Utrecht: Holland at its Best

One of the best ways to spend an afternoon is to rent a paddle boat to cruise through the canals. This gives you a good view of the city and its nature.

Quick Tips:

Utrecht is a student city, so there are many bars and clubs to enjoy at night. Going out is a good way to experience the culture of the city.

Best Way To Get Around:

Utrecht is fairly small, so walking is the best way to get around. Driving is another good option, but it can be confusing with all the one way streets.

If you are on a budget, this is the best place in town. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. They sit down at a table with you to fill out the minimal paperwork, then walk you to your room and bring your blankets. Rooms hold anywhere between 2 and 12 people, with prices ranging from $12 to $20 per person, and some rooms are reserved for females. The building itself is hundreds of years old, and you can read about its history and renovation. Downstairs, there is a gathering room with a TV, books, internet access, and board games, plus a garden in the back. Breakfast is served for about $4, and snacks and drinks are available the rest of the day. The hostel is located in the downtown area, so it´s very convenient. If you are going out at night, you can come back in anytime with a code that you are given at check-in.

The Dom is a huge medieval church that was first built in the 14th century. It had a difficult time, though, in a hurricane a few hundred years later, and only the tower survived. Today you can climb 465 steps to the top to see a great view of the city.

There are two options when it comes to cruising on the canals. You can either take a guided cruise, or you can rent a paddle boat and do the work yourself. The first option is a bit more expensive, but the advantage is that you get some commentary along the way, plus it´s a good way to relax. The paddle boat option may be more fun, however, if you feel like putting out a little effort. The paddle boats are rented by the hour. You are given a map and told to take all the left turns, so you can´t really get lost. To make the whole circle, the owner told us it would take about an hour (the price we paid up front for the boat). We paddled pretty hard, but we still took about 75 minutes, which should have been a few more dollars, but they didn´t say anything when we returned the boat, so that rule seems to be pretty flexible!

Thirty minutes south of Utrecht is the town of Den Bosch, the shortened version of the town´s full name, ´s Hertogenbosch. The town is about half the size of Utrecht, but makes for a nice place to spend an afternoon. The highlight is Saint Janskathedraal, a huge church with two personalities: a Gothic section and a more modern red brick part. Inside, it is one of the nicest churches in the country.

Aside from the church, the downtown area has nice pedestrian shopping streets and a fun market. There are also several small museums, such as the Noordbrabants Museum.