Utrecht tour 2024

Timetable

Here is the timetable for the weekend.

Concerts

  • Saturday 3pm at Pieterskerk, with piano. This will be a joint concert with the Zing Dam choir of Utrecht
  • Sunday 3:15pm in the Marnixzaal of the Utrecht music school, with piano, as part of a choral concert series. This concert may start with a 15 minute slot for a student of the school.

Both venues are very central and are used for the Utrecht early music festival.

Here are details of the dinners arranged for after each concert.

City information

Here are links to a recent Sunday Times article on Utrecht, and its Wikivoyage page.

Accommodation – hotels and hostels

Accommodation in Utrecht gets booked up, so here is information for booking early.

This is a selection of very central hotels in Utrecht, which have availability for our visit next May (w/e 17th-20th). There will be more and cheaper options outside the centre.

On the booking.com website there is actually a range of prices one can pay…… we recommend opting for the ‘No prepayment needed’ with free cancellation before 16 May. Obviously this is a somewhat more expensive option, but until our trip is finalized, with choir members committing to attend, then it remains a slight risk to pre-pay for hotels, without the option to cancel. Costs are for 3 nights based on 2 people sharing a double/twin room, with breakfast included.

  • Muze Hotel, Utrecht. Rated 9.2 on Booking.com  £464.(ie £77 per person per night.)
  • Hotel Beijers. 4 star. Rated 8.8.  Cost: £452
    Hotel Museumkwartier. Rated 8.7. Twin room £510.  Family room with 4 single beds: £775.
  • Crown Plaza Utrecht. Rated 8.5 £568 (very characterful property!)
    Hampton by Hilton Utrecht Centraal Station. Rated 8.2. No restaurant but has pool and fitness centre. £505
  • Cheaper option . Zocher6 B and B. Town house in city centre. Rated 8.5  Double room £402.
  • (And if you’re booking with Booking.com sign up first with easyfundraising.org.uk and nominate Whitehall Choir to benefit; see the Support Us page.)

Here are the links to three hostels which are all walkable to the city centre:

WeareBunk Utrecht: these are really cheap – literally a pod with shared bathroom is €35 a night (2023 prices – 2024 not available) excluding breakfast (which you can buy on site and looks amazing) Address is 9 Catharijnekade Utrecht 3511 and within old city.

Stayokay Utrecht Centrum, 5 Neude Utrecht 3512 is €115 per night for a two person ensuite room for 3 nights (excluding breakfast don’t know if rate changes if only two nights) (2023 prices and 2024 not yet available)

Strowis, 8 Boothstraat Utrecht 3512 is €101.67 per night for a two person ensuite room for 3 nights and 2024 prices (excluding breakfast and again don’t know if price changes is only 2 nights)

So looks like it’s between €35 and €60 per night per person excluding breakfast if you go for this type of option.

Travel

Summary– If you’re using Eurostar, you can book your outward journey on Friday 17 May now. For the return journey on Monday 20 May as things stand the choices are (a) direct Eurostar from Rotterdam trains arriving 19.47 or 21.57 St Pancras (b) holding off booking your return to see if extra direct Eurostars are added (c) booking now with an extra change at Brussels Midi to join Eurostar there. More details below, and we’ll make sure this goes onto the tour page.
NB this info is only about journeys on the Friday and Monday. If you need to travel on the Saturday or Sunday it may be too early to book. Have a word with Aileen.
Train
Outward on Eurostar – you’re aiming for Rotterdam Centraal, where you change to use Dutch railways to get to Utrecht Centraal. (Walking distance of centre of town.) Ideally you want to select an Amsterdam Eurostar train so that you go straight through from St Pancras to Rotterdam.
On Friday 17 May there are 4 direct trains listed at the moment –
06.16 arriving Rotterdam 10.32
08.16 arriving Rotterdam 12.32
11.04 arriving Rotterdam 15.32
18.04 arriving Rotterdam 22.32
Onward to Utrecht – trains every half an hour taking about 35 mins, just a question of changing platforms at Rotterdam Centraal.
Booking tickets- Courtesy of checking the amazing website run by the Man in seat 61  – https://www.seat61.com/Netherlands.htm – I see you can book Eurostar and the train to Utrecht using https://www.nsinternational.com/en (NS International – ie Dutch railways international site).
That Dutch website also gives you the ability to book through to Utrecht changing at Brussels and Rotterdam – should a direct train to Rotterdam not suit your timetable.
Coming home – again, best to do a direct Rotterdam-London Eurostar to save having to change trains and check in at Brussels for Eurostar. But, at the moment the only 2 direct trains showing are –
Rotterdam Centraal 17.28; London 19.47 and
Rotterdam 19.28; London 21.57.
For dates as late as the end of April there’s also a 15.28 and for dates earlier than that there are direct trains from Rotterdam at 10.58, 12.58 and 14.28. So it might be worth holding off for a few weeks to see if additional direct trains are added.
Or, courtesy of the Man in seat 61 again, and that NS international website, you can currently book from Utrecht to Rotterdam to Brussels to London  https://www.nsinternational.com/en
Eg on Monday 20 May –
Utrecht 10.18 to Rotterdam 10.55
Rotterdam 11.11 to Brussels Midi 13.16
Eurostar Brussels Midi 14.52 to London 15.57.
Flying
There are numerous flights to Schipol airport and frequent trains go direct from there to Utrecht. It’s about 30 mins on the train.
Driving + euro tunnel or ferry
Another option…

Any questions please start by asking aileen.stanton@icloud.com