Utrecht

Utrecht

This is a gorgeous city resting in the middle of The Netherlands. It takes pride in its canals and boats. It's one of the biggest cities in The Netherlands and also one of the oldest. Like Amsterdam, it is very easy to rent a bike or hop on a boat. It also boasts a string of great bars, shops, and restaurants, and many of them rest upon the canals. Luckily, many of these places don't hold the hefty price tag of the country's capital city. I've been to the city twice. Once two years ago when I spent a whole day there and last year, but wasn't there for as long. It's one of my favourite cities in Europe because of its nice shops and lovely scenery.

Utrecht sort of reminds me of a mix between Birmingham and Burton-On-The-Water. I think of Birmingham because when I leave Birmingham Moor Street Station, it's right next to the Bullring Shopping Centre and I can start shopping straight away. It's the same feeling I get with Utrecht. Utrecht Central Station is close to Hoog Catharijne, one of the biggest indoor shopping centres in the city. And Burton-On-The-Water because it's tranquillity. It's an odd mixture, but Utrecht has a lot of charming characteristics that I like about the place.

Prices

Comparing hotel prices in Amsterdam and comparing hotel prices in Utrecht, it's clear that the hotels in Utrecht are a lot cheaper. I'll use Ibis as an example. Ibis Utrecht was listed as £69 whilst one of the Ibis in Amsterdam is listed as £133 a night. If you stay there for more than a few days or even a week, it makes a big difference. You can travel from Amsterdam to Utrecht on the train from €7.50. I was genuinely surprised at how cheap some of the stuff was compared to other major cities in the area. I had a really nice coffee at one of the cafés by the canal and it was really nice. And I can't remember the exact price, but it was less than €2. Sadly, the stuff at Superdry in Utrecht is just as expensive as the shops at home.

Things to Do

A lot of my time in Utrecht was spent in the canal areas, but also cut through one of the shopping centres, which was Hoog Catharijine. One purchase I remember very clearly was a Captain Falco amiibo which was around €9. It was bought at the time when amiibos were highly collectable and scalpers on eBay and Amazon were selling them for much more than they should. RRP for the colourful figures was £14.99. There's a lot of brands shops that I recognised from the UK. I liked looking at the stuff at Superdry, even though I didn't buy anything. I noticed Holland & Barrett. There's Lush, one of my favourite soap shops. I think it's so nice to have brands and names that you recognise as home as well as seeing brands and local Dutch shops.

Dom Tower is something that I think is worth having a look at. You know you're in Utrecht when you can see the Dom Tower standing tall and strong. It's one of the tallest towers in The Netherlands and is famous for its gothic architecture. General entry for an adult in Dom Tower is €9. Which I think isn't that bad. Two thousand years of history and over 400 steps. It did remind me of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. I haven't been on top, but I've heard there are some really fantastic views of the city even though you get nice views on the bridges. There are some places that I haven't explored yet, but I think they're worth mentioning as they're things I would like to see in the future. They're Castle De Harr, Centraal Museum, and St. Martin's Cathedral. I didn't get time to see those three places, but they looked promising. I think I was too distracted by all the nice stuff, to be honest.

Conclusion

I intend on going back to see Utrecht again. The next time I go to Holland, I'm considering booking a hotel in Utrecht instead of Amsterdam. The hotel prices in Utrecht are roughly half the price per night for hotels in Amsterdam. It's not as touristy as Rotterdam and Amsterdam, but I think I can see the place growing in popularity over the years. I wouldn't be surprised, as it's a very lovely place. I'm gutted that I didn't explore the museums or castles when I had the chance, but I'm pretty sure there is going to be the next time. Hopefully next year. If I was a local, Utrecht would be a place I would visit very often.