Wondering where to live in Utrecht? We set out to find you the best neighbourhoods (and yes, also some ‘meh’ but inexpensive neighbourhoods too).
Congratulations, you’re moving to Utrecht! With its gorgeous townhouses, a flower market along the canal on Saturday and more bicycles than you can handle, Utrecht can feel like you’re living the Dutch dream.
Although the city is much more petite than Amsterdam or Rotterdam, there are still a lot of different neighbourhoods in Utrecht to choose from. 🤔
So where to live in Utrecht? DutchReview has all the pros and cons of Utrecht’s neighbourhoods for you. 😎
The city centre
This area offers everything people imagine the Netherlands is made of: narrow streets, townhouses, markets, canals, little bars and a lot of history! Emphasis on “a lot”.
The city centre of Utrecht was founded by the Romans, and most people don’t realize that it’s a lot older than Amsterdam, Leiden or Delft.
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On a few square kilometres, you can time travel from the Roman era to the defining Middle Ages and onwards to early Jugendstill or questionable 1970s architecture. 😮
No matter how historical the Utrecht centre may be, it is by no means a dead part of town. Utrecht University and Hogeschool Utrecht both ensure that a big influx of young and fresh batch of students come every year.
So you know what that means, right? A huge number of (coffee) bars, hip restaurants, and quirky shops.
The place is buzzing all year round. It also has TivoliVredenburg – a venue which has made Utrecht a regular stopover for upcoming (Indie) artists.
Another big advantage of living here is being close to one of the major transportation hubs in the Netherlands: Utrecht Central Station.
Regular trains will take you to Rotterdam, The Hague, Amsterdam, Zwolle, Arnhem, Amersfoort or Den Bosch within an hour.
So for business travellers and corporate expats, Utrecht city centre is also perfect to live in!
Are there any downsides?
Well — you can guess that living here is not cheap (which might also be less of an issue for corporate expats).
You have to be careful where to pick your home, as some streets and squares can be very noisy at night. 💥
Notable locations: Oudegracht, TivoliVredenburg, Domtower and church, Centraal Museum, Neude, Ledig Erf and Utrecht central station.
Wittevrouwen, Oudwijk, Vogelenbuurt &Tuinwijk/dorp
But what if the city centre is too busy for you, but you still fancy being within walking or cycling distance of the centre? Simple.
Move to the posh areas surrounding the city centre on the north-east side: Wittevrouwen, Oudwijk, Vogelenwijk and Tuinwijk or Tuindorp.
Wittevrouwen, Vogelenwijk and Oudwijk were built before 1900. Oudwijk mostly consists of cute and small arbeidershuisjes (working-man-lodges), while big townhouses make up the most of Wittevrouwen and Vogelenwijk. 🏡
Tuinwijk and Tuindorp was built later, around the 1930s. It boasts some beautiful spacious houses from those days and the streets are greener.
The neighbourhood’s became popular in the 1990s with families and yuppies, which is still the main crowd there, mixed with students. 👩🎓
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Bakfietsmoeders (cargo bike moms) at cafes are a pretty common sight in these neighbourhood’s. You’ll also find some good delis, bakeries and butchers.
You’ll also be in proximity to the popular Wilhelminapark and the more modern and spacious Griftpark. 🌳
Notable locations: shops and cafes at the Nachtegaalstraat, Burgermeester Reigerstraat and Biltstraat, Wilhelminapark, Griftpark, Rietveldhuis, Badhu and Theater De Paardenkathedraal.
Lombok & Oog in Al
On the other side of the central station, you’ll find the multicultural area of Lombok. This neighbourhood of Utrecht, mostly made up of small houses and apartments, wasn’t always as popular as it is now.
In the ’70s, workers from Turkey and Morocco moved here and were housed cheaply in poor conditions. The neighbourhood was in decline.
However, renovations in the ’90s and the proximity to the train station caused gentrification, which sparked life back into the area. ✨
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You’ll find an interesting mix of people with a Moroccan or Turkish background, yuppies, students and native Utrecht families who have been living here for generations.
