Utrecht, The Netherlands

Quote: The city of Utrecht is one of Hollands oldest, founded by the Romans in 48 A.D. Don't expect any Roman remains though. Most of the old city was build during the middle ages and the 16th and 17th century. The only Roman remains can be found in the museums. The historic part of town is unique in the world though. The canals have warfs that are one level lower than streetlevel. They are now filled with very nice little restaurants and bars and on a sunny day they are filled with people. Unlike in Amsterdam, Utrecht is not packed with tourists. There are over 50.000 students living in the city (total pop. 250.000), so there's always a party going on somewhere. Another highlight is the St. Martinscathedral, better known as 'de Dom'. It has a 112 meter churchtower that offers a spectacular view over the city. There are also some nice museums in Utrecht. The railwaymuseum has a very nice collection of steamtrains and the Centraalmuseum has a large collection of paintings and historic artefacs. The western part of the old centre is a shopping valhalla. There is a large mall 'Hoog Catharijne' there and -much more fun- many narrow streets with many shops. After Amsterdam, Utrecht has the most shops of Holland. The main shoppingstreets are Steenweg and Oude Gracht.

Along Oude Gracht you can find a lot of restaurants and bars. Also take a look inside the main-postoffice on Neudesquare, it has a superb interior.

Quick Tips:

Climb the Dom-tower or hangout along the canals. Visit the very scenic castle 'de Haar' in the nearby village of Haarzuilens.
Visit the touristoffice on Vredenburg-square.

Best Way To Get Around:

The city center is very compact.. it is possible to walk everything. For the surroundings of Utrecht the best ways to get around are by public bus or bicicle (you can rent them at the central trainstation). Utrecht has frequent trainlinks to all part of the country (Amsterdam 0'20hrs / Rotterdam 0'35hrs / The Hague 0'35hrs). This makes the city a perfect base to see Holland.

Quote: Mario is the best known Italian in town. Everybody that once visited Utrecht can tell you were Mario's sandwich stand is, on the corner of the Oude Grachtcanal and Potterstraat. Mario sells Italian sandwiches for a very reasonable price (about €2.50). If his market stand is very busy (it usually is), walk a bit further and you will see his bakery. Here they also sell the famous "broodje mario".

Quote: On Queensday there is a huge fleamarket in the streets of Utrecht. Live music is everywhere and it's a lot of fun. People are also selling food on the street, but I advice you to not try the food unless it's really well cooked.

The night before Queensday is Queensnight. This is partynight. Live music, fairs and great fun in the bars and disco's. In every corner of the old town there's something to do. Go and join the crowds in the bars or join one of the private parties.

Quote: On a sunny day (yes there are sunny days in Holland) go and visit one of the many terraces along the Oude Gracht (meaning Old Canal). The street along the canal has two levels, one on the water side packed with terraces and one 3 meters higher with shops. The lower level is the perfect environment for drinking a beer and enjoying life.

Worth a visit are: Winkel van Sinkel, next to the city hall; King Arthur's, a nice English pub; and Oudaen, a very old building.

Quote: The best way to see the city is from the highest point; the Dom church tower. This tower has for centuries been the highest building in the Netherlands. The only way to climb the tower is by joining a guided tour through cathedral and tower. Ticketsales are at the Rondom visitorcentre, Domplein 9. You will see that the guide knows a lot of interesting facts and the view from the top of the tower is just amazing. You'll notice that the Domtower is not connected to the Domcathedral, the Domplein (Domsquare) is in between. This is the result of a massive storm hundreds of years ago, a tornado blew away te middle section of the catheral. It was never rebuild.

Quote: Only 5 minutes walking from the Central Station is de Kanaalstraat (Canalstreet). Here a lot of immigrants have started their businesses thus creating a colorful shopping street where you can buy more exotic foods. The people are friendly and work very hard. Prices are low, and the food is good.

Quote: The Railway Museum is currently being renovated. It will reopen June 5, 2005.

In the beautiful setting of an old train station is the Dutch National Railway Mmuseum (Spoorwegmuseum). It is located on the eastern side of the historic centre of Utrecht. Only a 20 minutes walk from the Central train station. The museum has a large collection of steam trains, diesel- and electric trains. But the steam collection is the nicest.

Costs for adults are Euro 12,50,- children Euro 9,50. With a museum card entrance is free.

For more information check: www.spoorwegmuseum.nl

Quote: Close to the western Utrecht ringroad is the small village of Haarzuilens. The village is dominated by the magnificent castle 'De Haar'. De Haar is owned by the Family 'Van Zuylen van Nijevelt van de Haar'. The castle was rebuilt by the architect Cuypers at the end of the 19th century after being ruined for centuries. He created a marvelous middle age style interior and very nice gardens. Guided tours through the castle are available and last 45 minutes. The castle is opened on Sundays from 1pm to 4pm, during several periods throughout the year it's also opened on Saturdays and weekdays.

Adults: 3 euros (park only), 8 euros (park and castle tour).
Children: 2 euros (park), 5 euros (park and castle tour).

For more info. 030-6773804.

Quote: In daytime the Winkel van Sinkel is a grandcafe. Only the streetlevel is opened at that time. You enter the building through some huge womanshaped pillars, then you are in a huge hall with a bar in the centre of it. Service is good but can be a bit slow sometimes, this place is very popular.

On Friday and Saturday night the place transforms into one of Holland's most trendy clubs. Some of the countries best dj start doing their thing. On Friday the music varies each week; the last Friday of the month is techno night. On Saturday night it's 'Club Risk', this means garage and funky house. During clubnight there is also a resturant opened all night, and there is a smaller dancefloor in the basement.

Clubnights start at midnight. The entrance is a small door on the wharf. You can reach it via the tunnel next to the building or via the stairs near the bridge.

Quote: With the museumcard you have free entrance to most Dutch museums, or at least a mayor discount. Museumcards are for sale at most museums and are valid for one year. Adult cards cost 30 euros (2007). If you want to buy one, make sure you bring a picture.