Utrecht Travel Guide

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ARRIVAL WORTH SEEING TRAJECTUM LUMEN CANALS IMPRINT

Arrival

When you come to Utrecht for the rst time, the openness and friendliness of the people living there are particularly noticeable.

With the ÖBB nightjet, Utrecht can be reached directly from Vienna, Innsbruck, and Zurich.

“Let Yourself Be Surprised” was the title of the Rudi Carrell Show on German television from 1988 to 1992. This saying applies fully and completely to this city worth seeing. You have to visit this city and simply immerse yourself.

Viewed from the train station, the inner city (Binnenstad), the historical center, is to the east. By the way, the best panoramic view of Utrecht is from the “Hoog Catharijne” shopping center, which borders directly on the station.

More on this tip inside the eBook.

After a short stay in Utrecht, our verdict is - “the surprise was a success, we would gladly come back”.

This eBook was created in collaboration with the Austrian Federal Railways, the Dutch Bureau for Tourism & Convention (NBTC), and the VVV Utrecht Information Center.

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Worth Seeing

CATHEDRAL TOWER The center of the old town is shaped by the towering bell tower of the cathedral. Around the cathedral, you can nd numerous cafés, pubs, and restaurants. The tower houses

a Hemony carillon from the 17th century, which plays a melody every quarter hour.

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Domtouren Utrecht Domplein 9 3512 JC Utrecht www.domtoren.nl

The origins of Utrecht go back to Roman times. Emperor Claudius had forts built along the Rhine in 47 AD. One of these castella was Traiectum, today's Utrecht. In the year 275, the Romans withdrew from the castellum. From then until the year 920, Utrecht experienced a sometimes quite adventurous history. The Frankish king turned Utrecht into a religious center and built a small church dedicated to Saint Martin. The Vikings swept through parts of Europe and expelled the rulers of Utrecht. It was not until 920 that Bishop Balderich returned to Utrecht.

In 1253, the cathedral was rebuilt after a re under the in uence of the Gothic pointed arch style. For nancial reasons, the construction of the house of God could only be continued until 1517. The buttresses and ying buttresses necessary to support the nave could not be installed. The switch to the Protestant faith in 1577 meant that no one felt responsible for the maintenance of the tower anymore. A tornado that swept through Utrecht on August 1, 1674, ultimately caused the fragile nave to collapse. The ruins were only cleared away 150 years later.

In the eleventh century, the massive Saint Martin's Cathedral was built under Bishop Adelbold. Emperor Henry III established his residence in Utrecht, the Palace Lofen.

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465 steps lead to the tallest church tower in Holland. Together with a tour guide, the one-hour tour can be booked daily. While the footwear doesn't need to be suited for alpine hikes, ip- ops are rather discouraged.

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TOWER ASCENT

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In 1875, a fundamental restoration of the cathedral complex took place. The architect Pierre Cuypers decided that the roof of the tower was too low, so a new, higher roof was built in 1910. Since 1910, the tower has been a proud 112.32 m high. The view of the preserved part of Saint Martin's Cathedral is breathtaking. To the right of the cathedral is a small park.

VIEW FROM THE CATHEDRAL

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CARILLON AT THE CATHEDRAL

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DOMunder Domplein 9 3512 JC Utrecht www.domunder.nl/

When entering the “DOMunder Exhibition” in the middle of the Dom square, you embark on an impressive tour of the 2,000-year history. Beneath the historic square are traces of the Roman Trajectum and numerous archaeological nds to admire.

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DOMUNDER

DOMUNDER

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With a special ashlight, contacts are triggered that interactively present noteworthy information. At Domplein 4, you can buy tickets for a tour and begin the guided tour in the old walls. As a special highlight, the tornado that caused the cathedral to collapse in 1674 is also brought to life. Another tip: choose a ashlight in the desired language so you understand all the explanations.

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DOMUNDER

DOMUNDER

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DOMUNDER

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ST. MARTIN’S KATHEDRALE If you have climbed the tower and also followed the historical traces under the Dom square, the garden next to

the cathedral comes in very handy. You reach the small but ne garden through an arcade.

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The rst organ of the church was consecrated as early as 1342. The great organ was created between 1825 and 1831. Pipes from the 16th and 18th centuries were also installed in the instrument. Between 1974 and 1975, the organ was completely restored. In total, the historic instrument consists of 3,698 pipes.

