The Best Sight in Utrecht, The Randstad

Background Illustration for Sights

If you arrive by train, you might be forgiven for thinking Utrecht is one enormous covered shopping mall, since the station is incorporated into the warren of 200-plus shops that is the Hoog Catharijne. You could get lost here for a day, but if you follow signs for Centrum (town center) and keep walking with determination, you will eventually come out in the historic center. The soaring tower of Domtoren—tower of "the cathedral that is missing"—on the skyline will direct you to the center of the action. Most of the main sights are in a fairly compact area and reachable on foot within a few minutes of the Domtoren.

Universiteits Museum

The University Museum deals with both the history of Utrecht University and the fields of science. The first thing you'll notice is the building itself: architects make special trips to study Koen van Velsen's square building and his garden "boxes"; a glassed-in corridor runs the length of the building, giving an immense feeling of space. One collection, bought by William I and donated to the museum, verges on the ghoulish: skulls, anatomical models, and preserved "things" in jars—medical ethics would prevent these exhibits from being preserved now, most notably the embryos, which only increases their fascination for youngsters. In the third-floor Youth Lab, kids can have a field day: they put on mini lab coats to do experiments and play with optical illusions. A former orangery is now a garden-fronted café.

Lange Nieuwestraat 106, Utrecht, 3512 PN, Netherlands
030-253–8008
Sight Details
€14
Closed Mon.

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