Beer and club nights in the wharf cellars on the Oudegracht, terraces on the Neude and the Dom Tower with its 465 steps: here's how to plan your stag do or hen party in Utrecht, with the best things to do, prices, the night train and the city's rules.
Good to know
A draught beer (0.5 l) costs around €6 on average in Utrecht, €4.60 to €8.75 depending on the bar. Cocktails cost €6.50 at Margie's on Thursdays from 16:00 to 18:00. Club tickets mostly range from €9.50 at Club Maggy to €26 at TivoliVredenburg, around €12 at EKKO.
All costs and money-saving tips ↓The NS night train runs every night from Utrecht Centraal via Amsterdam and Schiphol to The Hague and Rotterdam, and on Friday and Saturday nights there are also hourly trains via Gouda until around 02:00. The night buses N1 to N50 serve the surrounding area at a fixed fare of €5. Taxis: UTC on 030 777 7777, plus Uber and Bolt.
U-OV night bus ↗There's no general closing time, and terraces may open from 09:00 to 01:00. Kafé België and Bierlokaal de Luifel are open until 03:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, 't Gras van de Buren and Café Flater until 04:00. The clubs go on longer: De Helling until 05:00, BASIS until 06:00, with entry there mostly until 04:00.
Drinking alcohol on the street is banned in large parts of the city centre, and an open bottle is enough: a €110 fine plus €9 admin costs. Public urination costs €170 plus €9. On a bike, as everywhere in the Netherlands, the limit is 0.5‰. From Thursday to Saturday the police have a dedicated team for nights out.
Clubs let you in from 18 with ID, KABUL à GoGo only from 21 for some events. BASIS, EKKO and De Helling take cards only, and BASIS doesn't let anyone back in. At Club Poema sportswear, sliders and shorts are off limits. The whisky bar The Malt Vault only lets in sober guests.
The ICE International runs from Frankfurt via Cologne, Düsseldorf and Oberhausen, mostly every 2 hours, direct to Utrecht Centraal, the biggest station in the Netherlands. From Schiphol airport you're there in around 30 minutes. FlixBus stops on the Jaarbeurs side of the station from 22:00 to 06:30, and at Leidsche Rijn Centrum during the day.
For a hotel for your stag or hen do in Utrecht: Stayokay is right on the Neude, around 10 minutes' walk from the station, with dorm beds from €23. Strowis on Boothstraat is the city's oldest hostel, from approx. €32. At Bunk on Catharijnekade you sleep from €43.50. On top comes 10% tourist tax on the room price.
Measured at De Bilt right by Utrecht: around 22 °C by day in July and August, around 5 °C in January, and rain on around 185 days a year. Then head underground: boules and karaoke at the Boules Club, an escape room at Mysterium, both in wharf cellars on the Oudegracht, or bowling at Olround on Mariaplaats.
Plan & map
Bars, clubs, restaurants and activities on one map: filter by type, add your favourites with “+ Add to plan” and share the plan with your group via a link, no account needed. Rather have a ready-made schedule? The itinerary generator builds one for you.
Utrecht activities by type: click an idea and the list and map show only what matches.
A canal cruise in an open sloop or your own whisper boat with Schuttevaer, pedal boats you power yourselves, a boat tour with a bar on board or canoeing through Amelisweerd.
Up the tallest church tower in the Netherlands on a guided tour, 5 m down beneath the Domplein at DOMunder, or both in one tour.
A beer bike with a driver, 24 taps at Kafé België, your own tap table in the wharf cellar at vandeStreek or a guided pub crawl ending in a club.
The stag and hen package with signature cocktails at Margie's, wine on the Wed at Bar Bet, a wine tour with games, a cocktail candle workshop and private karaoke booths at Duke of Tokyo.
For the stag do, but not only: escape rooms in a wharf cellar and on Sint-Jacobsstraat, a prison break with actors, disco bowling, boules and drift karts.
A graffiti workshop with your own piece to take home, a guided food tour through the city centre and a beer tasting at the brewery in the Oudaen city castle.
