How to Visit Utrecht, Hollland

"I groaned with the idea of living all winter in so shocking a place," wrote Boswell in 1763. But Utrecht, The Netherlands, is a charming and delightful city with sunken canals with brick cellar warehouses that have been converted into chic cafes and restaurants. The Dom tower soaring some 300 feet in the air is a landmark from which all directions are given. The food is great, and a canal tour is unforgettable.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Comfortable shoes
• Euros
• Camera

1. See the focal point of Utrecht, the Dom Tower, built between 1321 and 1382, which is 300 feet tall. It is the highest church tower in the country. A guided tour takes you close to the top, where you can see Rotterdam and Amsterdam on a clear day. Below is the Gothic Dom Kerk. Wander through the Kloostergang, the fourteenth century cloisters that link the cathedral to the chapterhouse. Just south of the church, at Nieuwe Gracht 63, is the national collection of ecclesiastical art.
2. Walk through the Catharijne Convent Museum, which has wonderful paintings, manuscripts and church ornaments from the ninth century on.
3. Find accommodations in the friendly seventeenth-century Strowis, Boothstraat 8, a 15-minute walk from Centraal Station or a short ride on a bus to the Janskerkhof stop, then a 2-minute walk.
4. Eat at restaurants situated along Oude Gracht. The best is the moderately priced Stadskasteel Oudaen, at No. 99, the oldest house in town, which serves beer from its own brewery downstairs. DeOude Muntkelder, at No. 112, has inexpensive pancakes, while vegetarians should seek out De Werfkring, at No. 123, or Milky, a more upmarket restaurant off the canal at Zakkerdragssteeg 22. The city's best bars cluster around the junction of Oude Gracht and the Lijnmarkt.
5. Take part in Utrecht's unique Cultural Sundays, with offerings of artistic activities. There is something for everyone taking place in the parks and squares of the city on a Cultural Sunday.
6. Take a canal boat through the heart of Utrecht followed by a pancake lunch in pancake restaurant "De Oude Muntkelder."

Tips & Warnings

• Spend at least 1 day in Utrecht. And don't miss a canal boat tour.