Getting Around Utrecht, Netherlands

Utrecht is one of the main cities of the Netherlands and lies 45km south of Amsterdam. Please see how to get to Utrecht for information on arriving by train or coach and getting oriented at Utrecht Central Station.

Once in Utrecht, let’s take a look at how to get around the city by various forms of public transport – including buses, trams and trains as well as foot, bicycle and taxi.

Utrecht On Foot

The cheapest and easiest option, Utrecht city centre is small enough so that the majority of visitors can quite easily get around on foot.

From Utrecht Central Station you can access the city centre by walking via the covered pavilion square at Stationsplein-Oost (located past platforms 1-4) and then into the Hoog Catharijne shopping centre.

After a few minutes walk you will reach the exits at the Vredenberg square. From here you can make your way to the Oudegracht (old canal) and imposing Dom cathedral tower at the heart of the old centre. Just watch out for the cobbled streets and cyclists!

Utrecht Trams

There are 3 tram lines running in Utrecht which are operated by U-OV (a subsidiary of Qbuzz, owned by Italian State Railways).

They serve the satellite towns of Nieuwegein and IJsselstein (a few kilometres south of the city) and the Utrecht Science Park (eastern edge of the city). The lines are as follows:

Note, if you plan to travel by tram in Utrecht then (unlike Amsterdam) the card readers are located on the platforms rather than on board the tram.

The tram is used by people visiting the Utrecht IKEA store – a short walk from stop Kanaleneiland Zuid (direction Nieuwegein/IJsselstein).

Towards Utrecht Science Park it stops at Utrecht FC football stadium at Galgenwaard.

Tickets are the same as for U-OV buses, described below.

Utrecht Buses

Utrecht bus services can be useful if you need to head to the outer areas of the city. Buses are operated by U-OV which runs around 30 bus lines around the city.

Most U-OV buses are yellow, however there are also some grey ‘U-link’ branded lines.

There are various bus terminals at opposite ends of Utrecht Central Station – either A & B at the City-side (Centrumzijde) or C & D at the Jaarbeursplein (Jaarbeurszijde). Bus stops in the city have electronic boards which give live info on the next departing buses.

A place of interest to visit which may require a bus ride is the Rietveld Schroder House museum (line 8, stop: De Hoogstraat). In addition, minibus line 2 is a useful circular route which travels around the museum quarter.

Utrecht Bus/Tram Tickets (2024 rates)

Tickets can be bought on board buses (cards only, cash no longer accepted) or at one of the U-OV sales points/ticket machines at Utrecht Central.

All travellers aged 4 or over must have their own ticket. Children 0-3 always ride public transport for free.

Distance fares: You can use credit on a personal or anonymous OV-chip card to travel on any U-OV service. This costs €1.08 (boarding fee) + €0.187 per km. You must always check-in and check-out of your journey using the card readers next to the doors.

OVpay is also available on U-OV – meaning you can check-in and check-out with your contactless debit/credit card/mobile – for travel at the above standard distance rate.

Single ticket: A one-time single (U-OV reiskaart paper ticket) within the city costs €3.10 and is valid for 60 minutes.

Travel further out of the city around Utrecht province will cost €4.80/€7.10/€8.05 depending on the distance.

Child ticket: A U-OV Kidsticket (4-11) ticket costs €1.10 and is valid for 90 minutes in the entire Utrecht province. It is also valid for transfers onto Syntus Utrecht buses.

Evening/Weekend Return ticket: There is a special return ticket (U-OV retourkaart) which is only available for travel after 1800 on weekdays and anytime at weekends. It costs €4.35 for travel within the city and is valid for 60 minutes each way.

1 Day ticket: The U-OV Utrecht City 1 day (24 hours) ticket, available as a disposable OV-chip card costs €6.95. Children aged 4-11 pay €4.70. The day tickets are valid in the Utrecht city area.

There is also the Utrecht province day ticket available which costs €11.05 and is valid on U-OV and Syntus buses/trams in the entire region. This ticket is valid for use after 0900. Note, this can only be placed onto an OV-chip card.

Utrecht Train Stations

Utrecht Central is the main station of the city. There are a number of smaller stations out in the suburbs which can be reached using various stopping trains – Utrecht Leidsche Rijn, Utrecht Lunetten, Utrecht Maliebaan, Utrecht Overvecht, Utrecht Terwijde, Utrecht Vaartsche Rijn and Utrecht Zuilen.

See how to buy a Dutch train ticket

Utrecht Taxi

Taxis in the Netherlands are expensive and you will likely pay €10 to €20 for a short trip in the city. There are 2 taxi ranks at Utrecht Central station – at the Jaarbeurs-side and at the city centre side (Rijnkade). You can also find small taxi ranks at Janskerkhof, Lange Viestraat, Mariaplaats, Neude and Stadhuisbrug.

The main taxi firm in Utrecht is UTC (tel +31(0)30 2300 400). Note, there is no official Uber presence in Utrecht.

Sneleentaxi is a reliable taxi firm offering rides anywhere in the Netherlands – including any rides to/from and within Utrecht. It serves all airports and offers competitive fixed fares.
You can book with Sneleentaxi here

Cycling in Utrecht

Having a large student population, cycling in Utrecht is very popular with an extensive network of dedicated cycle lanes. In fact, the busiest cycling path in the country can be found next to the Tivoli-Vredenberg theatre.

The world’s largest bike parking facility can be found at Utrecht Central Station, which has a capacity for 12,500 bikes.

Bikes are available for rent at the Tourist Information Centre at Domplein 9.

There are OV-Fiets bike rental points (residents only) at Utrecht Central station (Stationsplein/Jaarbeursplein/Knoop), Janskerkhof and P+R Utrecht Science Park.

Last update 13 December 2023 (originally published in 2013).

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