Interested in Dutch art, culture, history or science? Here’s a list of some of the most visited and interesting museums in Utrecht that both expats and tourists should visit.
Museums in Utrecht
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Catharijneconvent Museum
Lange Nieuwstraat 38, 3512 PH
Catharijneconvent Museum is a museum of sacred art in Utrecht. It exhibits the past and present of Christian heritage in the Netherlands and offers insights into the art and cultural history of the Netherlands deriving from Christianity and its influence on Dutch society. It has a collection of objects dating from the early Middle Ages to the present, such as richly illustrated manuscripts, paintings, altarpieces, garments and gold and silver artefacts.
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Centraal Museum
Nicolaaskerkhof 10, 3512 XC
The Centraal Museum is one of the oldest municipal museums in the Netherlands. Museum highlights include the 1.000-year-old "Utrecht Ship" and paintings by Utrecht-born 17th-century artists and Northern mannerists. The Centraal Museum also runs the Rietveld Schröder House Museum and the Miffy Museum, a museum dedicated to the work of Utrecht-born illustrator and children's book author Dick Bruna.
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Sonnenborgh Observatory
Zonnenburg 2, 3512 NL
Discover the secrets of Sonnenborgh: go behind the thick walls of the 16th century bastion to search for cannon emplacements. Climb the steps up to the 19th century telescope domes and gaze at the stars. Sonnenborgh Observatory is an astronomical museum which was the first-ever home of the Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute.
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National Railway Museum
Maliebaanstation 16, 3581 XW
National Railway Museum (Spoorwegmuseum) is not just a museum: it is a fascinating environment in which you discover how the railway changed the world. It was opened in 1927 and shows the development of the Dutch railway, from the first-ever Dutch steam engine, through to the present day. It is one of the most charming museums in Utrecht and focuses on the social context of train travel, as well as the technical aspects of trains.
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Speelklok Museum
Steenweg 6, 3511 JP
Museum Speelklok in Utrecht collects, preserves, presents and restores an extensive and internationally renowned collection of self-playing mechanical musical instruments such as barrel organs, clockwork music players, pianolas, player pianos and street organs.
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Utrecht Botanic Gardens
Budapestlaan 17, 3584 CD
Utrecht Botanic Gardens are part of Utrecht University and are open to the public each year from March 1 until December 1. Covering nine hectares, this extraordinary oasis of natural beauty features a rock garden, an evolution garden, greenhouses, a bamboo walkway and more.