Things to do in Utrecht

I just love the Netherlands and after Amsterdam Utrecht is my favorite town ! With its shops, little cobblestoned streets, canals along which bicycles rest constantly it can win over your heart. Like most Dutch towns it is small enough to be explored by foot or by bike, but if you think you won't have things to visit and will get bored, think again! Besides the monuments, museums etc. many events are organized in Utrecht and they will keep you busy for days. With each day in this town you will feel that you just can't get enough of it!

Utrecht is situated in the province of with the same name, being its most populous city of and the fourth largest in the Netherlands. Since it has been the religious center of the Netherlands and the most important city until the Golden Ages many buildings are well-preserved and waiting for tourists to discover them! From the Golden Ages all the attention was directed towards Amsterdam and Utrecht was a bit left behind.

Right in the city center there are many buildings from the Middle Ages. This city is host to the largest university of the Netherlands, so it is always filled with students. Best time to visit is the summer, because it is not as crowded as the students are on vacation.

Before actually visiting the monuments and museums I would advise you to just get lost on the streets, admire the canals and observe the daily life of Utrecht. After this you are ready to put your tourist shoes on! When you go to Utrecht you should decide which touristic attractions you want to visit and plan your time accordingly! Don't think that you will be able to visit the whole town in one day. You will need at least 3 days to visit it thoroughly, but I would go with a week. This way you won't visit the city on the run passing from one sight to another.

The Dom Tower or Domtoren is the hallmark of Utrecht. It can be seen no matter where you are in the city, because Utrecht is built around this tower, which during the XIVth century was one of the largest in Europe showing the power of the church. Back then its important role was to serve as a watchtower. As you get closer to it you can observe its original architecture, which you will find at other Dutch towers as well. Guided tours are made up to the tower and for the breathtaking view it is definitely worth climbing all those stairs. It is said that if there aren't any clouds you can see Rotterdam and Amsterdam. I can`t say if it`s true or not because when I visited the sky was full of clouds ( as it is most of the time)

Not far from the Dom Tower is the Dom church (Domkerk). During the Middle Ages it was the cathedral of the Bishopric of Utrecht and one of the largest in the Netherlands. Through its architecture it resembles the Gothic style of the French cathedrals. You can visit the chancel of the cathedral where you will see a few tombs as well. As in the case of the Dom Tower guided tours are organized and they are the best way to explore and find out more information about the Dom church. The treasury is excavated, so I suppose that it will soon be reopened.

If you are looking for more adventure or you are simply bored of visiting the town by foot you can take a boat tour and see Utrecht through its canals.

The Centraal Museum is the most well-known museum in Utrecht. I was impressed by the ``Utrecht Ship``(it is downstairs, be sure not to miss it!) which is one thousand year old and by some paintings of the Caravaggians artists who adopted the style of the Italian Caravaggio. There are always the regular collections and the temporary exhibitionsl. For the temporary exhibitions it might be a good idea to look for the ones that suit your taste.
The museum is rather small, but it is not boring, the exhibitions seemed very interesting to me and in general I am not that fond of museums!

The last place that is really worth your time is in my opinion the Rietveld-Schröderhuis built by the famous architect Gerrit Rietveld and her three children. To understand the architecture of the building it is important to know that it is built in the Stijl movement being one of the best examples of the Stijl architecture. After Gerrit Rietveld died the house was restored and became open for visitors. It is such a popular museum that since 2000 it is considered a Unesco World Heritage Site.Less