We will be finishing up a 7 day river cruise from Amsterdam to Amsterdam visiting, Rotterdam\ Delta, Ghent(or one full day in Bruges), Antwerp. At the conclusion of the cruise we are remaining in Amsterdam 3.5 more days or we thought should we go to Utrecht for one night or to Bruges ( a longer trip) for one or two nights. We have an option to see Bruges on the cruise as a day trip from Ghent, however I understand Ghent is delightful also, so we may want to opt for the Ghent tour and see Bruges after the cruise. Anyone know more about Utrecht which is a short trip from Amsterdam that we can do as a day trip . We prefer to use public transportation. I love art, architecture, roaming beautiful streets, food, shopping, museums...
Posted by
The Netherlands
1529 posts
Without additional information, your question is difficult to answer. Why Utrecht specifically? I ask because it seems you don’t know much about it, but yet you chose it. Why not any of the other lovely cities in our country? Like for instance Leiden, Haarlem, Delft, The Hague, Amersfoort etc etc.
Also if you decide to go for Bruges, do you realize that would mean that you would backtrack the entire length of the river cruise you just did?
Posted by
OP
10 posts
Hi
yes, yes and yes, you are correct - I don't know a lot about Utrecht other than I read that it is worth a visit and that it is close to AMS.
And yes the if we go to Bruges we will be back tracking, on the cruise one has choices of day trips, I feel one day in Bruges may not be enough for us. Please tell me more about other towns with character and maybe fewer tourists within easy day trip from AMS. Basically, we want to take a couple days post cruise to visit yet one more place b4 going home.
thank you!
Posted by
Chicago
2991 posts
So many great day trip options from. Amsterdam. Hoorn, Delft, Leiden, and Gouda to name a few.
The trip report from my trip last year details how easy using public transportation is in the Netherlands:
Have a great trip!!
Posted by
Brooklyn, NY
4134 posts
We were just in Utrecht in June. It is a pretty city but a one day visit is enough. We also only spent 1 day in Bruges and would love to return. I would see Ghent and return for Bruges.
If I had to pick one day trip from Amsterdam it would be Haarlem. We’ve visited Edam, Maarkem, Volendam, Delft, The Hague, Rotterdam, Kinderdijk, and Gouda also.
An FYI, if interested, in Haarlem book your Corrie Ten Boom tickets early.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7737 posts
Month of year?
About 20% of posters here (I made up that number) consider Bruges the most beautiful and romantic medieval city in Europe. I don't agree. And I don't see how the noir movie "In Bruges" could feed such a belief! People at home will ask you, "Did you see Bruges?", but they will never ask, "Did you see Utrecht?" But Utrecht (and Leiden) take far more than one day to see, and Bruges can be done in a day. (That is, unless you need to soak in the romantic atmosphere and absorb it.)
Ghent is sort of a mini-Bruges, but a more college-town place, and has the (Monument Men) Ghent Altarpiece. (Advance booking required, and it's all under glass.) In Belgium, I prefer to stay in Antwerp, but Antwerp is much bigger, and maybe a tiny bit like Amsterdam.
Utrecht has some superb museums, especially the Musical Instrument Machine Museum, where you want to pre-book the few English language (by tour only) tour. I have only been to Utrecht and Leiden by train daytrip from Amsterdam, have not slept there. I don't feel equipped to compare Leiden and Utrecht. I have been to Bruges twice, train daytrips from Antwerp, where I have spent a few weeks. Don't go to Ghent on Monday, although the Altarpiece is 7 days.
Because your tour ends in Amsterdam, Utrecht has an edge over cities in Belgium. Can you fly home from BRU? There are five trains an hour from Bruges to [downtown, not airport] Brussels, and an airport train.
Posted by
1010 posts
I have a soft spot for Bruges, but seeing it as a day trip would not be my first choice. It’s at its best in the evening when the day trippers have departed. The Groeninge museum is a gem. Ghent is nice, terrific if the weather is good and folks are out. As asked, my answer is go back and spend a couple nights in Bruges.
But the other posters here are right, there are a lot of easy day trips from Amsterdam. And have you included time for Amsterdam itself? That’s unclear. If the answer is no, then I would probably just stay in Amsterdam, explore a bit there and take a day trip or (half day trip) if it suits your fancy. There’s a ton of worthwhile towns within an hour train of Amsterdam, Utrecht is just one of them. It’s all pretty low-key, with some lovely canals, plain churches, and a solid museum or two. None of them have Bruges’ star power, but it’s much simpler for an itinerary.
Posted by
OP
10 posts
Thanks everyone for the great info. I forgot to mention that we will be in Amsterdam for 4 days before the cruise so we feel we will check off a lot from our Amsterdam list and post cruise explore another town nearby.
Posted by
Elmwood, IL, USA
368 posts
I agree with Tim’s post. Family in Utrecht since 1993 I’ve enjoyed the museums, old canal shopping and dining, climbing the dom tower. New & convenient Hampton Inn adjacent to the rail station. The Hague is a good day trip with museums & a prearranged visit/tour to the Peace Palace. I have also done a beach trip to the North Sea, many location's to chose from. Haarlem is also wonderful. Brugge is good to go one time but I do believe The Netherlands would be better. Also if you like markets, I know Goudas is Thursday, Utrecht is Wednesday & Saturday. Every city has a different market day. FYI, you mentioned being in Amsterdam a few days, the tourist transportation card bought at the white kiosk in the baggage claim area at Schiphol is so worth it.