52.09° N · 5.12° E
The tallest church tower in the country, canals with wharves and cellars at water level, and the Miffy museum. Half an hour by train from Amsterdam.
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Tower · 1 h · The country's tallest church tower, always with a guide and by stairs. €13.50; €8.50 for ages 4 to 12; no bags.
Walk · 1 h 30 · Utrecht's two-level canal: the street above and, below, medieval wharves and cellars turned into terraces. Free.
Boat · 1 h or 1 h 30 · The Oudegracht, the canal houses and the Domtoren from the water, from the Viebrug. Daily, including winter; dogs welcome.
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
From April to October, with the Oudegracht wharf terraces open beside the water. The canal boat runs all year and the museums are also open in winter, most of them Tuesday to Sunday.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
Utrecht is half an hour by train from Amsterdam Schiphol airport, which has direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and nearly all the major Spanish cities. From the airport station there are direct trains to Utrecht Centraal. You do not need a car: the centre is done on foot.
Utrecht can be explored on foot from the station and sits at the centre of the rail network: with a night here you can see Amsterdam, Rotterdam or The Hague on day trips of under an hour. The budget per person per day includes accommodation, food and entry fees.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
Utrecht is an easy city with children: compact, with a boat, a tower to climb with a guide, organs that play and, for the little ones, the Miffy museum, the rabbit who was born here.
For children aged two to six, Utrecht has something no other city does: the Miffy museum, designed for them, and a hostel with Miffy rooms.
Utrecht is a university city and it shows: bikes, terraces on the wharves and a young atmosphere. The Domtoren is the physical challenge of the day.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: Grand hotel in the heart of Utrecht, surrounded by 10,000 m² of gardens, with Comfort, Luxury and Empire rooms, suites and breakfast.
Why we like it: Boutique hotel on the Ganzenmarkt, in the heart of the centre, with each floor a different colour, unique rooms and some with views of the Domtoren.
Why we like it: Hostel on the Neude, the liveliest square in the centre, with Miffy and railway museum themed family rooms, a bar and breakfast.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: a beer from their own brewery with something from the day's menu.
What to order: ask about the day's draught beers and sit on the terrace by the bridge.
Map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
Tips
The climb is always guided and in groups; no bags, with free lockers.
There is a combined ticket, sold only at the Speelklok ticket office or the tourist office.
The Centraal Museum, Speelklok and the Miffy museum are closed.
The Oudegracht is only really seen from below, at water level.
Utrecht is the fourth city of the Netherlands and one of the oldest, with a university that fills it with bikes and life. Its image is unique: the Oudegracht, the old canal, has two levels. Above, the street with shops; below, at water level, the wharves of the old medieval warehouses, with vaulted cellars under the street that are now restaurants and terraces. Above it all, the Domtoren, the tallest church tower in the country, which you climb with a guide. It is half an hour from Amsterdam and far less touristy.
By train, about 30 minutes from Amsterdam Centraal to Utrecht Centraal, with very frequent intercity trains. From Schiphol there are also direct trains in a similar time. The station is tucked inside a large shopping centre, Hoog Catharijne: follow the signs for centrum and in ten minutes on foot you are at the Oudegracht. By car it is not worth it: the centre is almost entirely pedestrianised and parking is expensive.
Start with the Domtoren: the climb is always a guided visit and places sell out, so book your time slot before you go. Below, the Dom square holds the remains of the cathedral whose nave collapsed in a storm in 1674, leaving the tower standing alone. Next to it is Museum Speelklok, a museum of musical clocks and street organs that play during the visit.
Then go down to the Oudegracht and its wharves: walk at water level, look at the cellars open beneath the street and eat at Stadskasteel Oudaen, a medieval tower house with its own brewery. In the afternoon, take the canal boat, which runs all year, or head south to the museum district: the Centraal Museum and, opposite, the Miffy museum, if you are travelling with small children. Finish with a beer on the terrace of the Café Ledig Erf, beside a bridge on the Oudegracht.
Miffy (Nijntje in Dutch) is the little white rabbit drawn by Dick Bruna, who was born in Utrecht. Her museum, opposite the Centraal Museum, is designed for very young children, of pre-school age, with rooms for touching and playing. You must book a time slot.
Yes, if you want a lively city without the prices or crowds of Amsterdam. It is at the centre of the rail network: Amsterdam half an hour away, Rotterdam and The Hague less than an hour. You can sleep at the Grand Hotel Karel V, with 10,000 m² of gardens in the very centre; at the Mother Goose, a boutique hotel with views of the Domtoren, or at the Stayokay on the Neude, with Miffy family rooms.
From April to October, to eat and dine on the wharf terraces. In winter the boat still sails and the city is very lively thanks to the students, but the water-level terraces close or shrink. Bear in mind that most museums are closed on Mondays.
Questions
About 30 minutes by intercity from Amsterdam Centraal to Utrecht Centraal.
No. Every climb is a guided visit; book on its website or at the tourist office on the Domplein.
The Domtoren, the Oudegracht with its wharves, the canal boat, Speelklok and the Centraal Museum; with small children, the Miffy museum.
Yes, Rederij Schuttevaer sails every day, including in winter.
Utrecht is bigger and livelier, with two-level canals; Haarlem is smaller and quieter. Both are half an hour away or less.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/the-netherlands/utrecht
