Cycling through the Roman past of South Limburg

The route starts in Maastricht. Here the Via Belgica used to cross the Meuse with the only bridge in the area. A settlement and later a fortress arose around the bridge, the foundations of Maastricht as we know the city today. Also visit the Roman temple in the basement of Hotel Derlon or download the MaastrichtAR app.

The route then takes you to Valkenburg aan de Geul. Here, at the Roman Catacombs, the Via Belgica has been excavated. The Catacombs in the city give a glimpse into how people were buried in Roman times. But the remains of a Roman guard post (on the Goudsberg) that could look out over the South Limburg countryside for miles were also found here.

At Villa de Proosdij you experience life as it was in Roman times. In this historic villa you can walk through Roman gardens, enjoy Roman dishes and meet the ancient Roman chicken.

In the Roman Catacombs in Valkenburg you will get to know another side of the Roman era. Here, ancient crypts from Rome have been recreated with beautiful frescoes.

Then you cycle towards Heerlen. In the center of Heerlen you will find the largest Dutch archaeological monument, the Thermenmuseum. In Roman times there was a large bathhouse on this site at the intersection of the Via Belgica with a north-south route. With the excavations in this area, some Roman inhabitants of Heerlen have been found, such as an ophthalmologist and a potter. All finds are displayed in the museum. In addition to this museum, you can also visit the city archive where you can find a lot of information about the Romans in South Limburg.

Heerlen is currently working hard on the development of a true Roman Quarter. From Heerlen you can consider deviating from the cycling route to visit Kerkrade, Simpelveld and Bocholtz. These villages have the high density of Roman villas. You can also get to know Villa Rolduc (Kerkrade), the sarcophagus of Bocholtz and the Lady of Simpelveld.

You cycle past Eygelshoven towards the end point of this cycle tour, the village of Rimburg, where you will find an old street village, or vicus. In Rimburg you will find another archaeological find, a grave of a rich Roman woman.
Click here for more information about this cycling route.

You can find more information about the cycling route here.

If you have any comments about the route, please report them to routepunt@visitzuidlimburg.nl.

A complete bicycle junction map with all South Limburg junctions in this region can easily be ordered via www.visitzuidlimburg.nl/webshop.