerikaplein. They offer all daily travel needs, including groceries, clothing and books.

Go next
Margraten is a 15-minute drive from Maastricht and equally close to Valkenburg. Gulpen is the next stop on the main road to Vaals and the German city of Aachen, which is just a half hour by car.