One great thing about living in The Hague is that it’s so close to all the other major cities of the Randstaad area. And while all the tourists descend on Amsterdam, to those who are looking for a different and original city destination, I’d recommend Utrecht.

My first impression of this city - once I finally found my way through the maze of the shopping centre around the Central Station - was of chaos. The best way to describe the city centre is as big, rambling and sprawling – the streets meander left and right, up and down (yes, a Dutch city with no straight streets!).

Every second building is of different height and architectural styles are mixed – from enormous gothic cathedrals, through extremely narrow 4-storey merchant-like houses along the canals to modern industrial buildings scattered here and there. Chaotic it may seem, but it definitely works for Utrecht, giving it a unique, artsy atmosphere.

I did have a map of the city centre with me on my first visit to Utrecht, but I gave up on using it after the first 5 minutes and just continued to walk around. And it was great – I loved the colourful houses squeezed alongside the canals, the bridges, the outside restaurants and the numerous churches with inner courtyards-turned-gardens.

One thing that really stood out was that the water level in the Utrecht canals was much lower than in other Dutch cities – in fact it was so low that there was another level of wharf-basement structures underneath the street. Some people turned it into patios or sun terraces, and in a few places this canal-level boasted specialty shops or cafes. I think this is something unique to Utrecht, and it provides a very interesting perspective when you look at the streets.

Every tourist guide will tell you that there’s plenty of things to see in Utrecht, and of course it’s true. There’s the famous Dom church and tower, St John’s Church (I definitely recommend the flower market which takes place on the square behind this church every Saturday), the many picturesque canals criss-crossing the city centre (especially the Oudegracht) or the the gothic churches of St James and St Nicholas.

But it is also a great city to just wander around and explore the many markets, side streets, specialty shops and cafes. So if you’re looking for an interesting destination for a city trip, Utrecht comes highly recommended!

PS: Just one warning - beware of the bikers!!! They're everywhere in Utrecht and they seem to be much more crazy than anywhere else in the Netherlands!
 

Text and Photopgraphy: Agnieszka Zakrzewska

* Agnes invites readers to visit her blog The Creative Life to read more about interesting places and experiences in the Netherlands.

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