Utrecht

WHY GO NOW

Map of Utrecht. The numbers on the map correspond to the numbers in the article.

The Dutch word gezellig roughly translates to "warm, sociable, cozy," all the things that Utrecht is in the late spring, when the best the Netherlands has to offer - flowers, canals, cheerful faces - is at its most inviting. This second city, only 30 minutes south of Amsterdam, has a character all its own, with its university town status, Roman Catholic heritage (it has a wealth of historic churches, many dating from medieval times) and picturesque canals, the only ones in the Netherlands with wide, walkable quays.

In the spring and summer, tables from cellar-level cafes and restaurants crowd the quays, filled with diners watching boats and the occasional duck glide by.

The festival season begins in May and ends in September with the national Nederlands Film Festival. From June 10 to 12, Utrecht will play host to the country's largest outdoor blues festival. Bands from the Netherlands and other countries play all over the city - in the main square, bridges over the canal, and in the cathedral plaza.

Neude Square turns into the central party spot - alternately a beach, a disco and a carnival - throughout the summer months. On Saturdays, the city is a whirlwind of color and fragrance, with hundreds of stalls and thousands of blooms lining the Oudegracht (Old Canal) for the weekly Flower Market.

The Old Canal is the city's heart line, running north to south through the town center. It is lined with cafes, restaurants, stores, even the City Hall, and is the starting point for most activities. The city center is easy to walk around, but visitors would do well to look when they cross the street for fast-flying cyclists.

WHERE TO STAY

Utrecht hasn't yet been touched by the wand of boutique-hotel hipness, but it does have a range of good hotels. In the center of town, the NH Centre Utrecht, (1) Janskerkhof 10, (31-30) 231-3169, www.nh-hotels.com, is an 1870 building that overlooks the Janskerk and its square. While the 45 rooms aren't as charming as the hotel's exterior, they are clean and comfortable, with deep tubs and high-quality bath products. Double rooms start at 1 a night, breakfast .75 a person, at .29 to the euro. Room rates drop on the weekends at all the hotels.

The Grand Hotel Karel V, (2) Geertebolwerk 1, (31-30) 233-7555, www.karelV.nl, is a complex of buildings that was home to a German order of knights in the 14th century. The 91 rooms and suites are divided between the main building and a modern addition, and decorated in a modern-meets-medieval-style (heavy drapes over the bed, reproduction furniture). At the beginning of the year, the main restaurant received a Michelin star. Double rooms start at 2 a night.

In a quiet residential neighborhood outside the city center, Hotel De Admiraal, (3) Admiraal van Gentstraat 11, (31-30) 275-8500, www.hoteldeadmiraal.nl, is a less expensive option, with 11 rooms and studios, most of which look over a beautifully maintained garden that backs onto a narrow, overgrown canal. The canal, seldom used, is now a tranquil spot to have a morning coffee or afternoon cocktail. Double rooms start at 6 a night, breakfast included. The hotel rents bikes to guests.

WHERE TO EAT

A very good place to start is at the irresistibly named Winkel van Sinkel department store, (4) Oudegracht 158, (31-30) 230-3030, www.dewinkelvansinkel.nl, on the Old Canal. (You can't miss it: there are four verdigris-streaked caryatids flanking the entrance.) The store is now home to two restaurants, and a club that offers dance and music performances. You can sit outdoors for a predinner drink and platter of nibbles - olives, cheese, nuts, sausage, bitterballen (croquettes dipped in mustard) - for less than .

Deeg, (5) at Lange Nieuwstraat 71, (31-30) 233-1104, www.restaurantdeeg.nl, is a six-month-old restaurant on a residential street - half of which is nonsmoking. It's decorated in a muted palette in the manner of De Stijl (the early 20th-century art movement that focused on geometric forms and limited colors) - dark gray, blue and white. The fixed-price three-course () menu, with a fish, meat or vegetarian entree, changes every Friday. The dishes are built around ingredients of the season such as grilled salmon or lamb with ratatouille and potato tart. The chef buys organic produce, mainly from local farms, and has a good selection of hard Dutch cheeses on the cheese platter.

The décor at Luce, (6) Visschersplein 75, (31-30) 231-5773, seems designed to set off its light fixtures - from the long pink neon rod behind white curtains on one side to the hanging chrome and glass lamps in front of a blue mirrored wall on the other. Luce offers a set menu for a fixed price (), blending French and Italian cuisines, but the meal always starts with an amuse-bouche - on one occasion, a creamy langoustine soup.