Utrecht
Where do
locals go.
Restaurants, bars, parks and hidden corners that people who live here actually use.
Not the top ten.
Nobody who lives here has ever been asked for a top ten. They get asked where to go on a Tuesday, where it is quiet, where the good one is.
A city at a time.
Every city is its own guide: its own list, its own map, its own routes. Amsterdam we walked ourselves. Where we have not been yet, the page says so.
Nothing here is for sale.
No rankings, no sponsored rows, no affiliate links. A venue can pay to look after its own page. It can never pay to be on this list.
Utrecht has just started. The places here were found through research and haven't been checked by us yet. Know this city better than a search engine does? Send us what's missing.
It is raining
10 degrees and wet. Here is where to go inside.
Springhaver
Binnenstad
Two halls and a café in a building where the red plush and the woodwork have never been removed.
Rietveld Schröderhuis
Oost
The house that Rietveld built for Mrs. Schröder in 1924 and which is still the best built argument of De Stijl.
Café Ledig Erf
Binnenstad
At the point where the canal and the Vaartsche Rijn meet, with a terrace that is already full at the first sign of sunshine.
Broese
Binnenstad
The bookstore of Utrecht, in a multi-story building on the Stadhuisbrug with a staircase that automatically pulls you further up.
25 places in Utrecht
't Oude Pothuys
Binnenstad
A wharf cellar on the canal where someone plays almost every evening, usually for free and usually blues or rock.
Springhaver
Binnenstad
Two halls and a café in a building where the red plush and the woodwork have never been removed.
ACU
Binnenstad
A sanctuary since the 1970s, with concerts, a community kitchen, and a political program.
TivoliVredenburg
Binnenstad
Five halls stacked on top of each other, from a classical concert hall to a metal basement, often all in use at the same time.
Rietveld Schröderhuis
Oost
The house that Rietveld built for Mrs. Schröder in 1924 and which is still the best built argument of De Stijl.
Kanaalstraat
Lombok
The shopping street of Lombok, with Turkish and Moroccan bakeries, greengrocers where everything is displayed outside, and butcher shops side by side.
Zimihc Theater Zuilen
Zuilen
A neighborhood theater in an old church in Zuilen, with a program originating from the city itself.
Café Ledig Erf
Binnenstad
At the point where the canal and the Vaartsche Rijn meet, with a terrace that is already full at the first sign of sunshine.
Griftpark
Wittevrouwen
A park built on a polluted industrial site that is now the green centerpiece of the neighborhood.
Broese
Binnenstad
The bookstore of Utrecht, in a multi-story building on the Stadhuisbrug with a staircase that automatically pulls you further up.
Village Coffee & Music
Binnenstad
One of the first real coffee bars in Utrecht and still one of the best.
Broei
Rotsoord
A wooden building on the Vaartsche Rijn that was built by volunteers, with a greenhouse, a vegetable garden, and a terrace by the water.
Haarrijnseplas
Leidsche Rijn
A lake on the edge of the city with a beach that is long and wide enough to still find a spot on a warm day.
Wilhelminapark
Oost
The elegant park in Utrecht East, with old trees, a pond, and a tea house.
Louis Hartlooper Complex
Binnenstad
A movie theater in an old police station on the canal, with a café that is worth visiting even without a film.
Strijkviertelplas
Leidsche Rijn
A recreational lake on the west side of the city where Utrechters cycle to swim.
Blackbird Coffee
Wittevrouwen
Small, light, and entirely focused on coffee, with beans from rotating European roasters.
Park Lepelenburg
Binnenstad
A small park on an old bastion in the canal, with a slope where the whole city lies in the summer.
EKKO
Binnenstad
A music venue in an old building on the Weerd where bands play before they fit into TivoliVredenburg.
Podium Hoge Woerd
Leidsche Rijn
A theater, a museum, and an archaeological park all in one, on top of a Roman fort.
Domtoren
Binnenstad
The tallest church tower in the Netherlands, separated from its church since a storm in 1674 tore the nave out from between them.
Kapitaal
Rotsoord
A screen printing workshop and shop in old industrial Rotsoord, where they make and sell prints, books, and posters.
Máximapark
Leidsche Rijn
An enormous park in Leidsche Rijn with a long concrete pergola surrounding it, a butterfly garden, and enough space not to run into anyone.
Museum Speelklok
Binnenstad
A museum full of self-playing musical instruments: music boxes, barrel organs, an entire dance orchestra in a cabinet.
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Written, not scraped
No star ratings copied off a map. If we cannot say something true about a place, it does not go on.
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For locals
Where do you go?
One place you would send a friend to, and one sentence about why. That is the whole form.
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