Utrecht is a major city in the Netherlands, located around 40km south of Amsterdam. This Utrecht guide gives an overview of what to do and see in the city. Utrecht is renowned for its imposing Dom cathedral tower which dominates its beautiful historic centre. This lively city has picturesque canals, interesting museums and some lovely parks and gardens. It can easily be visited from Amsterdam by 30 minute train trip and some choose to base themselves there for a longer visit. Utrecht Tourist Information Centre One of your first ports of call could be the Utrecht Tourist Information Centre (Win ..read more

A great way to travel between Amsterdam and Berlin during the day is by the Intercity train service. This gives you centre-to-centre convenience, no check-in or security lines and a regular service running every 2 hours. It can be easily booked via the NS International site (euros) or the Trainline site here (multi-currencies) with prices starting at only €38 one-way. Deutsche Bahn (DB German Railways) and NS International (Dutch Railways) jointly run a 6x daily direct train between Amsterdam and Berlin –  this is a standard Intercity (IC) rail service, not a high-speed one – and the jour ..read more

We wouldn’t normally recommend driving in Amsterdam for visitors – one reason is that parking is limited and quite expensive in the city centre. Amsterdam has 11 Park & Ride locations around the city ring road A10 where you can park for up to 96 hours at a discounted rate. However if you do need to bring your car into Amsterdam then here is an overview of parking options available. Street Parking in Amsterdam If you park somewhere on a street in Amsterdam then you will need to pay for a ticket at a parking meter or using a mobile. Parking meter Amsterdam You now have to input your vehicle ..read more

Amsterdam has 11 Park & Ride locations around the city ring road A10 where you can park your vehicle for up to 96 hours at a discounted rate. You must use public transport to travel between the P+R and the city centre. P+R Amsterdam parking rates (2024) are as follows: The off-peak rate is €6 per 24 hours for arrivals after 1000 Mon-Fri and anytime at weekends. The peak rate is €13 for first 24 hours for arrivals before 1000 Mon-Fri and thereafter €6 per 24 hours. You can stay for a maximum of 4 days (96 hours) at all P+R locations in Amsterdam except P+R RAI (max 24 hours). If you stay ..read more

Driving in Amsterdam is not really recommended as the city centre streets are narrow, there is often ongoing construction work and parking places are limited and expensive. Most visitors to Amsterdam and the Netherlands can get around efficiently by public transport. That said there may be times when you need to rent a car. All of the major car rental firms have offices at Amsterdam Schiphol airport and also in Amsterdam city – many (including Europcar, Hertz and Avis) are clustered around Overtoom, a long boulevard which is not far from Leidseplein. From Overtoom it’s a straight forward drive ..read more

The Utrecht University Botanic Gardens is the largest academic botanical garden in the Netherlands. It is located on the eastern side of Utrecht and is open to visitors. Book Utrecht University Botanic Gardens tickets here At 100,000m² in area it is about 8 times larger than the Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam. It has a spectacular setting including a large rock garden built on the bunkers of an old fort. It has a collection of around 10,000 plant species. The Utrecht University Botanic Gardens originate back to 1639 and were first located at the Sonnerbergh site in the city centre. In 1723 the ..read more

The Jewish Cultural Quarter (Joods Cultureel Kwartier JCK) in Amsterdam comprises 4 historic buildings in the city’s Jewish area.  The 4 buildings are located close to each other within 1 square kilometre and offer the opportunity to learn about Jewish culture, traditions and history. The 4 venues are: Jewish Museum Portuguese Synagogue National Holocaust Museum Hollandsche Schouwburg Book your Jewish Cultural Quarter Amsterdam duo tickets here Jewish Museum in Amsterdam The Jewish Museum (Joods Museum) is a museum focussed on Jewish religion and rituals, culture and history – particula ..read more

ARCAM (Architecture Centre Amsterdam) is an organisation which deals with architecture and urban development in Amsterdam. It undertakes research projects and hosts exhibitions and talks. It is housed in a compact 3-storey building on the Prins Hendrikkade in the Oosterdok area, not far from NEMO Science Museum and the Maritime Museum. The building was designed by René van Zuuk Architects and was completed over 2002-2003 at a cost of €1.6 million. It has an interesting mixture of glass facade and a curved zinc-coated aluminium roof and side panelling. ARCAM – glass facade on waterside sideARCA ..read more

Cobra is an avant-garde art movement of European artists from the 1940s and 1950s who originated from Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam – hence the acronym CoBrA. The artists developed the movement in Paris before taking their work to a wider audience in New York. The popular Cobra Museum in Amstelveen (south of Amsterdam) highlights paintings and sculptures from the movement and also holds frequent exhibitions of other modern artists. Cobra Museum – entrance lobby The Cobra collection contains various works from renowned Dutch Cobra artists such as Karel Appel, Constant and Corneille; and al ..read more

The Dutch National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam is a new museum in the heart of the city’s Jewish district. It is expected to open on 11 March 2024. It will tell the story of the persecution, deportation and murder of Jews in the Netherlands during World War Two, as well as stories of rescue and survival. The museum is located on the Plantage Middenlaan street in the Hervormde Kweekschool, a former teacher training school. During the war, hundreds of Jewish children being held at the crèche nextdoor were secretly brought to safety via the school building. Across the street can be found the Ho ..read more