Dom Toren Tour - Utrecht - TravBuddy

The tour of the Dom Tower costs 7.50€, 6.50€ for students, and is not covered by the museumkaart. You have to take the tour to go up the tower, and when you see how narrow the stairs are, that makes perfect sense.

The Dom tower is very old, and very beautiful. It was built in the fourteenth century, and survived the storm that destroyed much of the rest of the cathedral because it weas built of better materials and because the open stonework at the top allowed the storm to pass through the tower instead of pushing on the stone. There are two sets of bells, the original mediaval bells that are only used on special occasions, the largest of which, the "saviour" bell, weighs over 8 metric tons, and the lighter, slightly newer carrilon that is used all the time. You see both on the tour.

The steps are very narrow, and although the guide stops frequently to explain things, the tour really isn't suitable for anyone with mobility difficulties or any sort of fear of steep, narrow staircases.

The final part of the climb takes you up the narrow staircase inside one of the pillars above the carillon; I was amazed, because it really didn't look wide enough to climb. The view is stunning, although again, no good if you're at all nervous of heights. On a clear day (we were lucky) you can see Amsterdam and Rotterdam, and the guide was quite happy to take my photo.

Highly recommended.