My mum and I spent the early May bank holiday in the Netherlands, basing ourselves in Utrecht for 3 nights and doing one day trip to Rotterdam. We’d visited Amsterdam a couple of years ago and at the time said we’d love to explore more of the Netherlands, so here we are!

We flew out early Friday morning to Schiphol Amsterdam Airport, with myself travelling from Bristol and my mum from London Heathrow. It’s then a 15-minute train ride into Amsterdam Centraal station, followed by a 30-minute train to Utrecht Centraal station. We’d booked a lovely Airbnb just north of the city centre, about a 15-minute walk into the centre of the city.

The sun was shining as we ventured into the centre, and we were immediately struck by the beautiful architecture with its elegantly-proportioned facades, plus the large number of bikes and cyclists! With the land being so flat and there being so many cycle lanes, it’s no wonder that it’s the most popular form of transport here. The canals are gorgeous too. Utrecht’s canals are different to Amsterdam’s as they encompass two levels. Most of the shops and restaurants are at the upper level along with a road, and the lower level has a mixture of businesses and privately-owned spaces in what used to be wharf cellars, at water level. So many people were sitting along the canal enjoying the good weather which created a lovely relaxed atmosphere.

Oudegracht

Oudegracht

The city centre has two main canals running through it, Oudegracht and Nieuwegracht, and it’s enclosed by a larger canal (Stadsbuitengracht) that was once the city moat. When the city walls were knocked down in the early 1900s, the city chose to turn the land into parks so that its inhabitants could have access to green space, as most homes within the centre don’t have gardens.

We enjoyed walking along Oudegracht and soaking everything up, and we also popped inside Domkerk, a magnificent gothic church. We didn’t fancy climbing the 465 steps of the Domtoren but it was lovely to spend some time in the cloistered garden tucked behind it.

Domkerk

Then we headed to Rietveld Schröder House, a marvel of design that was designed and built in the 1920s, embodying the De Stijl art movement. It’s necessary to prebook a timeslot as only about 8 visitors are allowed in at a time. There’s a self-guided audio tour to explain the history of the building and the function of the rooms, and then a staff member reveals the transformative nature of the upper floor. Several of the inner walls are made of sliding panels, and each morning the occupants would open these up to dramatically increase the size of the living space (the logic being that you don’t really spend much time in bedrooms during the day). The central staircase also opens up for the transition from winter to summer. It was truly fascinating to experience this radical design first-hand.

Rietveld Schröder House

Rietveld Schröder House

We found a spot nearby for dinner, and enjoyed some delicious food at Van Ostade, which has a small, thoughtful menu with a Middle Eastern influence. It was lovely to be able to sit outside too!

The next day we took a train to Rotterdam, which is almost an hour from Utrecht. It’s a bustling, urban city with lots of creative, modern architecture. Rotterdam was heavily bombed during the Second World War and then rebuilt, which is why it has such a different feel to other cities in the Netherlands. We walked from the striking train station to the famous cube houses, a series of innovative, angular houses built in the 1970s. It was hard to imagine them being particularly practical to live in, but I liked how they were built around communal courtyard spaces to foster a sense of community.

Oudehaven

Cube Houses

We wandered around Oudehaven, the old harbour, admiring the contrast between the old boats and the new skyscrapers, making our way towards Erasmusburg, an elegant modern bridge. Lunch at the Markthall was the obvious choice, yet another architectural marvel, with apartments forming a giant arch over the food stalls, and we opted for some tasty gyoza and bao.

Markthall

Markthall

We walked through the delightful Museumpark, appreciating all the greenery after a morning amidst so many urban structures, and arrived at the futuristic Art Depot Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. This is a crossover between an art storage facility and a gallery, and it was fascinating to see the spaces where art restoration happens. The central atrium has glass lifts and various glass floors with artworks and sculptures embedded all around, and there’s even a roof terrace café where we had some refreshing drinks overlooking the city.

Art Depot Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

Art Depot Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

On Sunday we continued exploring Utrecht, popping into Utrecht Library, a former post office with striking art deco architecture and heaps of different spaces available to use. We walked along Nieuwegracht which felt much quieter than Oudegracht, with perhaps more offices and residential buildings lining the canal. Our next stop was Centraal Museum, Utrecht’s main art gallery with a mixture of contemporary and classical artwork, along with a recreation of Dick Bruna’s studio. He was the Dutch creator of Miffy, a well-loved children’s book character. There are various Miffy statues dotted around the city which I enjoyed spotting, having read the books as a child myself. For dinner we ate at Sea Salt Saloon, a fantastic seafood restaurant. We shared prawn tempura, roasted swordfish with cashew puree and cucumber, and a prawn and fennel risotto. Everything was really fresh and full of flavour.

Utrecht Library

Recreation of Dick Bruna’s studio, Centraal Museum

Miffy

Sea Salt Saloon

On our final morning we stored our luggage in the lockers at Utrecht Centraal Station and then hopped on a relaxing canal cruise with Utrecht Canal Cruises. The boats are smaller than some of those available with other companies, and are covered or uncovered depending on the weather. After so much walking over the weekend it was lovely to sit back and admire the lovely scenery, and learn some facts about the city. We slowly motored along Oudegracht and then Stadsbuitengracht for about an hour and a half. After some tasty lunch at Bunk Restaurant, a brief mosey around Pandhof Sinte Marie (a small garden set within an ancient cloister) and a browse of the newly opened Uniqlo store, we returned to the station and made our way back to the airport.

Utrecht Canal Cruise

Utrecht makes for a charming city break, and 3 nights was plenty to get a good feel of the city and explore nearby Rotterdam too. As with most European cities, we could use card to pay everywhere we went, including to tap on and off buses. It would also be lovely to visit the Hague and Delft on a future trip to the Netherlands. There are so many European cities to explore beyond merely the capitals!

I’d love to know if you’ve been to any underrated European cities that you’d recommend?

Alexa

P.S. If you enjoyed reading this post, why not take a look at Weekend in Paris Guide, Amsterdam Travel Guide or Solo Trip to Porto.

Header photo: Oudegracht

If you enjoy the guides on this blog, or found this post particularly helpful or enjoyable, you can buy me a coffee or a drink to say thanks – it’s always lovely to know when the blog is appreciated!