Valkenburg aan de Geul
Valkenburg aan de Geul, the multifaceted marl town, is one of the most enchanting places of the
It’s a charming, exuberant, extremely varieted and above all very cosy city.
The river Geul flows right through the centre of Valkenburg, where it appears more like a mountain stream than a river, it's fast flowing and has changeable water levels.
This cosy city has very much to offer so one week is not enough to see everything there is.
The centre of Valkenburg aan de Geul is especially renowned for its hospitable and touristic character, for its cosy restaurants, coffee houses and terraces.
There are also the many boutiques and welcoming shops, which are often located in interesting historic buildings.
The compact inhabited area of the town is cradled, as it were, by several areas of outstanding natural beauty that are unique to the 
So it’s nice to do one of the many walking-or cycling routes there are of this beautiful town.
But there is more!
Valkenburg aan de Geul is sometimes popularly called “
As a result of marlstone quarrying now there is a network of underground corridors that, these days, is over 250 km long. In Valkenburg, or to be precise, under Valkenburg, you find a truly fascinating world.
These caves are home to a number of attractions and in it a variety of events is staged, such as the famous Christmas Markets in the Municipal-and
On foot the tour takes about an hour, by train about half an hour.
I took the train, because in the Fluweelen caves, there was no train, I liked it both, but I preferred the train, because it was very very cold in the caves.
The chairlift of Valkenburg offers a magnificent view of Valkenburg. It takes you to the toboggan run and the Wilhelmina tower. The Wilhelmina tower offers an even more superb view of the town centre and the Geuldal (Geul valley).
The
Right in the middle of Valkenburg lies the only hilltop fortress the 
The castle ruins constitute one of the many proofs of the rich and buzzing past of this town.
A tangible past that goes back as far as the Middle Ages.
It’s near the Fluweelen caves, there is a combination possible to a two tickets in one for these two attractions.
Also very interesting is the “Steenkolenmijn” ( coal mines).
There you see a unique film from 'De Staats Mijnen' (DSM). This film will gives you a good insight into all aspects of mining.
Fascinating After the film, a former miner guides you through the world of coal extraction. You experience the hard, but impressive world of the miners. It's as though you are travelling through time.
Each visit is different
Fourteen former miners, with a wealth of underground experience work in the coal mine as guides. Each guide tells his own story.
If you like to go back in history for a moment, you can, by making a steam railway trip.
It's a nice way to enjoy the views of the sloping landscape from this nostalgic train.
Originally, it was a rail track for transporting coal. The name 'Miljoenenlijn' comes from the fact that the construction cost 1 million gulden (equivalent to 500000 €) per km of track.
It was sold in 1995 to the ZLSM (Zuid Limburg Stoom trein Maatschappij)
For kids there is an amusements park called “De Valkenier” and there is also a fairy-tale forest called “Sprookjesbos” with moving fairy tales figures.
It’s not alone for kids, I liked it also very much, because I still believe in fairytales.
Fantasy helps you through reality, if you see the wonder of a fairy tale; you can take the future even if you fail.
So this was my story about Valkenburg, not a fairy tail, but a week in Valkenburg can be like a Fairy tail, there is a lot to see and to do, but the fairy tail you have to make it yourself.
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