Utrecht is often overlooked by tourists but the truth is it is one of the most rewarding cities to visit in Holland. It possesses intricate medieval architecture and many important Catholic and Protestant churches. The municipality and city of Utrecht is situated at the eastern end of the Randstad and for many years it was the most important Dutch city in the north of Holland.
Today more than 300,000 people live in Utrecht but its population is also boosted by a large number of students. The University of Utrecht is one of the foremost centres of learning in the country.
Utrecht Mini Guide
Utrecht is one of the most underrated of the cities in Holland. Many people think there is nothing more to the country than Amsterdam but this could not be further from the truth.
Utrecht is small but quite delightful with fantastic architecture and marvellous little squares to walk around. If you are in Holland for the extra curricular activities you can still find coffee shops and there are lots of lively bars as this is a major student city.
The University of Utrecht is in fact the largest in the Netherlands. That may be part of the reason why Utrecht is second only to Amsterdam in terms of cultural activities, even though it is the fourth largest city in the country.
The city of Utrecht has 300,000 inhabitants but there are more than 800,000 residents in the wider province of Utrecht.
While driving around you have to be careful as the bicycle is the main form of transport in this country. Therefore you always need to keep an eye out for cyclists and make sure that you give way to trams. Having a car will always be rewarding in Holland as the country is so small.
You could make a decent tour of the Netherlands in a week and it will only take you an hour to drive to Amsterdam and about the same to get to The Hague. Amsterdam is accessible along the A2 motorway which also goes to Maastricht and Belgium. For Den Hague you take the A12 motorway which will arrive in Germany and follow it all the way.
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