The Kanaalstraat is the perfect place to shop for fresh and cheap fruit and vegetables. It also has some good Mediterranean bakeries and fish shops. 🐟
You’ll also find one of the best (Asian) restaurants of Utrecht in the Kanaalstraat: Jasmijn & Ik. Be sure to book ahead if you feel like dining here on the weekend.
A bit further, the Leidse Rijn, Molen de Ster and the Sluizen are simply stunning.
Take a stroll along the water or light up your BBQ here, as this place turns into a busy hotspot during summertime. ☀️
Across the Sluizen is a beautiful area with the quirky name ‘Oog in Al’.
This posh place consists of lovely green streets with houses built in the 1930s.
It has always been a popular place for families as there are lots of areas for children to play in. 🛝
However, there aren’t a lot of shops and restaurants and it is quite expensive to find a place to sit here. But with its proximity to the Central Station, it might be the best neighbourhood to live in as an international businessman/woman. 👔
Notable locations: Molen de Ster, Jasmijn & Ik, park Oog in Al, cheap shops at the Kanaalstraat, café Lombok, Sluizen.
Utrecht Zuid
The area south of the city centre is made up of the neighbourhoods Hoograven, Tolsteeg and Rivierenwijk.
The city centre sprawls out to the northern part of these neighbourhoods with exciting hotspots opening up all around. 🔥
People who make up the fabric of Utrecht live here: migrants, yuppies, students, families and the native ‘Utrechters’.
Housing is diverse and available in different price ranges. You can rent a cheap studio here, but also buy a big and expensive family home with a garden. 🪴
The main areas, Hoograven and Rivierenwijk, are divided by a canal. Jutfaseweg is also a pretty location to check out!
Notable locations: WT Urban Kitchen, restaurants along Oosterkade and Westerkade, Klein Berlijn, Rotsoord.
Leidsche Rijn
If your dream is the sleepy suburban life, then move to Leidsche Rijn! This new area was built a little over ten years ago, across the Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal and the A2.
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It has new, affordable and big houses, loads of schools, playgrounds and big supermarkets.
Right in the middle of Leidsche Rijn is Maxima Park – the ideal place to go jogging, skating, cycling, walking your dog or playing with your kids. 🚴♀️
Most families live here because houses are cheaper and more spacious than in the old city.
Another big advantage is that you are close to the A2 highway and you can drive to places like Amsterdam or Gouda within half an hour!
It also has two train stations on the line to Utrecht, Gouda and Woerden. 🚆
Notable locations: Maxima Park, Cinemec, Castellum Hoge Woerd
Kanaleneiland
So, what if you don’t have much money? Kanaleneiland might be just the right fit for you. 🧩
It’s mostly full of apartment blocks from the ’60s and ’70s here. They aren’t the prettiest, but they’re affordable!
The upside is that there are a lot of cheaper fruit and veggie shops here. There are large green areas such as the Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal and Park Transwijk.
There’s also the Prince Claus Bridge, designed by the same person who designed the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam!
But the biggest pro? Kanaleneiland is still within 15 minutes of cycling to the city centre and train station. So you are still close to all the hotspots in town, without spending a fortune on your house. 🎉
Notable locations: Park Transwijk, de Kantien, Ikea.
We hope you find that dream home of yours in the gorgeous little city of Utrecht. Good luck on your search! 🤞
Know any other places when it comes to nice neighbourhoods in Utrecht? Tell us in the comments below!
Overvecht. Cheap, close to the centre on the south side. Lots of new housing developments coming, good facilities, close to country side to the north – great for kids, bike rides – gagelbos and gagelpolder. Lots of parks, 2nd largest shopping centre in Utrecht, biggest Albert heijn in the province of Utrecht.
Veemarkt also deserves a mention – whole new housing projects, great if you are into innovative interesting buildings to look at and to live in.
This is awfully discriminatory:
“The crowd mainly is migrant families and others who are looking for a cheaper place to live. Which has the obvious downsides: groups of youngsters on the streets, litter and petty-crime. But the upside ia that there are a lot of cheaper fruit and veggieshops here.”
It’s indeed a beautiful city! 🥰