We welcome you to the city of Utrecht, the Dom City: An historical city with a modern vibe, many idyllic canals, a medieval city center, and a large offer of restaurants and bars, shops, culture and heritage. The city of Utrecht has some incredible things to discover.
Below, we share some of our top picks for What to do, Where to eat and drink, and Where to stay.
What to do?
Utrecht has much to offer to enjoy, including the museums and galleries mentioned below. Besides this, we especially recommend:
- From 29 August to 7 September, the Festival Old Music (the largest festival featuring old music) takes place in Utrecht. For more information, visit this website.
- If you enjoy exploring the city on foot, try the BARMSTAD podcast project. Listen to stories from the past and present and see how the city embodies the works of mercy. How are—and were—the acts of mercy expressed? Each walk lasts approximately 1.5 hours and includes 40 minutes of audio. More information on this website.
Domkerk Utrecht
Dom Under
Museum Catherijneconvent
Utrechts Archief
Centraal Museum
Sonneborgh Museum & Sterrenwacht
Museum Speelklok
Spoorwegmuseum
Rietveld Schröderhuis
Volksbuurtmuseum
BAK
Fotodok
Where to eat and drink?
In all conference venues, coffee, tea and water will be served throughout the day. As conference organizers, we do not provide food (with the exception of snacks during the reception).
Being right in the middle of Utrecht, the city offers you plenty of opportunities to find lunch rooms, cafés and bars for a hearty or light lunch near the venues. Some suggestions are mentioned below. If more ideas are needed, please consult us during the conference – we are more than happy to share our hidden gems with you!
Close to the conference venues, we recommend these places:
- KLUTS (coffee and vegan bakery)
- Bar Restaurant Walden
- Grand Cafe Lebowski
- Restaurant and bar Babading
If you’re happy to move a little bit further away, please check our suggestions below:
Places to work
- The Coffee Company (Location ‘Vismarkt’)
- The 5th (on the ground floor of Stay Okay Hostel)
- Central Library Neude Square
- Bunk Hotel Utrecht (second floor)
- Het Gegeven Paard
Places to grab a nice coffee
- ‘T Koffieboontje
- Blackbird Coffee
- Wakuli Specialty Coffee Bar
- Koffie Leute Brauhaus (20-minute walk from Dom Square)
- Black Brew (close to Vredenburg Square)
- 30ml Vredenburg
- The Village Coffee & Music (close to Neude Square)
Places to go for lunch
- Tijm Coffee House & Diner Bar
- LOX Bagels
- Luc
- Rabarber
- Toastable Oudegracht
- KEEK Lunchroom
- BROEI (vegan, 20-minute walk from Dom Square)
- Gys (vegetarian)
- Bakkerswinkel (bakery and lunchroom)
- 30ml Vredenburg
- Soep-er (for soup lovers)
- If the weather is good, pay a visit to the market stall of Mario for a Broodje Mario: an Italian sandwich with salami, chorizo, cheese, pepper and lettuce
Places to go for dinner
- Tijm Coffee House & Diner Bar
- Gys (vegetarian)
- BROEI (vegan, 20-minute walk from Dom Square)
- Restaurant Blauw (Indonesian)
- FLFL (for a quick falafel wrap)
- Sarban (Afghan food at the canals)
- Silk Road (Indian food at the canals)
- Vegetalian (vegetarian Italian kitchen)
- Spaghetteria (Italian)
- Sanju Ramen (quick and tasty)
- Restaurant Pomo (Surinamese)
- Pizzabakkers (several locations)
- Pizza Beppe
- Meneer Smakers (burgers – two locations)
- Kimmade (Vietnamese)
- ANAN Saignon Street Food
- De Klub (fine dining $$)
- Héron (fine dining $$)
Places to go for a nice drink
- Café Voortuin
- Café de Zaak
- Twintig Utrecht
- ‘T Taphuys
- ‘T Oude Pothuys
- Café De Morgenster
- Café DeRat
- De Drie Dorstige Herten
- Café Ledig Erf
- Café Tilt!
- Belgium Beer Cafe Olivier (located in a former church)
- Kafé België (Belgium beers)
- Café de Bastaard
- Café Orloff (several locations)
- Frontaal Little Bar (craft beer)
- VandeStreek Oudegracht (local craft beer)
- Brothers in Law Taphouse (local craft beer)
- Wine bar Lefebvre
- Wine bar VinVin
- Talud9 wine bar
- Wine bar VINO
- Bar Bet (wine bar)
- Rubens Proeflokaal (fine wines, beers & liqour)
- Kaasbar (cheese & wine bar)
- The Malt Vault (cocktail bar)
Where to stay?
While staying in Utrecht, there are plenty of options for accommodation to choose from, from B&Bs and AirBnBs to hotels, in all different price ranges. Below we offer some of our recommendations for hotels and other accommodations, all close to the conference venues, some of which can be booked with discount.
High end accommodation
- Grand Hotel Karel V (15% discount: book via reservations@karelv.nl, with reference “DDD Conference”)
- The Anthony (10% discount with code: DDD10)
- The Court Hotel
- Hotel Beijers
Mid-range accommodation
- NH Utrecht (up to 22% discount when booking via this link)
- Moxy Utrecht
- Eye Hotel
- Mother Goose Hotel
Budget accommodation
- Bunk Hotel Utrecht (5% discount code: UTRUNI)
- Stay Okay – Utrecht Centrum (10% discount code: UU)
- Strowis
Apart from these recommendations, many more hotels, hostels and b&bs can be found in and around Utrecht, for each person and budget. As August is still holiday season in Utrecht, conference participants are advised to book their stay as quickly as possible, to keep prices low.