Roermond

Roermond is a city in the Dutch province of Limburg. Located at the point where the rivers Meuse and Rur meet, Roermond was a historically prominent town and a trade centre. It gained its city charter around 1231 and became the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Roermond in 1559. In the protected city centre you'll find today, many monuments and several churches remain, making Roermond an interesting town to visit. Its location along the so-called Maasplassen, a 3000-hectare area of lakes, streams and canals makes it a popular destination for water sports and also yachts, and it has a number of good marinas.

Understand
Roermond receives a large number of visitors every year, and is a rather well known destination for Dutch, German and to a lesser degree Belgian tourists. Apart from the water sports facilities and historic centre, this is also due to successful efforts to turn Roermond into a prime shopping centre for the larger region. The large Designer Outlet Centre, opened by McArthurGlen in 2001, alone draws in some 3.75 million visitors per year. The city centre has also been praised for its ample shopping facilities, and as shops are open on Sunday, Roermond draws in plenty of daytrip visitors from all directions, including many Germans.



By car
Roermond is well connected by road, and several major access roads have been upgraded or newly made in the past years. The A73 highway passes the town via tunnels, providing fast connections to the south (directions of Maastricht, joining the A2 after some 10 km) and north (direction of Nijmegen). There's a connection to Germany (direction of Düsseldorf) in the west via the A52. For the direction of Weert, Eindhoven and other north or north-west destinations, the provincial N280 road connects the centre of Roermond the A2. The N271, also a provincial road, is the best connection to Venlo.

By train


A slow train to Venlo (22 minutes) also runs twice per hour, stopping in Swalmen, Reuver and Tegelen. Also southbound there are 2 local trains per hour.

By bus
The bus station is at the train station, and serves as a starting and ending point for many lines circling the city and connecting it to nearby villages. Special bus connections are available to transfer shopping visitors from the town centre to the Outlet Centre, Retail Park and House and Garden Boulevard. Bus lines are operated by Veolia.

If you're flying in, Schiphol airport, Eindhoven airport and Maastricht-Aachen airport are all nearby. Alternatively, consider airports across the German border. Especially Düsseldorf is nearby and has many international flights.

Get around
Much of the old town is car-free. Here, it's easy to navigate on foot. There are a few parking garages, but alternatively, plenty of parking is available at the Designer Outlet Centre. From here, special buses run to and from the city centre, as well as to other shopping centres in and around Roermond.

See
The city's rich history and religious prominence is well visible through the many monumental buildings in the city centre. There's a wide selection of churches, chapels and abbeys, but also the historic city hall and a large number of monumental houses. Just strolling through the old town will allow you to see some of the best examples, but if you're really interested, a guided tour (to be booked ahead via the tourist office) is a good way to see the best of Roermond history. Some of the major sights include:



Eat
Plenty of restaurants are scattered throughout town, at the outlet centre and around the Maasplassen. In the city centre, the squares around the two main churches, the Munsterplein and Grote Markt, are both lined with restaurants and (in summer) outdoor terraces. The Munsterplein is especially attractive for an outdoor lunch. Or head to the Schuitenberg, Bakkerstraat, Zwartbroekstraat and Sint Christoffelstraat, which are also heavy on dining options and a good place to start looking.

Sleep
There are ample options to stay in the city but also in the surrounding area, varying from camping spots to luxurious castle rooms. Especially in high season, book in advance, as the most popular places do get full.

Stay safe
Roermond is notorius for having a high crime rate by Dutch (and even European) standards. You won't get shot, but muggings, burglaries, and assaults are significantly more frequent there than in other parts of the Netherlands. Be very careful when wandering outside the city centre.

Connect
The international telephone country code for the Netherlands is 31, the area code for Roermond is 0475. If dialling from abroad, use +31 but then leave out the 0 in the area code.

Free WiFi hotspot can be found in the railway station which is close to the city centre.

Go next
Düsseldorf in the German Ruhr area is close as well as the hills of South Limburg.