The Best Hotels in Utrecht

Utrecht's original courthouse has been housing the guilty and the innocent since before the Norman Conquest, and the building still carries that weight. It's a boutique hotel now, where centuries of civic gravity meet colorful rooms decorated with archival photo prints from the city's legal past. Espresso machines and free wifi soften the sentence considerably. The in-house restaurant, De Rechtbank, draws plenty of locals who have no business being there.

Perched above a fashion boutique on Utrecht's old cobblestone Steenweg, Cozy Pillow is a small hotel that leans further into contemporary design than the name suggests. Rooms are quiet and stylish, breakfast appears outside your door in the morning, and Museum Speelklok is a short walk away. There's no restaurant on site, but the neighboring Ruby Rose handles cocktails and dinner with ornate interiors that pull their weight.