Living the Canal Life in Utrecht, the Netherlands

Utrecht was my homebase for my first trip to The Netherlands. With one of the largest universities in the country and one of the oldest city centers, Utrecht provides the perfect mix of history and vibrancy. Just like Amsterdam, canals and bike lanes take the focus away from car travel.

My host didn’t own a car and mentioned that when she needed to haul something, she could rent a bike with an attached trailer. Coming from the car driven United States, it was hard to wrap my head around this, but I also really love the concept of it. To make her way around the city, she uses her bike, stand up paddle board, or her own two feet. She also talked about how there’s a bike program in the country that allows people to pick up a loaner bike at train stations so that bikes don’t have to clog up the trains. Utrecht actually boasts the country’s largest bike garage at the central train station.

While I was too intimidated by the bike traffic to ride a bike, I did rent a kayak to explore the canals. The medieval center of Utrecht is surrounded by the 6 kilometer long 12th century defensive Stadsbuitengracht (City Outer Canal). To access the interior of the center, the city added the 2 kilometer Oudegracht (Old Canal) in the 12th and 0.7 kilometer Nieuwe Gracht (New Canal) in the 14th century. My two hour rental gave me enough time to kayak down the Oudegracht and circle back to the rental place along the eastern side of the Stadsbuitengracht.

As I kayaked I passed municipal barges picking up garbage, locals out for a morning paddle, canal tours ferrying tourists, delivery boats dropping off goods, locals enjoying breakfast on their stoops, and people hanging out on their house boats. The canals really are the transportation structure of the city.

At the end of my kayak trip I passed by the Stadskraan Utrecht. A replica of the historic Stads Crane which collapsed in the 1800s, this 2022 structure still includes a functional tread inside that people can access and operate with an official tour.

Utrecht’s canal system is unique in its two tiered infrastructure. What were once warehouses and cellars at the canal level have been transformed into galleries, cafes, and houses. I met a couple that had just moved into one of these spaces, and they talked about the work that goes into making what is essentially a cave into a cozy home. While the space is small and the only light comes from the front door, I can imagine the canal side front stoop adds a lot of romantic ambiance. I spent a good amount of time along these lower walkways where the arched bridges, stone walls, blooming flowers, and towering canal side houses transported me into a fairytale.

Once a passageway for horses to transport goods from the canal to the city center, the Ganzenmarkt Tunnel tunnel is now a light display that transports people between the Oudegracht canal Ganzenmarkt street. University of Utrecht alum artist Erik Groen turned a dark tunnel into a moving light display, and local graffiti adds to the everchanging experience. This is one of several light displays embedded seamlessly into the cityscape.

At the upper street level, colorful narrow houses with antique glass line the cobblestone streets. Small shops, cafes, and galleries fill the first floor and bikes line the canal walls. Even though I didn’t need to cross the canal, I would cross the bridges to enjoy the long views of the historic houses flanking either side of the canal.

From almost everywhere in the city, the Dom Tower makes its presence known. Standing at 112 meters tall, it is the tallest church tower in the Netherlands. Once connected to St. Martin’s Cathedral, the tower now stands alone in the center of the city. Until 1674, when the central nave connecting the church and tower were taken out by a tornado, St. Martin’s Cathedral was the largest one in the Netherlands. Stones from that collapsed nave are still visible in the pavement surrounding the tower.

While I didn’t climb the tower, I did enjoy a quiet moment in St. Martin’s Cathedral. Built on the site of a Roman church, the Gothic Domkerk has survived centuries of storms, sieges, and reformation. The light filled cloister of the cathedral offers a different perspective of the architectural details of the church.

Next door, Flora’s Hof offers another oasis in the city. The garden started as part of the Bishop’s Palace, but when the palace was torn down in 1803, landscape architect Hendrik van Lunteren created a plant nursery for his business.

Utrecht’s cobblestone streets extend along the canals and beyond. I spent my mornings sitting with a coffee and pastry watching people bike past. I spent the afternoons browsing the global clothing stores on Lange Elisabethstraat, searching for unique finds in vintage shops on Voorstraat, and tasting the range of gouda offerings at the tourist shops along the Oudegracht.