Escorts in Utrecht

The Dom Tower stands alone above everything, separated from its church since a storm took the nave down in the seventeenth century, and it is how you orient yourself from any street. The Oudegracht curls through the middle with its wharf cellars at water level, terraces below the road and shops above it, which is a piece of city building you will not see anywhere else. Neude and Janskerkhof are the open squares. Hoog Catharijne and the enormous station sit on the western edge, with the Jaarbeurs halls opposite.

Two quarters, clearly separated. The station side around Hoog Catharijne and the Jaarbeurs holds the larger business hotels, with big lobbies, conference floors and a constant flow of arrivals. The old centre holds the small ones, converted houses on and around the Oudegracht and near Domplein, where the stairs are narrow and the front desk knows every guest by sight.

Both are straightforward for us. In the old centre, give the desk the street name and the nearest bridge, because much of the middle of Utrecht is closed to cars and the final approach is on foot.

Amsterdam Centrum is under half an hour by train and holds the shortest notice period on the map. Schiphol is about thirty minutes on a direct service, useful if you are moving between the two. Rotterdam and Den Haag are both around forty minutes from Utrecht by rail, each with its own page and its own timings.