Utrecht

[Citybreak1]

I was planning to visit Amsterdam this summer but I changed plans to visit Rotterdam. I am there all day but I am planning a visit to Utrecht for a few hours. Is it a good city? I notice it has the charm of Amsterdam’s canals but i am more interested in the large mall and modern railway station. The station looks like an airport so I guess it’s worth a visit? I assume there’s lots of modern sights there too?

 

[rvdborgt]

Utrecht Centraal is the busiest station in the Netherlands. The city itself is also worth a visit.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Dutch National Rly Museum - and a special train service from Centraal to Maliebaan to reach it.

 

[dutchflyer]

Studied there-but thats quite long ago. UNI-centre is now a very big campus at far end of the still fairly new tramway (eastern end, western end is much older).
At my study time the usual protests risped up at that shopping centre-the biggest and about first fully covered up in all of NL-as it was only possible if several streets of old dilapidated houses would be torn down. This centre is nothing spectaculair (anymore)< but links into the central station and the citybusstation and tramstop is underneath. Admire dutch planning in integrating such transport items. IMHO it does not really looks much like an airport, much more as a still rather new and well designed big train station. Perhaps (allow me some local pride) imagine how much B´ham New Str could be improved with this design: ample space, well signposted? There is also a free boox exchange under the stairs about in the middle of the main hall.
There is in fact only 1 inner city canal, but its much more aimed at leasuring tourists/visitors as all those in Ams, as it also has ´warves´ beside it, a lower level as the street beside.
Utr also has the Domtower+church-one of the highest and oldest such things in NL. You can climb that tower-there is no lift.
And it has the national railway museum in/besides an old station along a now closed line-except for a special shuttle on some days to it.

 

[Citybreak1]

Thanks I’ve only been to Rotterdam and Amsterdam before. I may do a similar trip for Eindhoven in the future. Utrecht looks a nice enough city I won’t get a chance to see it at night it seems to look nice around the station in the evening too. Rotterdam is ok for shopping but seemingly Utrecht has the largest small.

 

[yorksrob]

Had a lovely few days there a few years ago. It's a very chilled city with some nice pubs and bars. Would highly recommend.

 

[DanielB]

Rotterdam is ok for shopping but seemingly Utrecht has the largest small.

Hoog Catharijne in Utrecht is large indeed, but wouldn't call it the most special place to shop. For the atmosphere visit the old city centre itself instead. Despite being a large city nowadays, it sometimes is called a large village. As it has more the vibe of a village than a large city.

The eastern side of the station concourse has benches overlooking the tracks through the large windows. Over there you're a bit out of the hustle and bustle of the busiest station, so a nice place to have a break.
The Moreelsebrug, passing over the tracks on the same side, offers the views of passing trains (and trams) as well. Note you'll have to make a small walk outside the station to access it.

 

[newmilton]

I spent three weeks in Utrecht last February (work-related). It is a charming city. I did climb the Dom tower (no lifts as pointed out) and the view is worth it even though it was shrouded in scaffolding while I was there, but at 60+ I was huffing and puffing rather a lot when I got to the top. The national rail museum is excellent (It includes one of the preserved Woodhead DC electrics which were transferred to NS after the closure of the route), and if the shuttle train isn't running is walkable from Centraal station in about 20 minutes. Fortunately the city is very flat - but watch out for the bicycles! If you like mediaeval art you should visit the Saint Catherine Convent museum; also interesting is the museum of mechanical clocks and organs.

 

[DanielB]

The national rail museum is excellent (It includes one of the preserved Woodhead DC electrics which were transferred to NS after the closure of the route), and if the shuttle train isn't running is walkable from Centraal station in about 20 minutes.

Providing there aren't any engineering works, the shuttle train should run every hour on days the rail museum is open. Look for trains towards "Utrecht Maliebaan" on the departure board. They'll usually depart from platforms 1-3 and reverse half way the route.
When engineering works are ongoing, Utrecht Maliebaan may be served by trains coming from Amersfoort instead. Those then don't need to reverse half way, but this diversion is relatively rare (though it already happened on two weekends this year).

If no trains are running to the museum and you don't like walking, local bus route 8 direction Wilhelminapark also has a stop very close to the museum.

And for who is a bus enthousiast as well: Utrecht Central has by far the largest bus station (or stations: there are actually two, on each sid of the station) of all central stations in the country, with bus routes from five different franchised areas serving it. So lots of variation in rolling stock.

 

[AdamWW]

And for who is a bus enthousiast as well: Utrecht Central has by far the largest bus station (or stations: there are actually two, on each sid of the station) of all central stations in the country, with bus routes from five different franchised areas serving it. So lots of variation in rolling stock.

Does it still have double bend bendy-buses?

 

[duesselmartin]

Utrecht is the better Amsterdam in my view. Utrecht CS station is the busiest in NL.

 

[johncrossley]

Does it still have double bend bendy-buses?

Although the main route to the university/hospital has been replaced by trams

Van Hool AGG300 - OV in Nederland Wiki

wiki.ovinnederland.nl

Rijden op U-Link 28.

some are still in use on route 28, which follows a different route to the university/hospital, incorporating some decent bus priority.

 

[DanielB]

Does it still have double bend bendy-buses?

It does, but only seven of them are left after a massive depot fire (which ironically broke out on Friday the 13th in January, so that day really brought bad luck) destroyed the other 10. They exclusively run on route 28 nowadays, from Vleuten via the city centre to the Science Park, as their original route 12 was replaced by tram 22.

 

[Nym]

Utrecht is an amazing city to work in, never managed to do many of the tourist things, but spent a good 8 weeks working there last year.

Would like to go back as a proper tourist at some point.

 

[Struner]

Don’t forget about the bike parking at the station. The largest in de world

Bicycle parking Stationsplein | gemeente Utrecht

Some 22,000 high-quality bicycle parking places will be realised at the largest public-transport hub in the Netherlands. In the new Utrecht Central Station area, near the public-transport terminal, these parking places will be divided over five large bicycle parking

www.utrecht.nl

 

[TheGrew]

I actually visited Utrecht for the second time recently as a tourist (my company has an office there). The rail museum as others have said is well worth a visit and I also liked the Mechanical Music Museum too.