Belgian beer café on Achter Clarenburg near Mariaplaats, with a big list of Belgian beers and a rotating tap. Open 11:00 to 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays; groups of 8 or more let them know in advance by phone or email.
Speciality beer café right on the Oudegracht with 24 taps and around 200 bottled beers, one of the oldest of its kind in Utrecht. Open until 03:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, from 12:00 on Saturdays. The stop for anyone who wants more than lager.
Whisky and cocktail bar in a wharf cellar at canal level on the Oudegracht. Tastings come as a flight of 3 glasses; allow around 2 hours. Groups of more than 5 only on certain days with a €10 deposit per person, bookable online only. Sober guests only.
Brown beer café on the Neude with more than 60 beers, many from Utrecht brewers, and a games cupboard. On Fridays from 22:00 a DJ plays oldies and requests; open until 03:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. Groups book by phone or email.
Cheese and wine bar on Lijnmarkt where 24 Dutch cheeses pass by on a conveyor belt, with matching wine and beer recommendations and cocktails. Fridays from 15:00, Saturdays from 13:00, both until 01:00. Enquire about rooms for parties by email.
Irish pub on Jansdam between Janskerkhof and the Dom Tower, with 12 screens for sport, a dartboard and regular Irish live music. Groups of 10 to more than 80 people book free of charge on request. Fridays from 14:00, Saturdays from 12:00, both until 02:00.
Borrel café on Lange Jansstraat where, after the borrel, people dance to DJs until late: open Thursday to Saturday from 15:00 to 04:00. For groups there are packages with lunch, dinner, borrel or a private dance party with a DJ.
Traditional café on Nobelstraat since 1959, with long tables and benches, speciality beers, single malts and the homemade tosti-bal. Evenings from 21:00 to 03:00, with a dartboard right at the back. You can hire it without a room fee; before 21:00 with a €150 minimum spend per hour.
Brown café on Willemstraat near the central station since 1960. It mostly plays Dutch music and hits from the '70s and '80s, and you send requests via an app. Fridays and Saturdays from 13:00 to 01:00; on Saturdays only small groups party here.
Café on the Neude with wine, cocktails and speciality beer and a sunny terrace with patio heaters on the square. Open daily from 09:30 to 24:00; book tables online. A good afternoon starting point before you carry on around the Neude.
Modern brown café on Korte Minrebroederstraat right behind the historic city hall, with a terrace. Open 08:00 to 02:00 on Fridays and Saturdays; no bookings. You can park bikes for free in the garage under the city hall.
Café on the Oudegracht with changing craft beer specials, open Thursday to Saturday from 12:00 to 04:00. Every Thursday DJs play from 23:00 to 02:00, and on Tuesdays there's an open jam session from 20:00 to 23:00. A spot for the late round.
Food bar of the Utrecht brewery vandeStreek, on two floors with 20 taps each. Downstairs is the wharf cellar with a terrace right on the Oudegracht; there the group books its own tap table and chooses the keg itself. Fridays and Saturdays from 12:00 to 01:00.
Wine bar and restaurant on the Wed with around 250 bottles and 30 wines by the glass; the terrace is no-booking. Groups of 6 to 10 book online, larger ones by email; the upper floor can be booked exclusively at certain times. Daily from 16:00, from 15:00 at weekends.
Tropical rum and cocktail bar in a historic wharf cellar on the Oudegracht, with Caribbean street food to share served on the Tiki Tree stand. There's a dedicated page for large groups, plus a bottomless boozy brunch. Fridays and Saturdays from 12:00 to 01:00.
Café-restaurant in four red houses on the Neude with a large sunny terrace on the square. Tap tables where you pour your own for groups of 4 or more; on Fridays and Saturdays from 23:00 people dance at Beurs by Night with DJs and a light show. The first floor with a bar holds up to 80 people.
Beer terrace by the Tolsteegbrug at the southern end of the Old Town with more than 80 beers, heated seats and ordering by QR code. Open Thursdays and Fridays from 15:00, Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00. No bookings, so come early.
