← Eindhoven Marathon·1 night

Utrecht: Canal Wharves and a Flat Centre After Eindhoven

A canal city with sunken wharf cafés and a flat centre, one direct train from Eindhoven and one more to Schiphol.

Duration1 night
TransitNS Intercity from Eindhoven Centraal to Utrecht Centraal, about 50 minutes
DepartsEindhoven Centraal

After the Eindhoven Marathon: Utrecht

The Route: Eindhoven Centraal → Utrecht → Schiphol Airport Logistics: NS Intercity, about 50 minutes, with trains several times an hour. The old centre is a flat 10-minute walk from Utrecht Centraal through a shopping complex. Marathon Month: October Duration: 1 night

Eindhoven Centraal ──(about 50 mins, NS Intercity)──> Utrecht Centraal
                                                            │
        Schiphol Airport (AMS) <──(about 30 mins, direct)───┘

The Eindhoven Marathon finishes on Vestdijk on a Sunday in October. Utrecht is halfway to the airport and makes a good single night, because the train is direct and the centre can be covered on foot.

October in Utrecht: daytime highs are around 13°C, with showers likely. The trees along the Oudegracht begin to turn in the second half of the month. Check the forecast, because a wet day suits indoor museums better than the quays. Many museums close on Mondays, so look at opening hours before you go.

Dutch rail has no advance fares and no seat reservations on Intercity trains, so there is nothing to book early. A single costs a few euros and is paid with a contactless card or OVpay. Check the NS planner for works.

Night One: Utrecht

The Oudegracht is a sunken canal, with the quays about four metres below street level and former wharf cellars that now serve as cafés. At the bridges there are stairs between the street and the quay, so use the upper pavement if the stairs trouble your quads. The walk along the canal is level and about 1 km long, with benches.

The Dom Tower is 112 metres tall and is climbed by 465 steps with a guided tour and no lift. Look at it from the Domplein, because the climb is the worst choice for the day after a marathon. The Centraal Museum, in a former convent, holds the Dick Bruna collection and has lifts; check whether it is closed on Mondays. Museum Speelklok, in a former church, shows mechanical instruments on short guided tours.

NH Utrecht, near the station on Jaarbeursplein, is the easiest hotel for arrival and departure. Hotel Karel V on Geertebolwerk is a quieter, more formal hotel in a former commandery, about 10 minutes from the centre. Confirm lift access at both.

Winkel van Sinkel, a grand café on the Oudegracht in a former department store, serves Dutch classics. The wharf cafés along the canal are an easy lunch if the weather is dry.

A second option, if you have time on Monday morning, is the Spoorwegmuseum, the national railway museum in a former station on the edge of the centre. It has level halls, seating and a short train ride, and it is a reasonable choice in rain. Check opening hours and ticket prices on its website. The Rietveld Schröder House, a 1924 building by Gerrit Rietveld, takes small guided groups and needs booking well ahead; it is a flat 1.5 km from the station but a tram is kinder on tired legs.

Cycle lanes are busy everywhere in the centre, so look both ways before stepping off the pavement. If you are carrying luggage, the station has lockers, which saves lugging a bag across the old town. Arrive in the afternoon after the race if the legs allow, walk the Oudegracht in the evening light, and eat early, because many kitchens close by ten.

Getting to Schiphol Airport (AMS)

Utrecht Centraal to Schiphol is a direct NS Intercity of about 30 minutes, several times an hour. The airport station is under Schiphol Plaza and has lifts. Check the NS planner on the day.