On each trip I try to add something new.
On my next trip (first week of April) I am planning to visit the houseboats in Utrecht for the first time.


According to my research they can be reached by:

From Utrecht Centraal Station walk to Bus Station Noord
About a 2 minute walk

Take Bus 26(destination Zuilen) Or Bus 36 (destination Maarssen via Zandweg) to stop Van Hoornekade
(can use chipkaart)

Walk North East along Marnixlaan about 1000 ft until it crosses a canal
About a 7 minute walk


The houseboats will be along the canal





Click here for map of the houseboats from Hookers.nl

resourceful post brad...

Excellent post. This is exactly how I did it last month, btw. I got messed up a little bit because the bus doesn't stop exactly where google maps indicates (the green flag on your map)... went the wrong way up Marnixlaan and got lost. When you get off at Van Hoornekade, I think the bus actually stops about 30 meters shy of the intersection, on Laan van Chartroise. So you walk up to the intersection, cross the road and turn right up Marnixlaan.



I used a strippenkaart to pay for the bus because when I purchased my 120 hour GVB pass (for the trams, buses and metro) in Amsterdam, they told me it wouldn't work with the GVU system in Utrecht. But that's the disposable paper ticket with a chip inside... might be a different story with the plastic OV-chipkaart, I really don't know.

Thanks for the post Brad.

Im thinking of a trip to utrecht on my next trip so the info will be useful.

A question i've got is it possible to walk to the RLD from the train station and how long might it take ?


Thanks.

I am fairly sure OV-Chipkaart will work on the busses in Utrecht

Looks like a 2 mile walk (more or less) - each way
Bus looks like a bargain to me.

Thanks for the primer. I'm going to try Utrecht during my longer trip in May. I was planning to walk to the RLD in order to keep my bearings first time there. However, I could be persuaded to jump on the bus if there is a good landmark to identify the right stop. Is there such a landmark that's good day and night? Alternately, how about bike hire near the station?

It's hard to think of a definite landmark but the buses are modern with an LCD display and an automated voice announcing the next stop, and there are stop request buttons like in any bus. Go to http://journeyplanner.9292.nl for the details on each route... that way you'll know when it's coming up based on the previous stops.

Here, for example, the 36 bus on February 9th... the stops for the 26 are about the same from what I remember:

Retro,

I walked to the Zanpad from the train station (and back) several years ago. From my recollection it took about a half hour. Not a bad walk at all.

Mr. Plug

I thought it might be more than two miles and if it takes about half hour to get there i might walk and see abit of the city on the way.

Thanks .

Thanks Bluto, sounds perfectly civilised. I've always been a bit careful about jumping on buses blind, ever since I got on the wrong bus in China and ended up 40 miles from where I was meant to be.

If you walk you won't actually see any of the interesting parts of the city at all, they are all in another direction!
Also 30 minutes is quick and I used to walk fast.

Be aware that as a punter on foot you will probably be the only one, the locals all cruise up and down in the privacy or warmth of their cars. The girls not surprisingly also like to see the nice cars that come with implied wealth or spending power!

Ah ok , looks like the bus is the better option.
Thanks rheingau.

Went to Utrecht a few years ago. Asked a local the way to the Zandpad. He smiled and pointed me in the right direction. Followed the canal. Took about half an hour. Not enough milfs for me so had a walk up and down afew times and headed back to Hardebollenstraat. This compact rld is where the lovely black ladies are. Had a fantastic time with a caramel skinned beauty. Big ass, tattoos, dyed blonde hair. fantastic. loved every minute. if you go to Utrecht and your into black ladies then definitely give this place a go. Enjoy yourself.

I remember the reading a post quite some time ago, saying that you could hire a bike (maybe from the train station) and that you could be at the boats in about 15 minutes. Also I think that the price of a taxi from the station was quite reasonable as well.

bb69

hi,

does anyone know if there are any bars/cafes local to the zanpad rld.

Looking on google maps street view it seems to be a mostly residential area.

thanks.

hi ottorando,

There are no bars or anything else close to zandpad. Just a lovely park and a texaco station. So you have to walk along marnixlaan until the second intersection (if i remember correctly) to find some. 10 minutes of walking i think

Thanks for the clarification larotule, apologies for the delayed response, life has been somewhat manic since i returned from my trip. I shall try to visit Utrecht on my next trip hopefully. :-)

There is a bar right next to the old bus stop before they renovated the bridge it's called cafe mark , if you look for the cake shop on the corner painted yellow it is next door.

Have they finished the roadworks yet , last time i was in Utrecht you had to go past the normal stop and get the bus back to get near Zaandpad.

viewtopic.php?t=16312

By old bus stop you mean van hoornekade ? I'll try to find "cafe mark" next time

I went to utrecht for the first time in january 2011, and, like in the tutorial, i took the 26 or 36 and stop at van hoornekade. Never knew the roadworks, but seems to be finished. No need to take bus 6 anymore.

Thanks im in Utrecht next month thanks for the tip.