Street kitchen and bar on Drieharingstraat with its own stag and hen package: a cocktail tasting with 4 signature cocktails and a shared dining menu for €65 per person. On Thursdays from 16:00 to 18:00 cocktails cost €6.50. Groups enquire via the form.
Concert hall on Vredenburg with its own club programme, By Night, mostly on Saturdays: doors from 23:55, ending around 04:00 to 04:30. Tickets cost around €15–26, tiered as Early, Regular and Late. Club nights from 18 with ID.
Electronic music club in a wharf cellar on the Oudegracht. Tickets around €15–20, and early entry is cheaper than on the door. Entry from 18 with ID and mostly until 04:00, and the nights run until 06:00. Card payment only, no re-entry.
Music venue on Bemuurde Weerd north of the Old Town with gigs and club nights for over-18s, with club night tickets around €12. Card payment only, and lockers cost €2 to €4. On many programme days the café serves dinner beforehand.
Concert and club stage in Rotsoord, south of the Old Town. Club nights on Fridays and Saturdays mostly from 23:00 or 23:59 to 05:00, tickets around €11–16 including the service fee, over-18s only. Card payment only; a medium locker costs €4.
Club and cultural venue in the Werkspoorkwartier west of the centre, with the rooms Abu, Teatro and Zohal and a terrace. Open on Thursdays, and occasionally on Fridays and Saturdays, from 18:00; tickets around €11–17, from 18, and from 21 for some events.
Cellar club on Drieharingstraat: club night on Saturdays from 23:30 to 04:00, from 18 with ID, and student nights only on Mondays and Tuesdays. Smart casual, no sportswear, sliders or shorts. Available for parties, 2 rooms for 10 to 700 people.
Nightclub in the wharf cellars beneath the Oudegracht, Fridays and Saturdays mostly from 23:00 to 04:00. Tickets around €9.50–17.50, and on some nights entry is free until 01:00. Available for your own events with up to 350 guests.
At 112 m the tallest church tower in the Netherlands, and you can only go up on a guided tour. Adults pay €13.50; bags aren't allowed, and lockers are free. Tickets online or at the tourist office at Domplein 9. Anyone under the influence can be turned away.
Guided tour up to 5 m beneath the Domplein through 2,000 years of city history, entry €14.50. The combined Onder & Op tour takes you beneath the square and up the Dom Tower in 60 minutes, €17.50 via the stairs or €20 with the lift, but only in Dutch.
Canal cruises from €18.50 per person, 1 or 1.5 hours, from the Oudegracht or under Hoog Catharijne. The open sloop with 1 drink costs €20.50 from Oudegracht 85 at the Viebrug. A private whisper boat with a skipper for 2 to 20 people is available from €375.
Pedal boats for up to 4 people from €28.50 per boat, 1.5 hours on one of three routes through the city centre. The jetty is at Oudegracht 165 opposite Winkel van Sinkel. In season only, not bookable in winter.
Indoor boules courts covering around 750 m² in an old wharf cellar on the Oudegracht. For stag and hen parties there are packages like Boules & Food with a 3-course meal for €39.90, or 60 minutes of boules with a drinks package for €25.90 per person, plus private karaoke rooms.
Bowling centre on Mariaplaats in the middle of the city centre; a lane costs from €36 an hour, €41 to €42.50 on Friday and Saturday evenings. Disco bowling late in the evening Thursday to Saturday, open until 02:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. Book online or by phone.
Escape room in a medieval wharf cellar at Oudegracht 300: 60 minutes of play for up to 10 people, €115 per group Monday to Thursday, €135 at weekends. There are no drinks on site; larger groups combine it with a city game or quiz.
Four escape rooms with 60 minutes of play each on Sint-Jacobsstraat, 2 to 6 players per room, up to 24 people at the same time. €25 to €58 per person depending on group size and day, more expensive at weekends. Minimum age 14, closed on Mondays.
