PHOTOGRAPH: SVEN GEERDES (@UTRECHTALIVE)
If history had turned out differently, Utrecht would still be the most important city in the Netherlands. It was founded by the Romans, and though Amsterdam came to eclipse it, Utrecht has many of its upstart sibling’s charms – with much less in the way of crowds in general and stag parties in particular. You can stroll, cycle or gently boat past tall brick townhouses reflected in canals, only here the banks are distinctively two-tiered. Many of the old quayside warehouses at the lower level have been turned into bars and eateries, to join all the others in a city that needs little excuse to put tables out on the cobbles. Utrecht’s large university and convenient mid-country location mean that the city sees plenty of new faces and businesses too. Its café culture and thriving live-music scene reach well beyond the canals, into the 19th- and 20th-century neighbourhoods that surround the ancient centre. In a country that traditionally likes to keep its curtains open, the fourth-largest city may be the best window of all into relaxed Dutch urban life.
Cornelis café has kept its century-old grocery shop facade
PHOTOGRAPHS: SUSANNE STERKENBURG, AILISHA SHANNON, JURIËN HIENSCH, ANNE HAMERS, GREENJOY.NL, NIJNTJE MUSEUM/MERCIS B.V./FOTO JAN-KEES STEENMAN, CHIEL VAN DIEST