UTRECHT

This year, as the bike-friendly Dutch city celebrates its 900th anniversary in style, explore its canal-side bars, farm-to-table restaurants and historical sites, some dating back to the Roman Empire.

-  Angela Locatelli

Utrecht is a city comfortable in its own skin. Despite celebrating its 900th anniversary as a city this year, the fourth-biggest Dutch centre hasn’t turned its back on its small-town ways, rooted in its past as a Roman outpost. Daily activities still revolve around the medieval centre, where bikes rattle on cobblestones and the gentle flow of ancient canals sets the rhythm for an unhurried pace of life.

The city has been hard at work in the lead-up to its birthday, and there’s much to celebrate. In 2020, it completed the high-profile restoration of a major canal — a project almost two decades in the making. Last year, two sites in the wider Utrecht province were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. And in June, the city centre ruins of the imperial palace, which burnt down in the 13th century, were made accessible to the public for the first time in decades.

But it’s not all about the past. One of the country’s major university cities, Utrecht buzzes with a youthful spirit thanks to its healthy student population. And while a visit here is likely to start at a cultural landmark, it could end with an art-themed treasure hunt or jazz show in a futuristic concert hall.

DAY ONE MARKETS & MEDIEVAL GEMS

Morning