Indoor activity centre in Transwijk with dedicated stag and hen packages: Fusion Drift drift karts from €15 per person for 10 minutes, axe throwing, hide and seek in a dark maze and a music quiz, for groups of up to approx. 180 people. No more than 2 alcoholic drinks before and during the activities.
Live prison break with actors in the former Pieter Baan Centrum on Gansstraat, around 3 hours in total, together with 128 other participants in one show. Groups of up to 250 people enquire via a dedicated page; tickets are available online.
Beer bike or prosecco bike from Damtours, 90 minutes with a driver, starting and ending at the meeting point at Locomotiefstraat 12. €350 for 1 to 6 people, €510 for 13 to 16 people, with 20 l of beer or 1 bottle of prosecco per person; your music plays through a Bluetooth speaker.
Karaoke bar on Ganzenmarkt with private booths for groups of up to 25 people, each with Bose speakers, 2 wireless microphones and a tablet for ordering. The booth price depends on the day and time and applies even with fewer people. Open from 17:00.
Restaurant, grand café and brewery in a medieval city castle on the Oudegracht. From 10 people there's a 3-course group menu for €36.95 to €46.95 per person; from 20 people you submit your dishes 5 days ahead. Brewery tours, card payment only.
Argentinian steakhouse in a wharf cellar at Oudegracht 150, with a terrace right on the water in summer. The kitchen is open daily from 17:00 to 23:00. Book tables for more than 8 people by email; a group menu is possible.
Grand café and wine bar in the building of the Netherlands' first department store on the Oudegracht. There are 9 rooms for hire, including a pub for up to 65 people from €375 and the De Kluis wharf cellar for up to 150 people from €500 room hire.
Mediterranean shared dining in a wharf cellar on the Oudegracht, with its own stag and hen offer for 10 to 150 people: a drinks package and dinner before the group moves on. Tuesday to Sunday from 12:00 to 22:00, closed on Mondays.
Restaurant with a winter garden looking onto an old English garden between the Oudegracht and Vredenburg, 5 minutes' walk from the central station. Daily from 12:00 to 23:00; bookings for 2 to 40 people, and from 10 people only the 3-course group menu is available.
Steak restaurant in a Rijksmonument on Oudkerkhof, a few steps from the Dom. Biefstuk dishes cost €26.50 to €30.50 according to the chain's menu. Open 11:30 to 23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays; up to 15 people book normally, larger groups via group packages.
French-Belgian food in the former dog kennel of the Veeartsenijschool in Wittevrouwen, east of the Old Town. The 3-course menu costs €56.50, a main course €29.75. Up to 12 guests book online, larger groups by email; the garden can be booked exclusively.
Fully plant-based restaurant on Oosterkade, near Café Ledig Erf. Daily from 09:00 to 23:00 with breakfast, lunch, borrel and dinner. The place is small and cosy, so it's more for smaller groups and for the morning after.
According to the listing, 60 minutes in an open boat on the canals, with commentary from the captain and a bar on board. The afternoon opener before the group moves on to the wharf cellars on the Oudegracht. From approx. €20 per person; the pier is in your booking.
Cruise through the medieval city centre from the water, around 1.5 hours according to the listing, past the Dom Tower. Good for the first afternoon while the group is still arriving. From approx. €19 per person; the departure point depends on the option in your booking.
An hour in an open boat on the canals, according to the listing with one drink included. In good weather it fits between lunch and the first beer by the water. From approx. €21 per person; meeting point and times are in your booking.
The group pedals together with chilled beer, prosecco or both on board according to the listing, around 1.5 hours through Utrecht. A classic item for stag and hen dos alike. From approx. €45 per person; the starting point is in your booking.
Guided pub crawl through the centre, around 4 hours according to the listing, ending with entry to a club. That way the group gets to know several bars without planning the route itself. From approx. €25 per person; meeting point and bars are in your booking.
