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Utrecht Attractions
Unique to Utrecht is its tree-shaded wharf, 5m (16 ft.) below street level, along Oudegracht, a canal that winds through the Old Town. Restaurants, stores, and sidewalk cafes have replaced the hustle and bustle of the wharfside commercial activity of former times, when Utrecht was a major port along an arm of the Rhine -- the adjacent sunken Nieuwegracht canal follows a former course of the river -- and these quays were used for offloading into the vaulted storage cellars. Much of the Old Town has been transformed into a pedestrians-only zone, with many secondhand bookstores and antiques dealers.
Boat Tours
One-hour cruises on Utrecht's canals are available year-round from Rederij Lovers (tel. 030/231-6468; www.water-taxi.nl), with boats departing from Nieuwekade at Oudenoord, and Rederij Schuttevaer (tel. 030/272-0111; www.schuttevaer.com), with boats departing from Oudegracht at the corner of Lange Viestraat. Tours are daily every hour on the hour from 11am to 5pm, and are 7€ ($11) for adults, 5.50€ ($8.80) for seniors and children ages 4 to 12, and free for children 3 and under. From mid-May to September, there are cruises on the Vecht River to the pretty village of Loenen aan de Vecht, with a stop to visit the Terra Nova estate. Another cruise goes along the Kromme Rijn to the Rhijnauwen estate.
11 Results
- Museum
Centraal Museum
The emphasis at this convent-turned-museum is on an impressive collection of Dutch modern art and Dutch 20th-century applied art from the De Stijl group, displayed in the former stables on the grounds. Elsewhere are historical displays about Utrecht, including a preserved Viking… - Zoo/Aquarium
Dolfinarium Harderwijk
Harderwijk, a lakeside town on the Veluwemeer, 26km (16 miles) northeast of Amersfoort, boasts one of Europe's largest sea wildlife centers. There's a dolphin research and rehabilitation station, as well as entertaining performances by the resident dolphins, sea lions, walruses, and… - Religious Site
Domkerk (Cathedral)
This magnificent cathedral took almost 3 centuries to build, from 1254 to 1517. The original Romanesque structure was replaced bit by bit; first the choir, then the tower, and finally the nave and transepts. The nave collapsed during a violent storm in 1674 and was never… - Landmark
Domtoren
The cathedral's 110m (365-ft.) tower, constructed between 1321 and 1383, dominates Utrecht's skyline and is the tallest in the Netherlands. It stands on the site of St. Willibrord's original 8th-century church and across a square from its mother building, since the nave collapsed… - Historic Site
Kasteel De Haar
If you have time for only one castle jaunt, make it to richly furnished De Haar. Like most castles, it has had its ups and downs -- fires and ransackings and the like -- over the centuries, but thanks to an infusion of Rothschild money in the early 1900s, it now sits in all its… - Museum
Kasteel-Museum Sypesteyn
A castle turned art gallery and museum, Sypesteyn was reconstructed in the early 1900s on the foundations of a late-medieval manor house destroyed about 1580. Today it holds some 80 paintings dating from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, representing the work of artists such as… - Museum
Nationaal Museum van Speelklok tot Pierement (National Museum from Chimes to Barrel Organs)
Six hundred mechanical music machines from the 17th century to the present -- including fairground organs and those barrel organs you see on Dutch streets -- are housed in this 13th-century former church. A player piano is controlled by punched rolls. The most overwhelming exhibits… - Museum
Nederlands Spoorwegmuseum (Dutch Railway Museum)
You don't have to be a rail buff to be fascinated by this former rail station and its marvelous collection of more than 60 steam engines, carriages, and wagons. There are moving models, paintings, and films relating to train travel. The multimedia section should have you and the kids… - Historic Site
Rietveld-Schröder House
Constructed in 1924, this family home was something of a shocker at the time and represents a high point of the De Stijl movement that so influenced contemporary art. It was designed by Utrecht architect and designer Gerrit Rietveld (1888-1964) -- famous for his angular red-and-blue… - Historic Site
Slot Zeist
This castle was constructed between 1677 and 1687 for Prince Willem Adriaan van Nassau. Its plain brick facade conceals a lavish interior designed by French architect Daniël Marot, who was responsible for decorating Het Loo palace. Many of his baroque murals and ceiling paintings… - Historic Site
Slot Zuylen
One of Holland's best examples of a medieval castle was constructed in the late 13th century and inhabited until the early 1900s. Since 1952 it has been a museum. Period rooms are furnished in 17th- to 19th-century styles, along with family portraits. A special feature in the…
