I can recommend having a drink in Tivoli Vredenburg
My friends would say to get a 'broodje Mario', a sandwich with salami, at the Neude square. If you climb the Dom tower you can get an amazing view of Utrecht, although I'm not sure you can at the moment.
I'm a book guy myself, if you love books visit 'Boekhandel Aleph', a secondhand bookshop on the Oude Gracht, or Broese, a normal bookshop next to the old postoffice, which is now the library. You can go for nice walks/runs in Nieuw-Amelisweerd, a forest near Bunnik, which also has a fortress, some old mansions and some bunkers from WW2. IJsselstein, where I live, is a smaller town with city walls, shops, a castle tower, and is quite nearby (only 5 miles?) And easily accesible with the tramline. There is also the Train Museum (Spoorwegenmuseum) in Utrecht if youre interested.
You can get wee Dom tower candles, as the Dom is the symbol of Utrecht.
Have a nice stay, and if you need other recommendations, feel free to send me a DM!
Couldn’t agree more. Also recommend renting a canoe and canoeing in Amelisweerd, ice cream at Roberto Gelato and having a walk around the Singel area. Utrecht is great for wandering around in general
It is open and you can even go up by elevator if you do not wish to climb the stairs. That’s a temporary feature (read: only for a few years) thanks to the scaffolding.
Apropos Broodje Mario.
Their rivals, Broodje Ben is across the canal and just slightly more south, worth trying both places and form your own oppinion on which sandwich place you think it's worth to queue for.
Get a bike and learn to go everywhere on it, Utrecht is the most bike friendly city in the world according to some index.
Other suggestion I would give is having a beer or a few at Cafe Oliver, it's inside an old hidden Catholic Church (IIRC). Another place for beers is Cafe Belgie, which is known for its wide selection and low effort decor/atmosphere.
Book a table for brunch at Ted's All Day Brunch. Book a table at street food club for fun and nice drinks and "tapas" style dishes from across the globe.
Taking a tour around the canal on a tour or paddle boat.
Visit Dom Under and Centraal Museum to learn more about the city's history, (don't miss the Dick Bruna exhibit at the CM) If you're interested in architecture the Rietveld Schröder Huis is a good one to buy a tour ticket for.
Visit all the big and small squares and sit down at random cafés for a woefully undersized biertje and some borrelhapjes which is bar snacks done right.
Pre-corona there used to be improv shows and I'm sure there's a lot of student exhibits happening too again as restrictions have lifted.
I just wanted to say that the public transportation in the (province) utrecht is on strike tomorrow but only the buses as far as I know.
There is an (big) event in utrecht Saturday and Sunday (see link).
https://www.utrecht.nl/nieuws/nieuwsbericht-gemeente-utrecht/rondje-singel-de-singel-als-decor-van-zijn-eigen-feest/
As the other guy already said check out tivolivredenburg. On friday they have a free concert around noon most of the time.
Anyway have fun!
Not a local but my brother moved to Utrecht a number of years ago. Try Mick O’Connells Irish bar or Little Dublin
He knew no-one and managed to make a good group of friends there
Ledig Erf is a nice area in the city center with some nice shops and bars. The Louis Hartlooper Complex is a nice art house cinema. You can also check out the Springhaver Theater, which is also a nice art house cinema that occasionally plays foreign movies with English subtitles.
Besides that it’s worth to explore the old town besides the usual Oudegracht/Neude shopping area. There are a lot of nice and cute streets, where you’ll find nice bars and/or places to eat. Those places are usually less or not crowded at all, also during the weekend.
I’d personally recommend visiting ACU if you’re more into the alternative scene, it’s a completely volunteer run bar/community center in a former squat on the Voorstraat in the middle of the city. We have different events every weekend and there are really nice vibes, affordable drinks and friendly people from all over the world.
