Visiting the city of Utrecht

Are you thinking about visiting Utrecht? What to expect in Utrecht?

If you’re looking for an authentically Dutch, but smaller city to visit, take a day trip exploring Utrecht. It’s located in the centre of The Netherlands, 20 minutes by train from Amsterdam.

U-University of Utrecht

The University of Utrecht has a number of claims to fame:

Many former students of Utrecht University have made significant contributions to world academia. For example, in 1901, Jacobus Henricus van’t Hoff was the first winner of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
Utrecht University is the largest university in the Netherlands. The approximately 30,000-large student body contributes to the city’s lively youthfulness, as well as its propensity towards learning.
The University Museum and Oude Hortus Garden offer hands-on exhibitions, and the opportunity to join volunteers weeding the garden on Tuesdays!

T-Train Station of Utrecht

Utrecht Centraal Station is busier than Amsterdam Centraal! It is THE hub for train journeys in, to, and from Holland. The station is large and airy, so despite the crowds that pass through it, it provides a calm atmosphere for busy travelers.

R-Restaurants in Utrecht

There is no shortage of restaurants in Utrecht! Of any type! Due to the large population of students, however, many eateries promise low-cost, quickly served meals, but do not compromise on flavor or ambiance.

Two restaurants for tight budgets:

The ACU Vegan Kitchen serves (you guessed it) vegan food, and on Wednesdays, you can bring and share your own food.
If vegan is not quite your thing, get your beef burgers at the Meneer Smakers. However, you’ll please your vegetarian or fish-eating friends with an Auntie Connie or Uncle Jimmie burger.

E-Entertainment

The musical entertainment at the Tivoli Vredenburg satisfies one and all. From rock and pop, to classical and chamber, and psychedelic audio-visuals, the Tivoli’s agenda is packed to the brim with something for everyone.

C-Canals

The canals of Utrecht are totally linked to their wharves. The etymology of the word, wharf, goes back to the Dutch “werf”, which is a yard. Today, the picturesque Oudegracht and Nieuwegracht canals harmonise with the wharves and warehouses that have been converted from their services to the shipping industry in the Middle Ages, to the busy tourist industry of the 21st century.

H – History

Utrecht is rich in history. For example, dive right into the past when you climb the 465 steps to the top of the Dom Tower, the tallest church tower in the Netherlands. You’ll get your exercise for the week, and a spectacular view of the whole city. No longer attached to the Dom Kerk (St. Martin’s Cathedral), it took almost three centuries to reconstruct the tower after its devastation by a tornado.