100 things to do in Utrecht

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  1. Walk the Utrecht Free Tour, starting every saturday at 12:00 under the Dom tower
  2. Climb the mighty 112,5 meters Dom Tower.
  3. See artists creations light up in the medieval centre when it get dark on the Trajectum Lumen route
  4. Discover the peace and quiet of Pandhof garden, next door to the Dom church, or Flora's hof behind the tower. Nice to escape the rush 'n bustle of Oudegracht, especially on a Saturday afternoon. Btw: Greek take-away Sirtaki is just around the corner.
  5. Visit Maximus, one of the countries best microbrews in their own brewpub in Leidsche Rijn, Utrecht.
  6. Celebrate King's Night strolling all night through the flea market in the north of the old town finding the craziest ways to make money on the night of the 26th of April!
  7. Go grocery shopping in the Turkish shops on Kanaalstraat.
  8. Go canoeing in the surroundings of Amelisweerd and have a pancake at the historic wooden theehuis in Rhijnauwen.
  9. See the smallest building on the world heritage list, the Rietveld-Schröder House.
  10. Enjoy a nice summerday, relaxing, picknicking and sporting at Wilhelminapark.
  11. Join the Goth parade during the Summer Darkness weekend.
  12. Get lost in some narrow alleyways connecting Springweg to Oudegracht (find the pilgrim) and Oudegracht to Nieuwegracht.
  13. Have a cheap vegetarian (or vegan) meal, or enjoy the underground music scene at ACU.
  14. Visit a free Bach's cantate concert given by Utrechtse Bachcantatendiensten, every 1st sunday of the month
  15. Come to the Bewelcome & Couchsurfing Utrecht monthly meeting at café Averechts.
  16. Get the best special beers at Kafé België, Cafe Derat or de dorstige herten
  17. See the best arthouse movies at 't Hoogt (in a medieval looking builing), Springhaver (with a nice café) or Louis Hartloper Complex (in a former police office).
  18. Go shopping in all the trendy and vintage shops on Oudegracht or Voorstraat.
  19. See the upcoming indie bands, or have a good value 3 course meal at Ekko.
  20. Enjoy a locally brewed beer at Utrecht's new brewery and brewpub De Kromme Haring in the Transwijk district.
  21. Taste the best Autumn beers at the Bockbierfestival.
  22. Go by pedal boat and explore the quaint canals of Utrecht.
  23. Take a bike ride along the line of fortifications around Utrecht which are all part of the national heritage of the Hollandse waterlinie.
  24. Visit the Railway museum.
  25. See famous bands perform at Tivoli.
  26. Join the Dutch national sport, go iceskating.
  27. By your food of every thinkable nation, Chinese, Russian, Greek, African, Turkish, they all have their supermarket at Amsterdamsestraatweg
  28. Buy the best beers at Bert's Bierhuis.
  29. Visit the 100 years old, but built in medieval Disney-style, Kasteel de Haar and its park on a quiet nice day or on a day when it is filled with people dressed up in fantasy styles.
  30. Have a nice ice cream at Il Mulino or Roberto's.
  31. Taste delicious chocolate at Simon Levelt or Australian on Steenweg.
  32. Visit a free lunch concert, every friday at Vredenburg Leeuwenbergh
  33. See where Nijntje, aka Miffy, lives.
  34. Look for Nijntjes traffic light.
  35. Visit the high-rise modernist buildings at Kanaleneiland and Overvecht and see for yourself if these neighbourhoods are ghettos or not.
  36. Follow CS Utrecht Dutch lessons.
  37. Visit Botanical Gardens built around a fortress at the Uithof.
  38. Go have a look at all the autographs from famous rockers on guitars and its famous painting of legendary dead rockers at the rock club: Stairway to Heaven. Also great for budget dinners.
  39. Have a pub crawl set to live blues music at the bluesroute.
  40. Check the Suster Bertken memorial stone in Choorstraat, near the crossing with Zadelstraat.
  41. Have a beer at Olivier's (in a church turned café-restaurant), or taste one of their lovely Belgian dinners with Flemish fries.
  42. Eat or have cocktails in Badhu, an arabic loungy style in an old Bathing house, with fusion cooking and fresh mint tea.
  43. Visit one of the Cultural Sundays, lots of different cultural acts in the city center.
  44. Have a barbecue at the Maarsseveense Plassen.
  45. Walk along the Nieuwegracht in spring (or any time of the year really).
  46. Go to De Ster, a windmill still working as a sawmill.
  47. Visit one of the largest festivals for medieval, renaissance and baroque music in the world: http://oudemuziek.nl/
  48. Enjoy canal side drinks, lunch, hand readings, (cocktail-)lounging, stitch 'n bitch, one of the country's best night clubs 'De Nachtwinkel', salsa matinées and more at Winkel van Sinkel. Down at the warf you can read what disaster happened when the four big statues in front of the building were lifted up from the canal.
  49. Go tango open air behind city hall on Thursday nights (weather permitting) from April - September.
  50. Visit Griftpark, see the sun set on the hill, sit on the stones, join the skaters, basketballers or other sporters or just chill by the lake.
