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Things To Do In Utrecht By Day
 Utrecht is a shoppers paradise. It is why most visitors come for the day, and it's the first thing the average Dutchman will talk about when Utrecht is mentioned.
But there is more to see and do in Utrecht by day, although you would be advised to take it easy and save some energy to enjoy the views and for the nightlife. If the weather is good the parks are a great place to relax and people-watch. If the weather is not so good - well - you can always go shopping.
Shopping
If you spend a Saturday in Utrecht, you might think that shopping is the Dutch national pass-time. And you would be right. On Saturday, and on Thursday-evening, people from all over the place flock to Utrecht to shop 'till they drop.
Not that they have anything particular they want to buy. They just like to be well-informed, so that they know how much the neighbours new 45" 100mhz Digital Surround Sound Home Theatre System cost. Or which clothing brands are hip. Or where they can find the most trendy toothpicks on the market.
Now that the average Dutchman (and in this case especially woman) has a career instead of a family, with more money and less time to spend, the shops are open longer. Still, shopping has become less of a rush and more of a hobby. Inevitably they will end up lugging tons of clothes, groceries and toothpicks around all night Thursday and all day Saturday.
Shopping in Utrecht could be summed up in two words: Hoog Catharijne. This monstrosity from the 70's, attached to Central Station, houses one of the largest indoor shopping centres in Europe. Don't be alarmed by the drunks & bums - they rarely harm anyone but themselves and security is very strict. Most of the chain stores like V&D can be found here. However, the more interesting shops can be found in the area between HC and Janskerkhof and along the Oude Gracht. There's also a Bijenkorf (up-class department store) across the market from HC.
Sales are from January to mid-February and August, with discounts from 10% to 75%.
Prices are always including sales tax (17.5%). If you are a non-EU visitor you can shop tax-free in most larger stores but they often require a minimum purchase of around f 300,-. Most stores accept Visa and MasterCard/EuroCard. Many also accept American Express. Diners Card is not so popular in Holland. Credit cards aren't normally used for purchases below f 50,- because the store owner has to pay a hefty fee. And no, you can't pay in dollars.
Opening times are usually 09:00 or 10:00 to 18:00, except:
Monday morning most shops open at 11:00 or 13:00;
Thursday evening is late night shopping until 21:00;
Saturday smaller shops close at 17:00;
Sunday everything is closed except first Sunday of each month, when many shops are open from 12:00 to 17:00.
For groceries you can stop by at Albert Heijn (Hoog Catherijne, Voorstraat , Voorstraat and Twijnstraat), open from 08:00-20:00 weekdays, 08:00-19:00 on Saturday. AH Twijnstraat is open every Sunday from 12:00-17:00 too and even has a robot-like wall-sized vending device operating 24 hours a day.
Things To Do At Night
With such a large number of students nightlife in Utrecht is pretty good. Whether you want to take in a movie, find some live music, sip a beer or check out the dance
floor, there's bound to be something up your street.
The most informative piece of paper you can get is the free Uitloper, which you can find in most cafes, cinemas and many restaurants, usually on the wall in a leaflet rack. It contains a weekly agenda (starting on Thursday) of all movies, parties, theatre shows, exhibitions and special events. Also keep an eye out for posters around town.
Most cafes are open from afternoon until at least 1am on weekdays or at least 3am on Friday and Saturday, but there are quite a few cafes open later. Dance venues are open until 3am, 4am or 5am. There are a few after-parties around town too.
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