Utrecht from Amsterdam: a day trip by train

Taking the train from Amsterdam to Utrecht

NS trains leave from Amsterdam Centraal and call at Amsterdam Amstel. Direct Intercity trains, heading for Nijmegen or Maastricht among others, take about 27 minutes to Utrecht Centraal; Sprinter trains, which stop everywhere, are slower. Just board the first Intercity shown for Utrecht.

• Fare: €10.00 one way in 2nd class and €18.00 in 1st class, full fare; a same-day return in 2nd class costs €20.00.
• Paying: the easiest option is a contactless bank card (OVpay), tapped on the card reader pole when you set off and when you arrive, with no surcharge. How check-in works is explained in our guide to getting around Amsterdam. A ticket bought at the counter or a machine on a single-use card costs €1.60 more.
• Children: from 4 to 11, the Railrunner ticket costs €2.50 for the whole day when travelling with an adult.
• Late return: the Utrecht – Amsterdam line is part of the NS night network; trains run all night between the two cities.

On weekdays, trains between 7am and 9am are packed with commuters. International connections to Amsterdam are explained in our guide to getting to Amsterdam by train.

From the station to the historic centre

The station opens straight onto Hoog Catharijne, a large covered shopping centre. Follow the "Centrum" signs to Vredenburg square, then the shopping streets to the Oudegracht: allow about fifteen minutes on foot to Dom Square. On the way you cross the Catharijnesingel, a canal filled in during the 1970s and later restored to water.

The world's largest bicycle parking

Beneath the Stationsplein, between the station and Hoog Catharijne, lies the world's largest covered bicycle parking: about 12,500 spaces on three levels, open 24 hours a day, with a cycle path running through it. The first 24 hours are free. Even without a bike, it is worth a look as you leave the train.

An hour-by-hour plan for the day

This plan assumes you leave around 9am and have booked a Dom Tower slot. Avoid Mondays: most museums are closed.

• 9.00am: train from Amsterdam Centraal, arriving in Utrecht around 9.30am.
• 9.40am: a look at the bicycle parking, then walk into the centre via Hoog Catharijne and Vredenburg.
• 10.00am: the Oudegracht between the Bakkerbrug and Dom Square, still quiet in the morning.
• 10.30am: guided climb of the Dom Tower (about an hour).
• 11.40am: the cathedral (Domkerk) and its cloister garden, the Pandhof.
• 12.30pm: lunch on one of the wharf terraces, right by the water.
• 2.00pm: one museum of your choice: Centraal Museum, Museum Speelklok, the Miffy Museum with young children, or the Rietveld Schröder House with a booked slot.
• 3.45pm: a one-hour boat tour, or a canoe on the Oudegracht.
• 5.00pm: the Neude and the library in the former post office, open until 9pm on weekdays.
• 6.30pm: dinner on the wharves, then back to Amsterdam.

The Dom Tower and Dom Square

At 112 metres, the cathedral tower is the tallest church tower in the Netherlands. It stands alone on the square because the nave that linked it to the choir collapsed in a storm in 1674; the outline of the lost nave is marked in the paving.

Climbing the Dom Tower

The climb is only possible with a guide, up 465 steps, with stops at the chapel and in the bell chamber. The tower is open every day from 10am to 5pm, except 25 December, 1 January and King's Day. Tickets cost €13.50, €8.50 for ages 4 to 12, students and over-65s, free under 4. Book a slot online or at the Winkel van Utrecht, the tourist office at Domplein 9: tours start there, and arriving late means losing your ticket. Bags and backpacks are not allowed in the tower; free lockers are provided.

DOMunder, beneath the square

Under the square, DOMunder reveals the remains of the Roman fort and the successive churches, with an interactive torch in hand. The tour lasts 75 minutes, in Dutch or English, and also starts from Domplein 9, every day from 10am to 5pm. Tickets are €14.50, €10 for students and children; recommended from age 8, it can only be reached by stairs.

The cathedral and the Pandhof

The Domkerk, the Gothic choir that remains of the cathedral, is free to enter. From April to October it opens Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm, Saturday from 10am to 3.15pm and Sunday from 12.30pm to 5pm; from November to March, 11am to 4pm on weekdays, 11am to 3.15pm on Saturday and 12.30pm to 4pm on Sunday. The cloister leads to the Pandhof, a garden of medicinal plants enclosed by Gothic galleries and one of the quietest spots in the centre.

