Kasteel de Haar
The largest castle in the Netherlands, with towers, a moat and vast gardens. A fairy tale just outside the city.
Route by public transport ↗Medieval canals, small and full of character.
6 museumsUtrecht is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands and still feels like a medieval town. Above it all rises the Dom Tower, the tallest church tower in the country.
The wharves along the Oudegracht are unique: quays at water level, with cellars running under the street. They were once warehouses; today they are terraces and restaurants. Utrecht is also the city of Miffy and of Gerrit Rietveld. Everything is within walking distance, and in one day you can see the Middle Ages, design and railway history.
One day, four moments. How to get the most out of your visit.
Six places to complete your museum day.
465 steps up, with a guide. On a clear day you can see far across the province.
Eat and drink on the quay, just above the water, in the old wharf cellars.
Art, design and fashion at the Centraal Museum. Around the corner, the Miffy Museum for the little ones.
The house Gerrit Rietveld designed in 1924 is on the World Heritage list. Visits by reservation only.
Street organs, music boxes and singing birds, in a medieval church in the middle of the city.
The national museum about the train, in an old station on the Maliebaan.
Buy your tickets online and plan the rest of your day around them.
All museums in Utrecht. Click a museum for the route.
Why do the Dom Tower and the Dom Church stand apart? Take a look at the stones on the square.
On 1 August 1674 a severe storm swept over Utrecht. The nave of the Dom Church, the part between the tower and the choir, collapsed. It was never rebuilt. That is why the tower has stood apart from the church ever since, with a square in between. Walk across Domplein and look at the paving: lines in the stones show where the walls and pillars of the lost nave once stood.
Where: Domplein, Utrecht
Around Utrecht you will find castles, old fortified towns and the Utrecht Hill Ridge. A perfect afternoon outside the city.
The largest castle in the Netherlands, with towers, a moat and vast gardens. A fairy tale just outside the city.
Route by public transport ↗Medieval wall houses, the Koppelpoort gate and the house where Piet Mondrian was born.
Route by public transport ↗The town with the windmill that Jacob van Ruisdael painted. The painting hangs in the Rijksmuseum.
Route by public transport ↗Travel times are indicative. Live times on 9292.nl ↗.
Utrecht Centraal is the country's biggest rail hub. From here you are quickly in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam or on the Utrecht Hill Ridge. And at night you sleep in a quiet medieval city centre, with hotels and B&Bs for every budget.
Restaurants, shops and hotels near the museums, picked for museum visitors.