Photo: Diliff · CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
Utrecht
Canals with waterside cellars, a giant church tower and a lively student town.
A lively university city half an hour from Amsterdam, with sunken canals lined by old wharf cellars, the country's tallest church tower and a modernist house that changed design, all small enough to walk.
Places to see
- OudegrachtWalk · The city's main canal, running below street level, with brick wharves at the water's edge…Free
Dom TowerViewpoint · A guided climb of about 465 steps up the country's tallest church tower, past a medieval…≈ A$25
Rietveld Schröder HouseMuseum · A small house of flat planes in white, grey and primary colours, whose upstairs walls…≈ A$35
When to go
- Jan6° / 1°Some rainQuiet
- Feb7° / 1°Some rainQuiet
- Mar10° / 3°Some rainQuiet
- Apr14° / 5°Some rainBusy
- May18° / 8°Some rainBusy
- Jun21° / 11°Some rainBusy
- Jul23° / 13°Some rainBusy
- Aug23° / 13°Some rainBusy
- Sep
Staying and getting around
Good areas to stay
The old town. The Dom, the Oudegracht and its wharves: lanes of cafés and shops inside the old moat, with a few hostels.
Around Centraal. The busy station, the shopping centre and the restored moat: handy for day trips, with budget hotels and hostels.
Flying in
Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS): Train to Utrecht Centraal, about 35 min, ≈ A$18. Direct trains run several times an hour; tap a contactless card in and out (check).
Flewaway's estimate for the usual budget way into Utrecht; check times and fares before you fly.
Getting around
You can walk everywhere. A single ticket is ≈ A$4. The old centre is small and best on foot or by bike; buses and trams from Centraal reach the edges. The Rietveld house is about a 25-minute walk east of the Dom (check).
Tourist tax
Utrecht's tourist tax: usually a share of the room price, about €3–5 a person a night (check).