The Oudegracht and its wharves

On the Oudegracht, the canal runs several metres below street level, lined with low quays, the werven. In the Middle Ages goods were unloaded here and stored in vaulted cellars dug under the street, the werfkelders, which now house cafés, restaurants and workshops with waterside terraces. Take the steps down near the bridges and follow the wharf south from the Bakkerbrug to the Twijnstraat.

On the water: boat or canoe

• Boat tour: the Schuttevaer company departs from the Viebrug, Oudegracht 85, and from a landing stage under Hoog Catharijne. The one-hour tour costs €18.50, €13.50 for ages 4 to 12, free under 4; the 90-minute tour is €21.95 and €15.95. Departures run daily all year round, with an audio guide in eight languages; seats are limited, so book online.
• Canoe: Kanoverhuur Utrecht rents canoes on the wharf at Oudegracht aan de Werf 275, for €12 per person for the first hour, then €2.50 per quarter of an hour, capped at €22 per person. It also rents electric boats (fluisterboten) at €90 for the first 90 minutes, then €30 per extra half hour.

Utrecht's museums

The four museums below accept the Museumkaart, which makes them free; see our comparison of museum passes in Amsterdam to decide whether it suits you.

The Centraal Museum

The city museum, at Agnietenstraat 1, combines old masters, including the Utrecht Caravaggists, with fashion, design and furniture by Gerrit Rietveld. It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11am to 5pm. Tickets are €18, €10 for ages 13 to 17, free up to age 12; some major exhibitions carry a surcharge.

The Miffy Museum (Nijntje Museum)

Right opposite, at Agnietenstraat 2, the museum of Nijntje (Miffy), Dick Bruna's little rabbit, is designed for children aged 2 to 6, with rooms to explore and touch. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Tickets cost €14 for an adult and for a child aged 2 to 6, €10 for ages 7 to 17, free under 2. Booking online is compulsory: no tickets are sold on site.

Museum Speelklok

Housed in the Buurkerk, a medieval church at Steenweg 6, this museum gathers self-playing musical instruments (barrel organs, player pianos, music boxes) that the guides play during the tours, which start every half hour. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm, and on Mondays during Dutch school holidays. Tickets are €18.50, €13.50 for ages 13 to 17, €10 for ages 4 to 12.

The Rietveld Schröder House

Built in 1924 by Gerrit Rietveld, with its sliding panels and blocks of colour, this house is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It stands at Prins Hendriklaan 50, about 2 km east of the Centraal Museum, which handles its ticketing. Visits are by reservation only, in 20-minute slots, Tuesday to Sunday from 11am to 4pm, with a break from 1pm to 2pm; they last 30 to 40 minutes with a multimedia guide included. Tickets are €19, €10.50 for ages 12 to 17, €3 up to age 12. Eight people at most per slot: book early.

The Neude and the library in the old post office

North of the Dom, Neude square is lined with cafés. The former main post office, built in the 1920s, now houses the Neude library at Neude 11: entry is free, and the great counter hall, with its yellow-brick vault, can be visited like a monument. The library is open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 9pm and Sunday from 10am to 6pm; it has a café.

Summary: opening hours and prices

Prices checked in October 2026 on the venues' official websites. The Museumkaart gives free entry to the Centraal Museum, the Miffy Museum, Museum Speelklok and the Rietveld Schröder House.

What you can skip

• Hoog Catharijne: a route, not a sight; the same chains are in Amsterdam.
• The shopping streets between Vredenburg and the Dom, packed on Saturdays: head down to the Oudegracht wharves instead.
• DOMunder and the tower on the same day if your day is short: pick one.
• The Rietveld Schröder House if architecture is not your thing: it is outside the centre and requires a fixed slot.
• The Miffy Museum without a child under 7.

Extending the day: De Haar Castle

With an extra half day, De Haar Castle, the largest in the Netherlands, lies west of Utrecht. From Utrecht Centraal, take a Sprinter towards Den Haag Centraal to Vleuten, then bus 111 to the Kasteel de Haar stop, a minute from the reception. The bus runs about once an hour until around 7pm, twice an hour during some holidays. Allow two to three hours there and book your slot. North of the city, Slot Zuylen features in our guide to castles around Amsterdam.

Further reading

To compare Utrecht with the other cities less than an hour away, see our guide to day trips from Amsterdam. If you prefer contemporary architecture to medieval canals, read our guide to Rotterdam from Amsterdam, and to fit the trip into a short stay, our Amsterdam in 3 days itinerary.