Utrecht for Parents and Children

A day with children in Utrecht is easiest when you plan around the weather. This page offers a rainy-day plan, a dry-day plan and a short checklist, with the prices parents ask about first. All amounts are in euros, and card payment is standard.

If it rains

Start with the Nijntje Museum. Agnietenstraat 2 is the museum of Miffy, the rabbit drawn by Dick Bruna, an Utrecht native. Since 2023 it has about 1,500 square metres designed for ages 2 to 6. You must book a slot online, as tickets are not sold on the spot: nijntjemuseum.nl .

Then the Centraal Museum next door. It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 17:00. Children up to 12 enter free, and the ship in the cellar, the Utrechts Schip, is an oak cargo vessel found in 1930.

Afternoon at Museum Speelklok. Steenweg 6 holds musical clocks and street organs. Tours begin on the half hour between 10:30 and 15:30, and the Organ Monkey Toetsie scavenger hunt entertains younger visitors.

Or take the train to the Spoorwegmuseum. It costs 19.50 euros from age 4 and is free for ages 0 to 3. It opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00, and Mondays in school holidays. Look at the museum’s visitor page before you travel.

University museum. The Universiteitsmuseum Utrecht on Lange Nieuwstraat 106 reopened in September 2023, and its five zones let children try experiments and see skeletons and specimens. Check its site for prices.

If it is dry

Griftpark is free every day, with an adventure playground, water pumps, a skate bowl and a children’s farm.

Oude Hortus, the botanical garden of 1723 at the university museum, has giant water lilies and greenhouses from the 18th century.

Kasteel de Haar in Haarzuilens suits a half-day outing. Castle and gardens cost 21.50 euros for adults and 13.50 for ages 4 to 12. Gardens alone are 5 euros for a child, with no booking needed.

On the water, the Kromme Rijn can be paddled in a Canadian canoe (15 euros an hour) or rowboat (13 for five people) from De Rijnstroom at Weg naar Rhijnauwen 2, with reservation online and card payment only. Ask the operator about minimum ages when you reserve.

For older children

The Dom Tower climb is 465 steps with a guide, 8.50 euros for ages 4 to 12 and 13.50 for adults. DOMunder’s flashlight tour of the Roman and medieval remains suits ages 8 and over, at 10 euros for children.

Animals

Utrecht has no zoo. Take the 13 to 15 minute Intercity to Amersfoort for DierenPark Amersfoort, or the 35 minute train to Rhenen for Ouwehands Dierenpark.

Checklist

  • Book the Nijntje Museum, the Spoorwegmuseum slot and any castle visit before the day.
  • Pack a rain layer, but leave the stroller behind for the tower and the wharves.
  • Keep children away from the water’s edge on the lower wharves, which lack railings.
  • Warn them that cyclists ride fast on the red lanes and have right of way.

Read more: Day Trips from Utrecht and the Netherlands three day itinerary .

Booking help

Family tickets can be compared on Viator .