Utrecht Audio Tours

Utrecht began as a Roman fortress called Traiectum around 50 CE and grew into the religious capital of the Netherlands by the 8th century, a status it held for over a thousand years. The Dom Tower, at 112 meters the tallest church tower in the country, lost its nave in a catastrophic storm in 1674 and has stood alone in the square ever since, a gloriously incomplete monument at the center of the medieval city. The Union of Utrecht was signed here in 1579, establishing the Dutch Republic, which makes the city both older and more constitutionally significant than Amsterdam.

What makes Utrecht irresistible to walk is the Oudegracht, a curved canal running through the city center at two levels.

The lower level was built for unloading river barges and now holds cafes and restaurants in cellar-vaulted rooms that open directly onto the water. The Rietveld Schroeder House, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built in 1924, sits at the eastern edge of the city and exemplifies the De Stijl movement in a way that will make you understand why the Dutch keep producing world-class designers. In a country of cyclists, Utrecht went furthest: the train station opens into the world's largest bicycle parking structure, accommodating 12,500 bikes.