A few weeks ago I took my family to Utrecht in Holland for a sneak preview of this year's Tour de France, which starts in Utrecht on July 4/5th. We had so much fun. Utrecht is a truly underrated city - it oozes character and has some unexpectedly awesome (and original) museums, restaurants and vibe. Plus the added bonus was that we hired bikes, not just because we were lucky enough to have a sneak preview of the Tour de France route, but just to potter around town, living life like the locals do, on two wheels. In Utrecht cars are the enemy, which is a wonderfully healthy way to live in my opinion!
Anyway, for the cyclists and non-cyclists in you, check out this article on my time in Utrecht, which was published on the weekend in the Daily Mail.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-3132462/Scenic-rivers-palaces-starting-point-Tour-France-Utrecht-perfect-place-biking-holiday.html
What isn't made clear in the article is that this was a particularly green holiday. Door-to-door we never once got in a car. We took the tube from where we live in London to Liverpool Street station to catch the train to Harwich. From Harwich we took the overnight ferry to Hook of Holland with Stena Line. It was such fun. First we enjoyed a slap up gourmet meal in the onboard restaurant and then we all squeezed into a cabin together. It's really inexpensive (see the travel factbox in the article) and a great way to travel, waking up in the morning refreshed (I found the beds really comfy) and already in Holland. From the Hook of Holland we took a train (less than an hour into Utrecht) - and then we were there. It was all so easy, so green and so fun to do!
Whether you like two wheels, four, or walking, I cannot recommend Utrecht enough. It's one of Holland's undiscovered heroes, well worth discovering for yourself.
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