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Matt and I spent Christmas in Utrecht in The Netherlands.  Utrecht is so easy to reach.  Regular direct trains from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport only take just over 20 minutes – see the Practicalities section at the end of this post for more information.  And the City Centre is compact and really easy to explore on foot.

Because it was Christmas when we visited, many shops, restaurants and museums were of course closed.  But we were incredibly lucky with the weather, and Utrecht has interesting canals and lovely parks to explore.  Sometimes it is great just to stroll around a city you haven’t visited before, with no set agenda or itinerary.

Canals 

Utrecht is known for the split-level canals in the city centre.  In the summer the lower levels are apparently filled with restaurants and bars, but in the winter they provided a convenient escape from the traffic (predominantly cycles) in the narrow streets above.

The incredibly calm weather and blue skies made for some amazing reflections in the canal waters.

Taking a boat trip of the canals must be a lovely way to see the city, but most of these were not operating during the Christmas period.  We only saw this one almost empty boat during our trip – perhaps another time…..

Parks

Utrecht has several lovely parks, and these were lovely to stroll around on a bright winter’s day.  The parks we visited were wonderfully quiet – probably because it was Christmas.  Just the way we like it!

Voorveldse Polder City Park

Our hotel was located in Voorveldse Polder City Park (see the end of this post for more details about our hotel).   We had a great view over the lake from the hotel window, and there are plenty of paths for strolling, jogging, cycling or even horseriding.

Park Bloeyendael

There are marked trails through Voorveldse Polder City Park to the adjacent Park Bloeyendael.  This is again a lovely park to stroll around, with lots of wooden bridges over waterways and an interesting area of allotments.  We saw many birds in the park, including grebes, ducks, geese, coots, treecreepers, wild parakeets and an incredibly tame heron.

Wilhelminapark

Another lovely small park to stroll through is Wilhelminapark, closer to the centre of Utrecht.  The colours here on a bright winter’s day were absolutely splendid.  Again we saw wild parakeets in the park (alerted to their presence by their shrill calls), as well as geese, ducks, coots and many others.

In the park there is also the fantastic Wilhelminapark Restaurant.  We had a wonderful seven course dinner here on Christmas Day night, and can highly recommend it.  Both the food and service were absolutely excellent, and if you visit is summer you will also have lovely views over the lake.

Where We Stayed

We stayed in the Hotel Mitland, which is beautifully located beside a lake in Voorveldse Polder City Park, (see Parks, above).  This is quite a distance from the centre of Utrecht, but once you get your bearings it is an easy and pleasant stroll of a couple of km or so (the easiest route is along Biltstraat).

Because we arrived late in the evening, we got a taxi to the hotel from Utrecht Central Station.  But there are also regular buses along Biltstraat, and Bus 28 stops at Fort de Biltstraat which is close to the hotel.  On our return journey we found it easy to walk back to the station, even with our cases.

There are hotels which are more convenient for the station and city centre (see booking.com for a huge range of accommodation in Utrecht).  But we really enjoyed the location of Hotel Mitland.  We had a lovely view over the lake from our balcony, with lots of trees and water birds to watch.  The hotel’s restaurant and bistro were convenient and good, and in summer they have tables outside directly beside the lake, which must be lovely.  We would happily stay there again.

Utrecht is a lovely city for a short break and is so easy to reach from Schiphol Airport.  We thoroughly enjoyed our Christmas visit!

Practicalities

Utrecht is incredibly easy to reach.  Just get any flight to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, and then get a direct train straight from the airport to Utrecht.  Trains are regular (at least two per hour), and the journey only takes just over 20 minutes.

To look for convenient flights to Schiphol try using Skyscanner.

To check train timetables, prices, and (if you wish) purchase your tickets online, try RailEurope.

For a useful map of the city we recommend the Travel Like a Local map.

Please note that this post is based purely on our own experiences, therefore kindly note the Disclaimer.

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