Utrecht area in late August

How many days do you have for this holiday? Utrecht is located in the middle of the country and train lines radiate out from Utrecht, so a lot of cities and places in the Netherlands are an easy train ride away. There are a lot of things you can see and do in Utrecht and surroundings. It all depends on what your interests are and how much time you have.
If you want to explore Friesland, it might be easier to rent a car. Especially if you want to see some of the smaller towns and historical cities.

There's plenty to see in The Netherlands! It all depends on how far you are willing to venture out. The great thing about Utrecht is its central location, the train will truly take you into any direction. Want some entertainment? Head out to Efteling, one of the greatest theme parks in the world. Prefer nature? Head to the island of Texel of De Hoge Veluwe. Some of our great cities are: Amsterdam, Haarlem, Alkmaar, The Hague, Rotterdam, Gouda, Delft, Maastricht, Amersfoort, Leiden... the list is endless.

Close to Utrecht is Kasteel de Haar. Definitely worth a visit. Make sure you get your daughter a Museumkaart and a Weekend Vrij NS Card, so that she can explore the country every single weekend. If you get bored of the Netherlands, you can of course consider hopping into Belgium (Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, Bruges) or Germany (Köln, Düsseldorf).

Amersfoort is often overlooked, but I like it. Theoretically, Delft and Den Haag can be done the same day, but each is worth a full day. Leiden can't be fully seen in a day. What is her field of study? Beware of August holiday closures?

@Tim; what holiday closures do you mean? Of the university?

Just outside Utrecht cycling along the river Vecht with it's country estates to Breukelen and Loenen a/d Vecht.

Thanks everyone, that's a start! I will start my research . . . .

I'm looking at about 2 weeks.

She's studying geography, with a goal at becoming a city planner. The Netherlands looks like a great place to study that topic.

and between Utrecht and Breukelen you could do some big ship (and little boat) watching - very nice

Haarlem is my favorite city in the Netherlands! Our last visit we made a point of visiting other towns like Delft, Leiden and Utrecht, all are lovely with maybe Leiden edging out Utrecht for my favorite of the three. If you want less sightseeing/more nature you could rent bikes and ferry out to Texel for a day trip.