Utrecht: Medieval Stones to Modern Stars
Utrecht, The Netherlands
I had a minor panic when we arrived in Utrecht and walked off the train into a huge train station and a bigger city than I expected. Based on online photos, I thought I would step into a charming old European town. Utrecht IS a charming old European town, but we didn’t see it until we’d walked through that huge train station and then through the biggest shopping mall I’d ever seen. It was GIANT.
The Hoog Catharijne is 107,000 square meters, but it felt bigger. We walked past Zara, H&M, Levi’s, Nike, Samsung, and so much more. When we finally emerged from the mall, we saw a plaza with an outdoor market with about 40 booths. I started to feel hopeful that we’d find the charming city I expected. When we walked around a corner and saw older architecture and a lovely canal, I relaxed.
We didn’t have a plan for exploring Utrecht. We meandered, taking in the architecture and crossing the canal. While we wandered, the mist of the morning dissipated and the sun lit up the traditional facades of the buildings. We headed for the steeple we saw rising in the distance and found the Dom Tower, a recommended site.
St. Martin’s Cathedral is a Gothic church, originally part of the Diocese of Utrecht during the Middle Ages. The church has been through a lot. It was destroyed during an attack of the Frisians in the 600s, destroyed by the Normans in the 800s, destroyed by fires and rebuilt in 1023, and partially destroyed again by fire in 1253. We saw defaced statuary and altar pieces that were attacked in 1580 during the Reformation. It was largely neglected in the 1600s, and then a tornado took out the nave and separated the bell tower from the church in 1674. Renovations were completed in 2024, with the tower reopening in November 2024, but the defaced monuments remained as a grim reminder of protests.
After lunch, we wandered in no particular direction and stumbled across the Netherlands “Walk of Fame.” Utrecht is home to the Netherlands Film Festival, which awards the “Golden Calf” to the best films, directors, and actors. Not far from there was Lebowski’s restaurant, featuring an homage to The Big Lebowski. The Dude abides…
At the end of our time in the Netherlands, I asked Shannon what her favorite place was. I was surprised when she didn’t choose Amsterdam or the Anne Frank House but instead picked Utrecht. It was definitely worth the time, and a good choice for our first day trip.
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Tips & Recommendations
The Dom Tower is the tallest church tower in the Netherlands. It requires an entry ticket, but we didn’t have any trouble purchasing one on site. It’s worth it for the informative tour and panoramic views of the city and surrounding countryside. Here’s another blogger’s more detailed description of the experience.
The Netherlands Film Festival takes place annually in late September and early October. The Walk of Fame is in the center of Utrecht and is included in many walking and biking trails. We didn’t recognize the names of any of the Dutch actors, but it was cool to see.
This site provides an overview, a map, and a description of how to spend a perfect day in Utrecht.