Utrecht = Little Amsterdam
Canals, many people, shops, coffeeshops. Could be Amsterdam. “No, definitely not! Utrecht is much more cosy than the crowded city of Amsterdam!”, locals are protesting.
And I come round to their opinion. Utrecht is maybe the smaller version of big Amsterdam, but it is much more. It has nice special shops (I got an awesome paper lamp from: http://www.earth-friendly.net/index.html), coffeeshops and quite a lot comfortable restaurants. Some located at the water front of the canals, which are obviously more expensive. Some are in the city center or with a great view on the canals. As my preferred pastime while exploring cities is just walking around in the city, Utrecht was predestinated to be my favorite place! Those small alleys definitely have a special flair.
See more about Utrecht students.
And when you visit Utrecht, you should definitly eat at the restaurant ‘Ludens’ located in the centre of Utrecht. It is cheap and it has amazing food! My reccomendation is to try the ‘Saté’!