If you are visiting Maastricht with kids in tow Speeltuin Fort Willem is an amazing place to visit. It’s built inside the remains of a fort from the 1800s and has a fantastic mixture of activities for kids.
Cost of entry
Entry costs €2 for for kids and adults alike. The staff are friendly and helpful and although we speak no Dutch and they spoke no English there was no problem getting in.
Splash pool
In the hot Maastricht summer the kids can cool off by sliding into the pretty substantial splash pool from the awesome slide. The sides of the pool have plenty of hoses and splash buckets to keep them entertained.
Younger children are safe in the smaller splash pool. This is shaded and the slides and hoses are a bit less intense.
The water in both splash pools is cool and clean and although there is no life guard or supervision the kids are well behaved.
Wooden adventure fort
The wooden fort in the far left corner is built on two levels in a sturdy ye olde style. The mixture of walkways, huts to hide in, rope bridges and a massive tunnel slide is massive fun.
The fort leads to its own adventure garden hidden in the trees. This has a various climbing challenges and a pond to cross by a wooden balance beam.
Sand and water
In the middle left hand side of the park there is a sand and water play area which is shaded from the sun.
It’s mostly for younger kids to make a mess in a safe and shady place.
This has various tubs, water pumps and tables to fill with sand and wash out with water.
Play park
The rest of the park is filled with a variety of other play equipment. The range of equipment is enormous and the amount of fun is just as enormous.
Snack shop
The snack shop has a basic supply of ice creams, pop, beers sweets and some hot food like toasties. They take both cash and cards.
The two favourites for my children were the human hamster wheel and the giant jumping pillow. The park is huge and there is always some free equipment so waiting for a turn is rare.
There are plenty of picnic tables to have your snacks and drinks. A small section are shaded by the tall old trees while the rest have parasols to keep the sun off.
Toilets and changing
The toilet and changing hut is basic but clean and functional.
Access and parking
The park is accessed from Cabergerweg which is a main road. The turn off for the park isn’t very well signposted (we did 3 laps before we found it). You can’t see the park from the road as the trees and the forts walls keep it well hidden. When you turn off the road the entrance is on the far right on the opposite side of the road to the car park.
The car park is quite cheap but the machine only takes coins or a limited selection of cards. VISA and AMEX don’t work which is quite a common thing in the Netherlands. We had to pay for the park with euro notes then go back to pay at the parking meter.
Summary
It really is an awesome place to spend a day. The play equipment is safe and fun, the splash pool is clean and the kids are well behaved. I would really recommend visiting here if you are looking for a cheap and very fun day out.
Contacts:
Address: Kastanjelaan 50 6217 SB Maastricht
email: info@speeltuinfortwillem.nl
website: http://speeltuinfortwillem.nl