Born in Harderwijk, and studied in Utrecht, this is the moment my love of this great city started! As a 2000-year-old city, it has a lot of history to share and beautiful streets to discover. Next to the pittoresk streets, there are also lots of bars to discover in Utrecht.
This is what makes Utrecht great for a walking tour, because you can cover most of the town within a walk of two hours. And as a local, I can tell you what the best places are to visit in town after the tour.
So to get the most out of your visit to Utrecht please let me show you around. As a local I can show you the ins and outs of this student town. Also known as the biking capital of the world!
Please book a spot and I hope to see you soon!
There are lots of things to do in Utrecht, too much to see in one day. Therefore I have made a list of the must-see or do things. This is what you have to do before you leave town!
Climbing the Dom Tower, even with the restoration it is something you have to do! The cost of a climb with a guide is €10 it costs a little more than an hour and it’s totally worth it! You can buy tickets at the VVV close to the start location of the Free Walking Tour Utrecht.
The canals of Utrecht are great for a day with the canoe. It is not too busy and because of the low docks, it is a beautiful sight of the town.
As the number one biking city in the world, you really should enjoy the bike lanes that go around town. Just rent a bike and bike around, to a park of different suburbs out of the city center. To be honest the city center is not the best place for biking. The bike lanes out of the city are way better as does in town.
My favorite bare in Utrecht is café Olivier. It is a great Belgium beer cafe. And the story is amazing. We do visit it with our tour. So if you want to know more about this one join my tour.
Great place to chill outside after the tour, but also inside it is a great hangout especially in the back of the café. Go there if you enjoy the movie, and order a Russian drink inside.
This is the great entertainment center of Utrecht. There is a bar below as well, but it has a lot more to do. Please check out what is playing the day that you make your visit to Utrecht they have a lot to offer!
Try to sit at the window, this is a restaurant to take your girl to and have a great evening. We pass the street on the tour, it is very cozy. So for sure a restaurant, I would recommend it. Book it upfront and it can be busy.
This one is especially for summer, the Neude square is great to sit in the sun, the prices are competitive as it is a student hotspot. So if you can get a chair in the Sun this is for sure a recommendation!
In the city center (we pass it with the tour) there is this typical Dutch store Hema. All the young moms go shopping at this place. On the second floor, you can look over the shopping street. When you do that you can order a erwtensoep (split bean soup). This is something to do in winter. It is quite cheap and can be a nice place to look over the shopping people below. The Dutch split bean soup is typical Dutch. And if that is not enough for you, you can order a Hema Rookworst, a big sausage that is famous in Holland.
Utrecht is close to the middle of the Netherlands and therefore it has the biggest railway station of the country. And because of that we also have a railway museum in town. Nice for children and adults. The first train the Arend (eagle) made in England is still standing inside. Go check it out!
Typical Dutch are the street musicians, there is a big change you see one on the tour. There is a whole history behind these instruments. And at the Museum klok they show it in a very nice way.
It is also interactive and fun for children to play with the instruments. So if you are interested in music and instruments this is your museum.
In general the Dutch are not so religious anymore. But we do have a big religious history. At this museum you can see the treasures there are from mostly the catholic religion. There are always different exhibitions. Check out their website if there is an exhibition to your liking.
Stay longer in Utrecht as one day, enjoy the city center but also its parks. It is a very lively city that has a lot to offer. The hidden jewel of Holland, the lonely planet called Utrecht.
The best thing to do in this open-air museum is of course our Free Walking Tour Utrecht. So we hope to see you soon. And I can show you personally around.