"Rather boring, but with a few surprises " a Nieuwegein Travel Page by Roggeveen

Nieuwegein is a modern city in the centre of the Netherlands, just 10 kilometres South of Utrecht. It’s a relatively new municipality with 61.000 inhabitants. It’s a result of recent urban developments to create new housing for the growing population of the Netherlands.
Although Nieuwegein is not one of the most attractive cities, I will try to show you some spots that are worth a visit.
Two small old towns are part of today’s Nieuwegein; Jutphaas and Vreeswijk. The last mentioned is a former settlement along the river Lek. It is really worth a visit and has some nice restaurants terraces and places to visit.
Other attractive elements of Nieuwegein are the many canals and rivers; always lively with larger and smaller boats. Although the waterfronts are not developed as tourist attractions it is, in my opinion, one of the most attractive elements of Nieuwegein. The inhabitants also appreciate the many green areas, mostly parks, in their home town.

The river Lek is running past the city in the South. From the riverbank you have a nice view on the city on the other side; Vianen. The river is flowing toward Rotterdam and is influenced by tides in the Northsea. The river is used intensively by large cargoships, mostly Rhine barges. Nieuwegein has known a long history of locks in which the ships are transferred to other parts of the river, without tidal influence.
A smaller river is the Hollandse IJssel; a river that is very popular among the captains of tourist yachts. There are several landing stages where the smaller yachts can stay.
Other large channels running through or past Nieuwegein are Lekkanaal, Merwedekanaal, and Amsterdam Rijnkanaal. So, if you like watching ships, there are several nice spots in Nieuwegein.

Vreeswijk is an old village that has always had a connection with the waterfront. In and around Vreeswijk you can find locks of several time periods. The white bridges, and the old shipyard, (which is being transformed into a museum), are a few of the remains from this historic connection with the river.
Vreeswijk also has a lot of friendly terraces, café’s and restaurants. It is a nice place for a walk through the centre and along the riverbanks.
In Vreeswijk you can also find the fortress ‘Vreeswijk’, which is part of the ‘Hollandse Waterlinie’; a chain of old fortresses around Holland. In this fortress you can find a small history museum.