Staying in Utrecht but flying out of Schiphol at 10:35 am?

Before you decide on renting a car, I would suggest you to get acquainted with our excellent public transport system. Unless you plan to visit some very out of the way places, it’s very likely that the train will be a much more convenient and relaxed way to get around in both Belgium and the Netherlands.

With regards to your stay in Utrecht; Schiphol Airport is only a direct 30 minute train ride away from Utrecht.

Not Folly. It takes 30 to 50 minutes by train to get to Schiphol from Utrecht station, if you give yourself 3 hours before for security and such, that means if you are conservatively on a train by 6:30, you should have plenty of time. There are plenty of direct trains, plus probably several other routes to get there (via Amsterdam, via Leiden) if there is an issue with one route. Really, it will not take much more time, 20 minutes or so, than if you were spending the night in Amsterdam.

Hi Kaye, Other than Monaco, and San Marino , it’s the Netherlands and Belgium that are the most densely populated countries in continental Europe. This is one reason why the Dutch, in particular, choose to get around by bicycle and why cycling is one sport both the Netherlands’ and Belgium’s athletes earn gold medals at in the summer Olympics. You’ll find driving a car frustrating and costly both in time and euros in your search for petrol and parking. Keep in mind that most cities were built way before cars were invented and street layouts were not made to accommodate cars. In fact, in many of the historic city centers such as Utrecht, Amsterdam, Bruges, Ghent and Antwer—cars are banned.
The train from Utrecht’s Central Train station to Schipol Airport takes 29-31 minutes at a cost of about $12. That will save you both time and money versus a car. From Utrecht to Amsterdam Centraal Station takes only 26 minutes for about $11.
So I agree with DutchTraveler above that your trip will be much more fun if you take public transit which will primarily be trains.
Have a great trip!

the train station is directly adjacent to and under the airport - don't even need to go outside.