If you are planning to visit the country where the tulips grow and the windmills turn, think about visiting one very special city, Utrecht, the country's fourth largest and the most charming big city with a small-town feel.
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With its compact medieval centre set out around canals unique to the Netherlands, Utrecht is a smaller and less busy version of Amsterdam and much more cool than its other two very busy big brothers, Rotterdam and the Hague. Utrecht's cityscape features the Dom Tower, the highest church tower in the Netherlands which soars above Cathedral Square.
Its many restaurants and cozy terraces make it vibrant and attractive to search for a seat and have a drink while enjoying a view of the cathedral.
Take the guided tour of the Dom Tower for a magnificent view of the city and if you are lucky and the day is clear you could see both Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Also visit Pandhof garden of the Dom Church, one of Dutch most beautiful monastery gardens with medieval style elements, a fountain and plants, and neo-gothic St Willibrordkerk church that would bring you back to the time of the Middle Ages.
Built back in the Middle Ages, Utrecht's canals formed a centre around which a town has been built. As the city was becoming an important trade centre, wharf cellars were built as storages for traders' goods. Those cellars were later converted into cozy restaurants, outdoor cafes, craft shops, and boutiques, and they make Utrecht's canals unique in the world.
Two kilometers long Oudegracht (the old canal) that runs through the centre of Utrecht from south to north, is the centre of the city's social life. And of course, there's an inevitable brewery right beside the water and here you can go for a meal or just a beer.
By the way, did you know that biscuit with chocolate sprinkles is the most popular meal for the breakfast in the Netherlands? Well, now you know. Order Dutch brown pea soup - it's extremely thick and creamy, and some cheese, of course, after all you are in the country of the true cheese eaters. Some of the other typical dishes include raw herring, smoked eel, lots of potatoes and vegetables, most of it cooked in butter.
Utrecht, just like the rest of the country, is a bike heaven. Most bridges over the canal connect cross-streets but the old stone arch bridge Weesbrug (Orphan's Bridge) is an exception, it is the only bridge for cyclist and pedestrians. Dutch would tell you, well, the bicycle is the victim of its own success. It is so normal there that large investments in the quality of the bicycle network are often considered unnecessary.
But whatever the weather is everybody's on a bike! That's the spirit! So, when there rent a bike, canal bike, canoe, electro-boat, whatever, get to know the city from a different perspective and have fun the whole day long.
Utrecht has dozens of castles in and around with Kasteel de Haar being the largest fairy-tale like castle. Visit VVV (Tourist Information Office) and ask for a guided tour, you would love it. Also take Trajectum Lumen, an illuminated night time walking tour, and enjoy one night in artistically illuminated churches, bridges and canals.
Have a good time at the Rietveld Schroeder House where shifting walls provide access to other areas of the house. Explore the bastion Sonnenborgh, climb the stairs to the 19th-century observatory domes and gaze at the stars and planets, or take a closer look at the sun using a special solar telescope.
Check what Hoog Catharijne, the biggest shopping centre, has to offer. With more than 160 venues, it is also the country's most visited shopping area. Stroll Oudegracht, Choorstraat, Oude Gracht, Korte Minrebroederstraat and Lijnmarkt for fashion shopping. During the regular season clothes and shoes are very expensive but seasonal sales are insanely cheap.
If you like jazz visit Tabou Haar en Jazz, a combination of a hair salon and a record store.
The store, or whatever, offers an extensive collection of Dutch jazz artists. Check it, maybe you will find something for yourself.
Have a seat in the Neude, a square in the centre with a lot of summer terraces. The square hosts various yearly festivals and major events, a nice place to spend an hour or two. Nearby you will find Miffy traffic lights. Yes, Miffy, you know, the little white rabbit, a children's character. Her creator is Dick Bruna from Utrecht. You will find Miffy statue on Miffy square just outside the city centre. Utrecht is such a fun city! Explore it! ■
