Train Day Trips Out of Utrecht
Utrecht Centraal handles more than 200,000 passengers a day, and that makes the city an easy launch point for day trips. Some destinations are one direct train away, while others need a bus or a bike for the last leg. Fares are charged automatically when you tap a contactless card or phone at the gates, in and out.
Direct trains
| Destination | Journey from Utrecht Centraal |
|---|---|
| Amersfoort | 13 to 15 minutes |
| Amsterdam Centraal | 27 minutes |
| Den Bosch | 28 minutes |
| Schiphol Airport | 30 minutes |
| The Hague | 37 minutes |
| Rotterdam | 38 minutes |
Amersfoort and Amsterdam have Intercity trains every 10 to 15 minutes. Amsterdam trains run around the clock.
Amersfoort keeps a round medieval centre. The Koppelpoort of 1425 is a gate that crosses both a street and a canal, and the Muurhuizen are homes built right on the foundations of the first city wall. The Mondriaanhuis is where Piet Mondrian was born in 1872, and Museum Flehite covers local history. A half day is plenty.
The Hague offers the Mauritshuis, the Peace Palace and the beach at Scheveningen, and Amsterdam has the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. Both are full-day trips. Returning to sleep in Utrecht avoids high Amsterdam room rates.
Train plus a short second leg
Kasteel de Haar. Ride the NS train as far as Vleuten, roughly 10 minutes, and finish by local bus or on two wheels. The castle is in Haarzuilens, 12 km west of the centre and in the province of Utrecht. The 9292.nl journey planner is the place to check the bus. A bike ride from Utrecht covers about 12 km on flat paths. The castle was rebuilt between 1892 and 1912 for Baron Étienne van Zuylen van Nijevelt and Baroness Hélène de Rothschild by the architect Pierre Cuypers. It is open daily from 11:00 to 17:00, and the gardens daily from 9:00 to 17:30. Prices are on the castle’s admission page . A combined ticket is 21.50 euros for an adult and 13.50 for a child aged 4 to 12.
Oudewater. The town is 25 km south-west and reached by regional bus. At the Heksenwaag, built in 1482 at Leeuweringerstraat 2, accused witches were weighed. Emperor Charles V granted Oudewater the right in 1545 to certify natural body weight. Visitors can still stand on the scale and take home a certificate. Official hours from 1 April to 1 November are Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 to 17:00, with Mondays added in July and August. See heksenwaag.nl .
Gouda. Continue from Oudewater by bus or bike to see the town hall, the stained glass in St. John’s church and the cheese market.
Soesterberg. The Nationaal Militair Museum is on a former air base 15 km east, with tanks, V2 rockets and fighter jets under a high glass roof. It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00 and free to Museumkaart holders. Use a train to Driebergen-Zeist or Amersfoort and a bus from there.
Utrechtse Heuvelrug. A wooded ridge of sand, with the Pyramide van Austerlitz, a 36 m earth pyramid built by French soldiers in 1804 in 27 days.
Too far for one day
The beaches of Zeeland, at Domburg and Vlissingen, are 2.5 to 3 hours each way. Hoge Veluwe National Park, in Gelderland about 60 km east, is possible by car, but the public transport trip is long.
Read more: Multi-day Trips from Utrecht and the Netherlands three day itinerary .
Booking help
Combined tours with transport are listed on GetYourGuide .