  51. Visit the public library, have a chai tea with milk in one of the comfortable chairs with street view.
  52. See who's awarded the 'Gouden Kalf', the Dutch version of the Oscars at the Dutch Film Festival.
  53. Have a picnic on the wharf along the Oudegracht.
  54. Have a picnic on Keulsekade in the south of Lombok, overlooking canals with houseboats, a park, fancy houses and the money museum.
  55. Find out everything about money at the money museum.
  56. Join a free festival at Liberation Day (May 5th).
  57. Find out everything about Aboriginal Art at the Aboriginal Art Museum.
  58. Have an organic fruitshake at de Blauwe Kameel.
  59. See the fancy post-modernist architecture at University campus the Uithof.
  60. Have a Broodje Mario on Oudegracht, close to Lange Viestraat.
  61. Be amazed at all the interesting and funny books at second hand bookstore De Slegte (which is much bigger inside than it appears from the outside). Full of squeeky winding stairs and narrow isles. Also on Oudegracht.
  62. Spot the UFO on the 'ink jar', head office of the national railways.
  63. Score a fresh stroopwafel at the market on Vredenburg on Wednesdays, Fridays or Saturdays.
  64. On sunny days, have a picnic in tiny Lepelenburg park and enjoy all the gaming, juggling and smiling people.
  65. See what underground has to offer at Counter Culture festival.
  66. Go to a theatersports game at Parnassos, Theater aan de Werf, or Oudaen.
  67. See a Viking ship, the remains of the Art Nouveau building 'De Utrecht' or one of the many art exhibitions at [www.centraalmuseum.nl Centraal Museum].
  68. Get addicted to board games with the real board game fanatics at the Joker.
  69. Check the redevelopment plans for central station and its surroundings [1], visit the sites, see for yourself.
  70. In the summer, find a picnic table at the southern end of the Oudegracht terrace, get some food and drink from the nearby supermarkets and snackbars, and have a little gathering with your friends.
  71. Check the listings at DNBforum, or the flyers in The Revenge shop on Vredeburg, and reach a drum and bass or dubstep rave at one of the many venues across the city.
  72. Visit the infamous 'red light district' for 'research purposes' at the Zandpad section of the Vecht river.
  73. Include your visit to Zandpad, as part of a cycle trip down the Vecht to its end in Muiden, passing through a beautiful landscape of windmills, aristocratic houses, castles and scenic villages like Oud-Zuilen and Maarssen dorp. If you're tough enough, go to Kanoverhuur Utrecht at Oudegracht 275 aan de werf, and make the trip in a canoe.
  74. Visit the Drogisterij Woortman, an old-fashioned shop from 1851 and buy some herbal tea or lip balm.
  75. Enter the old post-office on Neude to admire the grandeur of its interior in the style of Amsterdamse school.
  76. Also on Neude: the Thinker on the Rock, another bunny! Take a look and note what you're thinking.
  77. Find the 'Utregtse Kabouter' between all the cool graffiti on the biketunnel under Westplein.
  78. Figure out when the last bar closes on Nobelstraat.
  79. Eat your own lunch (or 'broodje Bigoli') on the terrace of de Zaak (behind city hall).
  80. Enjoy cheese fondue, live music and recycled crappy old records at 't Oude Pothuys.
  81. Find everything you need and maybe some things you don't on Twijnstraat, the oldest shopping street of Utrecht.
  82. Take a break from shopping, eat cake and chocolates at Sector 3.
  83. Find as many art works from the Panorama 2000 art project as you can.
  84. Visit Sterrenwacht Sonnenborgh, an observatory and museum in a former bastion of the city walls.
  85. Enjoy the late afternoon sun on the stairs of city hall.
  86. Visit the lapjesmarkt on Saturday mornings in Breedstraat.
  87. See the house, once owned by the only Dutch pope ever.
  88. Get stoned in a coffeeshop boat (smoke on the water!) on Wittevrouwensingel.
  89. Sing the official anthem of Utrecht from Herman Berkien: 'Als ik boven op de Dom sta'.
  90. Embark on a pub crawl filled with upcoming bands at Popronde.
  91. Have great lunch sandwiches with drinks for only 5 euros at Gras van de Buren, in their nice movie theatre seats.
  92. Visit one of the notorious student house parties at Ina Boudier-Bakkerlaan (IBB).
  93. Learn about the history of mechanical musical instruments at museum Speelklok tot Pierlement.
  94. See local bands at the big rehearsal studio dB's.
  95. Be a guest at the live recordings of radio show 'Spijkers met Koppen' every saturday at English pub Florin.
  96. See 3500 freshmen get drunk during the Utrechtse Introductie Tijd (UIT).
  97. Cry your eyes out at the tearjerkers festival Smartlappenfestival.
  98. Take a Tuk Tuk.
  99. Visit Soestbergen cemetary, designed by J.D. Zocher jr. in an English landscape style. It became a national monument in 2000.
  100. Enjoy a free afternoon concert at the Dom church. You cannot enter or leave the church during the concert.