''Utrecht Centraal Station'' forms the hub of the Dutch rail network, and is easily accessible directly, or with one change of train, from almost every station in the Netherlands. For instance, there are direct connections from Amsterdam and Schiphol Airport, both taking 30 minutes and for about ?8 one-way. The high-speed train ICE to Cologne and Frankfurt stops in Utrecht. The train station is located at the western edge of the old city. A 5 minute walk through the Hoog Catharijne shopping center (follow signs to _gCentrum_h) will take you from the station to the city.
The bus station is located next to the train station. International buses depart from the western side of the train station ('Jaarbeurszijde'), while the regional and city buses depart from separate stations on the east side of the train station. The reqional buses are much slower than the trains. For information about the city buses, check the GVU website [http://www.gvu.nl/], this is the company that provides public transport services in and around the city of Utrecht. Buses to the smaller towns around Utrecht are run by BBA [http://www.bba.nl/], Arriva [http://www.arriva.nl] and Connexxion [http://www.connexxion.nl]. Time schedules for train and bus can be found at: [http://www.ov9292.nl].
If you are coming in by car, park your car in one of the many parking garages around the city (follow the signs) and walk from there. Electronic signs display the number of parking spaces available in any given lot as well as directions to the lot, and if the sign says ''Vol'' it means the lot is full. Expect to pay around ? 2 per hour at any of the garages in the center. It_fs best avoided to drive into central Utrecht and to leave your car at the city perimeter and to take a bus or tram into the center.
Utrecht is connected to two neighboring towns by a high speed tram line. At the edge of the city, close to the A12 and A2 motorways, you will find ''Transferium Westraven'' [http://www.penrutrecht.nl/location.php?id=1]. It's a good idea to park your car there and to take the tram into town. The last two stops are both at ''Utrecht Centraal Station''.
? 3,50 will allow you to park your car all day and to travel into the city with a maximum of five people. Visiting Utrecht by car doesn't come cheaper than this.
Walking or renting a bike can get you a long way if the weather is on your side. Do make sure that you have good locks on your bike, as bike thefts are unfortunately quite common in the city centre.
A good alternative is taking the bus, which goes often and will take you nearly everywhere. Utrecht Centraal Station serves as the main bus hub for Utrecht as well as the main train hub for the Netherlands. To use the bus in the Netherlands, you can buy a strippenkaart ([http://wikitravel.org/en/Netherlands#.28National.29_Strippenkaart_.28multiple-strip-.2Fzone-card.29 more information]). You can buy these on the central bus station (lower level of Utrecht Centraal Station) or at kiosks inside the central station. Bus travel within the city takes you 2 or 3 strips. Buying a busticket with the driver is significantly more expensive than using a strippenkaart bought beforehand. Most buses run from early morning (around 6am) until just after midnight.
In addition, there are several so-called nightlines [http://www.reiziger.connexxion.nl/web/show/id=66726/contentid=8621]. These cost 5 to 6 euros and can_ft be paid for using strips.
In Utrecht there is a tram line from central station to southern suburbs Nieuwegein and IJsselstein. For tourists, only the the first stops will be interesting, ''Westplein'' and ''Graadt van Roggeweg''. These are located next to the Turkish neighbourhood and the main convention centre respectively. For the tram one can pay using a strippenkaart.
Seeing Utrecht by car is not recommended. The city planners have made it as difficult as possible to navigate the city center, to try and discourage cars there. Driving around can be frustrating as the center is fraught with bus-only lanes, one-way streets, traffic lights and terribly expensive parking spaces. If you want to come by car it is recommended to park at stadium Galgenwaard or one of the P+R (Park and Ride) [http://www.utrechtpenr.nl/] places, and take a cheap shuttle bus or tram service into town. There are also several parking garages closer to the center, but they are more expensive.
Most shops are located in the city centre, concentrated around the Oudegracht, Vredeburg and Neude. There is also a large shopping centre extending east from the city centre in the direction of the Wilhelminapark. For general shop info and their openings hours you can visit openingstijden.nu [http://www.openingstijden.nu/index.php?provincie=Utrecht&stad=Utrecht] it shows an overview of the most popular shops.
There are half a dozen stores at the part of the Oudegracht (Old Canal) south of De Dom that sell board games, card games, wargames, roleplaying games, fantasy and science-fiction books and/or comics (ie. Piet Snot, Elf Fantasy, the Joker and Neverneverland). Keep your eyes peeled; some of these stores are easy to miss.
The kitchen closes at 9pm, but you can get bitterballen, spring rolls, etc. after that.</eat>
As any large city, Utrecht has its share of cinemas showing Hollywood movies. More interesting are the three independent cinemas: Louis Hartlooper Complex [http://www.louishartloopercomplex.nl], _ft Hoogt [http://www.hoogt.nl/] and Springhaver. These specialize in art house movies and also are ideal places to get a drink or have dinner.
Utrecht, like any fairly big town, has its fair share of business hotels of the big chains.
For those on a budget:
Utrecht as a student city is quite safe, although there are some neighbourhoods in the outskirts that you probably don_ft want to visit. As always, don_ft flash your wallet at markets and have a natural caution for pickpockets in the city centre. Unfortunately, bike thefts are a common nuisance, so if you travel by bike, make sure you have good locks and try to bolt your bike to a lamp post or bridge railing if possible.