Pub crawl with a host from the city, around 3.5 hours according to the listing, with welcome drinks in the first bars and discounts on drinks. Not for under-18s. From approx. €31 per person; meeting point and route are in your booking.
With a guide, according to the listing, first 5 metres beneath the Domplein, then up the Dom Tower, around 75 minutes in total. Best in the morning and sober, as the tower has a lot of steps. From approx. €20 per person; the meeting point on the Domplein is in your booking.
According to the listing, the group follows a web app through four bars, with a glass of wine, a snack and a game at each stop, around 4 hours without a guide. Works well for a hen do. From approx. €40 per person; the starting point is in your booking.
According to the listing, everyone pours their own candle styled like a pornstar or espresso martini, with a cocktail and snacks, around 2 hours. A calm item for a hen do. From approx. €65 per person; the minimum number of participants is in your booking.
Guided tour with tastings of local and international food, around 3 hours through the city centre according to the listing. It replaces dinner and shows the group the city along the way. From approx. €82 per person; meeting point and minimum numbers are in your booking.
Puzzle game through the city centre on your smartphone, according to the listing an open-air escape room. According to the listing, the price is per group of up to 5 people; larger groups play against each other in several teams. From approx. €28 per team; the starting point is in your booking.
According to the listing, the group learns the history, styles and techniques of street art and sprays its own piece to take home, around 1.5 hours. The venue is outside the Old Town to the south-west. From approx. €45 per person; the meeting point is in your booking.
According to the listing, by canoe through Amelisweerd and along the Kromme Rijn, with birdwatching and regional snacks, around 2 hours. The calm counterpoint to the night in the wharf cellars, best in good weather. From approx. €75 per person; the meeting point is in your booking.
Square between the Dom church and the Dom Tower, once the site of the Roman fort of Traiectum, where the city began. The paving shows the outlines of earlier buildings, and the DOMunder excavation lies beneath. The starting point for the tower and the underworld.
Square in the centre, about 80 x 60 m and once a car park, now surrounded by bars and restaurants with terraces: Café De Beurs, Bierlokaal de Luifel and Café Claire are here. The Neude hosts festivals, events and the Christmas market.
Square around the Janskerk, approx. 130 m long, with several bars and restaurants and a student society. Every Saturday there's a big flower and plant market here. From here it's just a few steps to the Irish pub on Jansdam and to the Neude.
The canal, around 2 km long, runs right through the Old Town, with wharves and wharf cellars on both banks, a system that exists on this scale only here. Many restaurants and bars are in the cellars, most with a terrace right on the water.
Square between the central station with Hoog Catharijne and the Old Town, with a market on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The TivoliVredenburg concert hall with 5 halls stands on the square. If you arrive by train, this is where you first meet up with the group.
Square on the site of the vanished Mariakerk, whose cloister survives in the courtyard, a market square since the Middle Ages. The conservatory and the Olround bowling centre are on the square. A quiet meeting point between the Oudegracht and Vredenburg.
Guide prices excluding travel, food & accommodation. Check the provider for today's prices.
🗺️ Open route in Google MapsNeighbourhoods
Utrecht parties on two levels: up on the Neude and Janskerkhof squares, and down in the wharf cellars on the Oudegracht. From the station you can walk into the Old Town; for clubs like De Helling, EKKO or KABUL you head a little way out.
For beer, rum and club nights by the water
On the Oudegracht the bars are one level down, in the cellars by the water: 24 taps at Kafé België, rum and Caribbean street food at Rum Club, your own tap table in the wharf cellar at vandeStreek. For dancing, head to Club Maggy, Fridays and Saturdays until 04:00.
For terraces, beer cafés and DJs
On the Neude you sit out on terraces: tap tables and DJs at weekends at Café De Beurs, more than 60 beers at De Luifel right next door. A few steps further on you dance until 04:00 at 't Gras van de Buren, and on Jansdam the Irish pub Mick O'Connells shows sport on 12 screens.
