Utrecht, verdict by verdict

Utrecht is the canal city without the crowds: the Oudegracht runs below street level so you eat and drink on waterside wharf terraces that feel secret, the Dom Tower rises over a medieval core that still belongs to locals and students, and De Haar, the country's largest and most lavish castle, sits at the edge of town. The guided climb up the Dom's 465 steps is carried by the storytelling on each landing, and even the Railway Museum wins people over with a working 19th-century terminus full of locomotives.

The fair trade-offs: the museum list is thinner than Amsterdam's, the Dom can only be climbed on a guided tour rather than a free wander, wharf access is stairs-only at most points, and the station quarter is a construction-zone mall in parts. De Haar's timed interior slots sell out on busy days, the flagship food tour runs plant-based, and there is no Red Light or coffeeshop scene, a plus or a minus depending on the trip. Listed-building hotels bring steep stairs and thin walls.

One to two days covers the Dom, the wharves, the Railway Museum and a Miffy stop for the toddler set; add De Haar or intact little Amersfoort for a third. Sleep near the Oudegracht to have the wharf terraces on your doorstep at night. The Schiphol intercity lands you in thirty minutes, which makes Utrecht the easiest antidote to Amsterdam's crowds in the country.