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THE ORGAN

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From the garden, you can see the largely glazed Cathedral Café, which can be entered through the cathedral. Discussions repeatedly arise about rebuilding the collapsed part of the cathedral, but the plans have so far failed. The dimensions of the former nave are impressively depicted by colored stones on the Dom square.

THE CATHEDRAL CAFÉ

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In the inner city, slits are embedded in the streets and paths. The boundaries of the Roman fort are recalled by walls of steam that shine in different colors at night.

ROMAN FORT

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STEAM SLITS

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Utrecht's canals run like pulsating arteries through the city. Unlike other canals in Holland, there is a narrow strip of land between the walls and the water. This is where the entrances to the house cellars were located, and today, venues, bars, restaurants, and even theaters have settled here. So the canals in Utrecht have a very special characteristic: they have a small beach.

THE CANALS

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Paushuize Kromme Nieuwegracht 49 3512 HE Utrecht heirloom.nl/locaties

The Paushuize was built in 1517 by Adrian VI, the only Dutch pope. Adrian Floris Boeyens was at the court of Charles V of Spain. He always hoped to be able to return to Utrecht. In 1522, he was elected pope and died a year later in Rome. Unfortunately, he never lived in his house in Utrecht. The “Pope's House” was renovated a few years ago.

Inside the building, there are four salons, three of which are connected to each other.

Today, the Paushuize can be rented for various occasions.

PAUSHUIZE

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De Inktpot Moreelsepark 3 3511 EP Utrecht ontdek-utrecht.nl/

De Inktpot “the inkpot” is the largest brick building in the Netherlands. As part of an art project in 2000, this UFO “landed” on the building. The UFO has a diameter of 12 meters and was created by Marc Ruygrok. The building was constructed from 1918 to 1921. Today, ProRail BV has its headquarters here. By the way, a protected colony of bats lives in the inkpot.

DE INKTPOT

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Museum Speelklok Steenweg 6 3511 JP Utrecht museumspeelklok.nl/

MUSEUM SPEELKLOK A particularly noteworthy place is the “Museum Speelklok”. Guided tours take place hourly, where you can

also hear the fantastic musical clocks. The presentation is conducted in Dutch or English as needed.

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Fantastically preserved and restored instruments are on display. Particularly impressive are the huge mechanical organs. These devices were the precursors to today's disco systems and spread much joy with their melodies.

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The museum also features a café and a museum shop. The museum was founded in 1956 and has been open to the public since 1958. Opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00.

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Trajectum Lumen

Trajectum Lumen Die Geschichte des Lichts www.trajectumlumen.com/

PATH OF ENLIGHTENMENT Along the path, many objects, buildings, streets, canals, and bridges are transformed into special works of art through light. The project includes numerous stations

distributed throughout the old town of Utrecht. On the following pages, only some of the attractions are shown.

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Canals

A boat tour on Utrecht's canals is part of any visit. Here are some impressions of such a tour. The walls of the canals in Utrecht do not drop steeply to the water, creating optimal leisure areas beside the water.

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Imprint

Route overview OBB Nightjet and OBB Nightjet Partner

Experience the OBB trains in 360°.

NL01_EN_Utrecht © 2026 (Vers. 26.0) The team

Copyright

This e-book was made possible through the kind support of the regional tourist of ces and the OBB. German proofreading and editorial: Martin Andergassen.

References

This book was licensed under the Creative Commons License.

Conditions of use: attribution, non-commercial, no editing and distribution under the same conditions only as a complete work! The use of individual photos and text is not permitted.

This eBook is available free of charge.

Text, videos and photos by Rudolf J. Strutz unless otherwise stated. Timetables and travel information: OBB.

Links

Assistance from AI Arti cial intelligence applications are occasionally employed for image editing, including the elimination of undesirable components. Additionally, AI tools can enhance the clarity of images and diminish background noise.

OBB railnet The travel guides are also available free of charge on the OBB online entertainment and internet portal railnet, which is installed on all railjets, nightjets (NG) and cityjets.

All links provided are current at the time of publication of this ebook. Links to tickets usually lead directly to the exhibition location. For tickets and timetables, local public transportation services are linked.

Logos and company names All logos and company names are used for information purposes only; any use outside of this e-book must be approved by the copyright holders.

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SCOTTY mobile shows the timetables for all public transport and helps you plan your travel route.

Book your trip online or view the current timetable online and directly on your mobile phone.

AuVi Photos & eBooks Rudolf Strutz Hasengasse 33/25 1100 Wien ebooks@oebb-ebooks.at

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