Chasing white rabbits in Utrecht; travel Belinda Szonert travels to one of the oldest cities in Holland and discovers a real sense of history.

Byline: Belinda Szonert

SHE'S small, she's cute and she's one of the Dutch city of Utrecht's most famous exports. Miffy, or Nijntje, as she is known in her native Holland, graces the pages of her own books and has appeared on our TV screens - as fans of the little white rabbit will happily tell you.

Utrecht, about an hour's drive from the port of Rotterdam, is the birthplace of Miffy creator Dick Bruna who, now in his 80th year, still spends his days producing sketches.

The genial Dutchman, who appears to have taken the success of his much-loved creation in his stride, still lives in the city where he goes about his daily life untouched by the cult of celebrity.

But Utrecht is more than the home of Miffy. It's the perfect place for a short break, with pedestrian quaysides lining a network of 14thcentury sunken canals, bars and restaurants, great shopping and an eclectic mix of tourist attractions.

Utrecht is one of the oldest cities in Holland. Founded by the Romans, it is almost 2,000 years old and was for a long time the largest and most important city in the country.

Today, Utrecht is rising in popularity as one of Holland's newest city-break destinations. The Dutch are familiar with the city's charms, but it remains still largely undiscovered by UK visitors.

It's more likely that trippers to Holland from this country will opt for Amsterdam, but Utrecht is just as accessible via Rotterdam's Europoort, which is served by overnight cruise-ferry crossings from Hull.

The two Dutch cities have much in common, but it's fair to say that Utrecht - about 38 miles from Rotterdam - is its neighbour's quieter cousin.

The focal point of the city is the Dom Church and its tower. A nave once connected the two, but this was never completely finished, and in 1674 it collapsed during a fierce storm. The church and the tower were never reconnected, and a street and a square now separate the two structures.

Visitors with plenty of energy can climb the 465 steps to the top of the 112m tower. Those who do so are rewarded with magnificent views and a close encounter with the mechanism which sets the mighty bells tolling - a cacophony which spills out over the city.

The mechanically and musicallyminded, and those with a sense of fun, are sure to enjoy a visit to the nearby National Museum From Musical Clock To Street Organ.

It attracts thousands of visitors every year who come to see and enjoy automatic musical instruments from the 15th century to the present day.

A former church provides the vast amount of space needed to display such an extensive collection of musical clocks and musical boxes, reed and string instruments, orchestrions (automatic orchestras) and barrel organs.

The Dick Bruna Huis is a must for Miffy aficionados of all ages. There are displays charting Bruna's extraordinary career for the grownups to look at, while younger visitors listen to stories and play.

Tales of Miffy and her friends have been translated into more than 40 languages. Among her biggest fans are the Japanese, and, for some of those, Utrecht - and anywhere associated with Bruna - has become something of a place of pilgrimage.

The Dick Bruna Huis is part of the Centraal Museum on the opposite side of the street. Highlights from the museum's collection are works by the 17th-century Utrecht Caravaggists and 16th-century painter Jan van Scorel.

An impressive collection of works of art is also on display in the Catharijneconvent Museum. Housed in a late medieval monastery, the museum tells the story of Christian culture in the Netherlands from the first missionaries to the present day.

Utrecht also boasts Holland's largest shopping mall, Hoog Catharijne, while the city's narrow, inner streets are home to chic boutiques, delicatessens, patisseries, antique shops and the like. Markets also take place on a number of days.

After all that culture, gastronomy and shopping, we were grateful that the journey back to Rotterdam was a relatively short one, before our voyage home aboard the Pride of Rotterdam.

The ship's superb facilities include a floating version of London's famous Langan's Brasserie, a carvery restaurant, casino, tax-paid shopping and - if you've any energy left - the chance to dance the night away with a live band and disco.

It's then time to curl up in your comfortable cabin and dream of canals, climbing church towers, the sound of bells and barrel organs, artists from far-flung continents and, of course, that little white rabbit!

how to get there

BELINDA SZONERT was a guest of the Netherlands Board of Tourism and P&O Ferries, which runs daily overnight Hull-Rotterdam crossings from pounds 152 each way for a car and two passengers sharing an en-suite cabin.

Foot passengers pay from pounds 106 each way for two passengers sharing an en-suite cabin.

Mini-cruises start at pounds 70 per person return for foot passengers, and from pounds 74 per person with car. Always check for "two for one" offers.

P&O Ferries' Dover-Calais crossings start at pounds 37 each way for a car and up to nine passengers, for any length of stay. P&O Ferries reservations: 0871 664 6464 and www.poferries.com. All fares quoted are web fares.

Daily Post Travel

TREAT the family to a trip to Lapland this Christmas. Reduced from pounds 399.95 to pounds 329.95 (same price for adults and children), it includes return flights from Liverpool to Rovaniemi with in-flight meals on Sunday, December 14, all winter activities, including Snowmobile and toboggan rides, a husky dog drive and forest scooter driving, a ride through the magical winter forest on a sleigh drawn by reindeer, the chance to meet Father Christmas who will give each child a little gift, a hot buffet lunch, thermal clothing and the services of an Omega Holidays tour manager.

Phone Daily Post Travel Service on 0151 227 5987.

CAPTION(S):

Oude Gracht . . . otherwise known as Old Canal, in Utrecht, Netherlands; The Dom Church and Tower is the focal point of the city; A canal-side scene