How to spend one amazing day in Utrecht

Looking for a one day trip suggestion in the Netherlands? Then on this post, I’m sharing how you can spend one amazing day in Utrecht, right at the heart of the Netherlands!

Keep reading to know all the details – sights you can’t miss, how to get to Utrecht, and all-important information. From my personal experience to your “to visit” list 😉

How to spend one amazing day in Utrecht

About Utrecht

Utrecht is the fourth largest city in the Netherlands and nicely located in the center of the Netherlands! Utrecht is an old University town with charming streets, beautiful architecture, and, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful city centers of all the Dutch cities I ever visited.

Utrecht’s city center was built around the Dom tower, located at its heart. When you spend one day in Utrecht (or more, if you wish), you can find wharf cellars along the iconic Dutch canals, many of them being home to restaurants. This can be a great option for when your stomach starts asking for a refill! 😉

When in Utrecht, it is almost impossible to not have this thought coming to mind: “it looks like Amsterdam!”, and in my opinion, it sure does, but, I like it better!

When visiting the Netherlands, you should consider spending one day in Utrecht!

How to get to Utrecht

Utrecht is nicely located at the heart of the Netherlands, I dare to say, and therefore very easy to reach, no matter if you travel by car or by public transportation.

Reach Utrecht by car

As I mentioned in previous posts, parking in the city center can be very expensive. So if you are going to Utrecht by car, please consider using a P+R parking facility, which is located outside the city center but offers a transfer for a small fee.

P+R Transferium Westraven

Fee: 5,-Eur for a whole day, includes transfer to the city center.

Reach Utrecht by train

But if you can, I would recommend going by train! Dutch trains are pretty good, in my opinion, and they usually go multiple times per hour. Below I give some travel times and ticket prices:

• Amsterdam to Utrecht: 45min. Full fare single way ticket: 8,10Eur
• Rotterdam to Utrecht: 35min. Full fare single way ticket: 11,20Eur
• Eindhoven to Utrecht: 1h05. Full fare single way ticket: 15,10Eur

For more details, schedules, and ticket info please check the ns.nl website.

Must-sees in Utrecht

Utrecht is a super-rich city when it comes to sights to see, so you won’t have any trouble finding sights to explore. But here are some of those sights you should include on your list when you spend one day in Utrecht:

• visit the Dom
• walk along the canals and check the wharf cellars
• visit Park Leplenburg
• St Peter’s church
• check out the DOMunder
• visit the Railway Museum (if you have time)
• enjoy the charming streets of the city center
• if possible, check some of the city parks just outside the inner city center.

Food & Drinks

There are plenty of places to get a nice meal or drink in Utrecht. The only thing to take into account is that now during COVID-19 times, there are several extra regulations implemented and they can change at any time.

All places I visited for a meal or a drink felt quite ok, except for the tapas restaurant where the owner did not understand the concept of social distancing. In his defense, I’ll say that he was very kind. cheerful, and talkative person! But the food was great!! We had a paella for 2 and it tasted very good.

Dining options I tried:

Restaurant eLe

Location: Oudegracht 211, 3511 NH Utrecht

Broadway American Steakhouse

Location: Oudegracht aan de Werf 139, 3511 AL Utrecht

Wine bar Lefebvre

Location: Neude 2, 3512 AD Utrecht

Where to stay

Let’s say you are having such an amazing time or you want to extend your one day in Utrecht to perhaps two? Then, a hotel may come in handy, right? 😉

Utrecht has many hotel options, it all depends on your budget.

When I last visited Utrecht, I spent a night at Hotel Park Plaza and it was a very pleasant stay; the room was spacious, with great breakfast (even under COVID-19 regulations). Location wise is perfect if you are traveling by train, but it also offers parking facilities. And most importantly: it’s very close to the city center!

Personal Highlights

I had forgotten how beautiful Utrecht was, and that is entirely my fault; the last couple of times I had been in town it was to attend shows, and therefore, there was not much time left to explore. But I was really glad that I made the time to spend one day in Utrecht. Well, I did arrive on Saturday afternoon and left on Sunday, but you could check out most of the iconic landmarks in one day.

I like the fact that Utrecht feels like Amsterdam but without all the crazy tourists that simply go there for coffee shops or the red light district.

When in Utrecht, you will find many tourists, yes, but you don’t have the feeling that the city has been taken away from the people who live in Utrecht. Do you know what I mean?

Utrecht still feels like it “belongs” to the Dutch and not to the tourists.

Another highlight for me would have to be the canals; I like cities with canals, rivers or any sort of “water source” haha

I’m sure if you spend a day in Utrecht, you will also enjoy the canals; you can even get a canal tour! How cool is that? I did that in Leiden and it was nice; highly recommend it!

Notes

Utrecht was officially the first city break during the COVID-19 era! It seemed to be a good choice to go spend a day (and night, in my case) away, after being home for so long and not being able to travel to other countries.

But, to be honest with you, I had a very hard time. I arrived on a Saturday afternoon, and the streets were packed!! Even though I was happy to be on a city break, it felt very hard to relax because I was constantly checking if people were too close to me or not, and at that time, masks were not mandatory, so at some points, I freaked out a bit.

It took a few hours (and a couple of glasses of wine) to finally relax and enjoy the beautiful city of Utrecht!

All in all, I had a good time in Utrecht and I’m sure you can have it too!

I hope you liked this post and that my tips can be useful in case you decide to spend one day in Utrecht (or more, if you wish)!