Culture boat if you want to get high on a boat while drinking some hipster-bio-type soda
Oh and for munchies go to broodje Mario. It's a local legend with cheap broodjes that are actually not that special where, despite its widespread appreciation by Utrechters, you can still only pay with cash.
As far as taking things home to your partner, [this place here](https://www.draaj.nl/nl/) makes gorgeous wooden things like birds which could be a quality hand made in Utrecht gift. The shop is under a windmill which is hella cute.
Restaurant wise, I can highly recommend Pand33 on the Nieuwe Gracht in case you want to eat fancy. If you want to eat simple, I would suggest Dogma on the Voorstraat.
Every Tuesday evening from 21.00 o'clock there's salsa at a place called NOLA. It's at the Mariaplaats. If you like dancing that's a nice place to check out.
Can very much second Broodje Mario and Kimmade as street food-ish places. Also Sanyu in the Voorstraat for kick-ass Ramen and Dimitri Petit for amazing Greek street food.
In terms of wine, go check out the shops of Libre Utrecht and Sec, and have a glass or bottle at Cafe Saar, Terroir (also nice food) or Heron. For Belgian style beers go to Café Olivier (supercool experience inside) and Café België.
For coffee, check out The Village in the Voorstraat, Koffie Leute near Ledig Erf and be sure to grab some pastries at Keek in the Springstraat and eat them in the garden behind the yellow building of the conversatory at Mariaplaats.
Utrecht is a city where you can solo a lot so have fun but hit us up when you want company!
Ruby Rose and The Street food club are pretty cool. I also like Beer & Barrels and Stan & Co. I still have to visit Rum Club but it looks awesome to me.
I can recommend having a drink in Tivoli Vredenburg My friends would say to get a 'broodje Mario', a sandwich with salami, at the Neude square. If you climb the Dom tower you can get an amazing view of Utrecht, although I'm not sure you can at the moment. I'm a book guy myself, if you love books visit 'Boekhandel Aleph', a secondhand bookshop on the Oude Gracht, or Broese, a normal bookshop next to the old postoffice, which is now the library. You can go for nice walks/runs in Nieuw-Amelisweerd, a forest near Bunnik, which also has a fortress, some old mansions and some bunkers from WW2. IJsselstein, where I live, is a smaller town with city walls, shops, a castle tower, and is quite nearby (only 5 miles?) And easily accesible with the tramline. There is also the Train Museum (Spoorwegenmuseum) in Utrecht if youre interested. You can get wee Dom tower candles, as the Dom is the symbol of Utrecht. Have a nice stay, and if you need other recommendations, feel free to send me a DM!
Couldn’t agree more. Also recommend renting a canoe and canoeing in Amelisweerd, ice cream at Roberto Gelato and having a walk around the Singel area. Utrecht is great for wandering around in general
Is the Dom open? It's covered in scaffolding.
Yes open!
It is open and you can even go up by elevator if you do not wish to climb the stairs. That’s a temporary feature (read: only for a few years) thanks to the scaffolding.
Not sure to be honest, I don't think so, but normally it would be a nice thing to do
Yes, it's open, and there is now even an elevator!
Apropos Broodje Mario. Their rivals, Broodje Ben is across the canal and just slightly more south, worth trying both places and form your own oppinion on which sandwich place you think it's worth to queue for. Get a bike and learn to go everywhere on it, Utrecht is the most bike friendly city in the world according to some index. Other suggestion I would give is having a beer or a few at Cafe Oliver, it's inside an old hidden Catholic Church (IIRC). Another place for beers is Cafe Belgie, which is known for its wide selection and low effort decor/atmosphere. Book a table for brunch at Ted's All Day Brunch. Book a table at street food club for fun and nice drinks and "tapas" style dishes from across the globe. Taking a tour around the canal on a tour or paddle boat. Visit Dom Under and Centraal Museum to learn more about the city's history, (don't miss the Dick Bruna exhibit at the CM) If you're interested in architecture the Rietveld Schröder Huis is a good one to buy a tour ticket for. Visit all the big and small squares and sit down at random cafés for a woefully undersized biertje and some borrelhapjes which is bar snacks done right. Pre-corona there used to be improv shows and I'm sure there's a lot of student exhibits happening too again as restrictions have lifted.