For the Dom Tower, wine and steak
Around the Domplein the city's history is all around you: up the Dom Tower on a guided tour, 5 m down into the DOMunder excavation. Then wine on the Wed at Bar Bet with 30 wines by the glass, and steak at Loetje in a Rijksmonument on Oudkerkhof, just a few steps from the Dom.
For a concert hall, cocktails and a cellar club
Between Vredenburg and the Oudegracht the evening starts straight from the station: club nights at the TivoliVredenburg concert hall, signature cocktails at Margie's and, on Saturdays, the cellar club Poema on Drieharingstraat. For dinner, head to the winter garden at De Zakkendrager.
For a beer terrace, an escape room and a club stage
At the southern end of the Old Town things get more relaxed: more than 80 beers on the terrace at Ledig Erf by the Tolsteegbrug, plant-based food at BROEI on Oosterkade, an escape room in Mysterium's wharf cellar. A little further on in Rotsoord, De Helling runs club nights until 05:00.
Sample itinerary
This is what a weekend that works in Utrecht looks like, whether it's a stag do, a hen party or a quieter group. You'll find every venue in the planner above, where you can swap out individual stops.
Steak in a wharf cellar, groups by email.
24 taps on the Oudegracht.
Club night in a wharf cellar until 06:00.
Drift karts and axe throwing in Transwijk.
90 minutes with a driver and beer on board.
Caribbean street food and rum cocktails.
Tap table, DJs and a light show from 23:00.
Stag and hen package with 4 signature cocktails.
A karaoke booth of your own for the group.
Wharf cellar club, Fridays until 04:00.
Guided climb; bags stay in a locker.
Open sloop with a drink.
A martini-style candle, with a cocktail.
Shared dining with a stag and hen offer in a wharf cellar.
30 wines by the glass on the Wed.
Brewery in the medieval city castle.
Winter garden on the old garden.
Speciality beer and a tosti-bal on Nobelstraat.
5 m beneath the Domplein.
Cheese from the conveyor belt on Lijnmarkt.
1.5 hours of pedalling yourselves, in season only.
Beer terrace by the Tolsteegbrug.
3-course menu in Wittevrouwen.
Your group's a bit different? The itinerary generator builds a plan around your group, budget and mood, using the same venues.
Budget
In Utrecht a draught beer (0.5 l) costs around €6 on average, and a club ticket mostly €9.50 to €26. Group menus, the beer bike and whisky tastings push the budget up; tap tables, shared pedal boats and bowling, when the group shares a lane, keep it down.
| Option | Per person | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| One night out | €50–110 | dinner, two bars on the Oudegracht or the Neude and a club |
| A day with an activity | €110–220 | plus a canal cruise, escape room, bowling, beer bike or drift karts |
| Weekend | €200–440 | two nights out, one activity, one night in a double room, travel not included |
Guide prices per person, based on the prices of the venues and tours on this page. The bride or groom usually doesn't pay; their share is split across the group. The planner above adds up what your programme costs.
Travel isn't included, as that depends on where you're coming from. Accommodation is based on the country's price level. Work out your own budget with the cost calculator.
Seasonal tips
These dates come round every year. If your weekend falls on one of them, the city will be packed. If you'd rather keep things relaxed, plan around them.
On 27 April the whole country celebrates King's Day; if it falls on a Sunday, the party is on the Saturday instead.
On 5 May Utrecht celebrates Liberation Day with a festival in Park Transwijk, and entry is free.
Three days of festival in June in Park Transwijk, the same place as the Bevrijdingsfestival in May.
Ten days of early music festival, from late August to early September.
Four days of music festival in November, including at the TivoliVredenburg concert hall.
In December there's an ice rink and curling lanes on the Jaarbeursplein, and entry is free.
At 112 m the tallest church tower in the Netherlands; 465 steps, and you can only go up on a guided tour and without a bag.
Along the Oudegracht, around 2 km long, lie wharves and wharf cellars unique in the world on this scale; many are now bars and restaurants by the water.
Utrecht has around 67,000 students, a good 33,000 of whom live in the city; Club Poema holds its own student nights on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Questions