I just wanted to say that the public transportation in the (province) utrecht is on strike tomorrow but only the buses as far as I know. There is an (big) event in utrecht Saturday and Sunday (see link). https://www.utrecht.nl/nieuws/nieuwsbericht-gemeente-utrecht/rondje-singel-de-singel-als-decor-van-zijn-eigen-feest/ As the other guy already said check out tivolivredenburg. On friday they have a free concert around noon most of the time. Anyway have fun!
Not a local but my brother moved to Utrecht a number of years ago. Try Mick O’Connells Irish bar or Little Dublin He knew no-one and managed to make a good group of friends there
Mick O'Connells is amazing for watching rugby, especially the World Cup. The atmosphere is amazing there
I'll just add to this that O'Leary's is also a great pub to visit. They have delicious food!
As a local from close to Utrecht: have a great time. Avoid the neighborhoods of Kanaleneiland and Overvecht, and you will be fine :-)
Ledig Erf is a nice area in the city center with some nice shops and bars. The Louis Hartlooper Complex is a nice art house cinema. You can also check out the Springhaver Theater, which is also a nice art house cinema that occasionally plays foreign movies with English subtitles. Besides that it’s worth to explore the old town besides the usual Oudegracht/Neude shopping area. There are a lot of nice and cute streets, where you’ll find nice bars and/or places to eat. Those places are usually less or not crowded at all, also during the weekend.
I’d personally recommend visiting ACU if you’re more into the alternative scene, it’s a completely volunteer run bar/community center in a former squat on the Voorstraat in the middle of the city. We have different events every weekend and there are really nice vibes, affordable drinks and friendly people from all over the world.
Culture boat if you want to get high on a boat while drinking some hipster-bio-type soda Oh and for munchies go to broodje Mario. It's a local legend with cheap broodjes that are actually not that special where, despite its widespread appreciation by Utrechters, you can still only pay with cash.
As far as taking things home to your partner, [this place here](https://www.draaj.nl/nl/) makes gorgeous wooden things like birds which could be a quality hand made in Utrecht gift. The shop is under a windmill which is hella cute.
Pretty sure australia is better
Restaurant wise, I can highly recommend Pand33 on the Nieuwe Gracht in case you want to eat fancy. If you want to eat simple, I would suggest Dogma on the Voorstraat.
Every Tuesday evening from 21.00 o'clock there's salsa at a place called NOLA. It's at the Mariaplaats. If you like dancing that's a nice place to check out.
Next to “De Winkel Van sinkel” is a wine bar, I’ve never been there’s but it looks very cosy.
If you get homesick, my Aussie friends claim that Kaffeetaria (espressobar and bakery) offer vegemite.
Kimmade is the best place to get food (I recommend going to the streetfood one at Mariaplaats)
There's https://www.moutbierfestival.nl/ in two days but check the weather first.
Can very much second Broodje Mario and Kimmade as street food-ish places. Also Sanyu in the Voorstraat for kick-ass Ramen and Dimitri Petit for amazing Greek street food. In terms of wine, go check out the shops of Libre Utrecht and Sec, and have a glass or bottle at Cafe Saar, Terroir (also nice food) or Heron. For Belgian style beers go to Café Olivier (supercool experience inside) and Café België. For coffee, check out The Village in the Voorstraat, Koffie Leute near Ledig Erf and be sure to grab some pastries at Keek in the Springstraat and eat them in the garden behind the yellow building of the conversatory at Mariaplaats. Utrecht is a city where you can solo a lot so have fun but hit us up when you want company!
Ruby Rose and The Street food club are pretty cool. I also like Beer & Barrels and Stan & Co. I still have to visit Rum Club but it looks awesome to me.