Zutphen Travel Guide

 
by FlyingDutchmen
 
  •   Zutphen
    by FlyingDutchmen
  •   Zutphen
    by FlyingDutchmen
  •   Zutphen
    by FlyingDutchmen
  • Drogenaps Tower
      Drogenaps Tower
    by Pijlmans
  • Whisper Boat Tour
      Whisper Boat Tour
    by Pijlmans
 

Pro

OlafS profile photo

  Great medieval architecture 


Con

carolineraat profile photo

  Do not expect a great nightlife 


In a nutshell

pieter_jan_v profile photo

  Nice town at the IJssel river 

 

Explore Zutphen

Things to Do  

Walburgiskerk, general view

Walburgiskerk, general view, Zutphen

 egonwegh Says:  A general view of the Walburgiskerk. "It is very odd indeed", said the tour guide who showed us the interior of the church, "that the inhabitants of Zutphen should travel hundreds or even thousands of kilometers to visit a church dating back to the 12th or 13th century in... 

Synagogue

Synagogue, Zutphen

 Pijlmans Says:  This synagogue was open when we where there and a very enthusiastic rabbi explained us some things.The synagogue was built in 1879. The Jewish community was almost completely eradicated by the Germans during WWII. After the war, the few remaining Jews had to sell the... 

Martinus Church

Martinus Church, Zutphen

 Pijlmans Says:  This church was first mentioned in 1121.Additions were made during the 15th centuryIn the 19th century the church was rebuild, but restored again in its old state between 1954-1957.The last restoration was in 2002.Located in Warnsveld, a village close to Zutphen. 

Bourgonje Tower

Bourgonje Tower, Zutphen

 Pijlmans Says:  This city wall tower is from 1457.It was built to house a special big caliber canon, to protect the city from the Burgundians.Apparently, this canon was never used as such.In 1742 a dome was added, where minister J.F. Martinet used to have his study room. 

Statue The Dwarf and the Duck

Statue The Dwarf and the Duck, Zutphen

 Pijlmans Says:  This statue in the grass near the harbor is called "The Dwarf and the Duck".Don't spend too much time looking for the duck though! It was made of fat and bird-seed and eaten by the birds!The dwarf seems to witness this event and raises his arms in despair.A sign next to the... 

Statue of Thonis Drogenap

Statue of Thonis Drogenap, Zutphen

 Pijlmans Says:  This statue of the musician Thonis van Grol (nicknamed Drogenap) is next to the Drogenaps Tower. Drogenap lived in the tower next to the statue in 1555. If you're small enough, you can enter it and have your picture taken! 

Drogenaps Tower

Drogenaps Tower, Zutphen

 Pijlmans Says:  In 1444 a new city gate was built in the south of Zutphen. However, the gate was not used a lot and closed to save the wages of the gatekeeper.In 1555 the musician Thonis van Grol, nicknamed Drogenap, was living in the tower. That is why the tower has still it's present... 

House of Borro (almshouse)

House of Borro (almshouse), Zutphen

 Pijlmans Says:  Almshouses were built for the poor, often elderly people of a (religious) community.Borro, a priest gave his house and money in favor of old people in 1320, at least if they had lived a good religious life.Around the yellow house of Borro more almshouses were built. In the... 

Oude Born Hof (almshouses)

Oude Born Hof (almshouses), Zutphen

 Pijlmans Says:  Almshouses were built for the poor, often elderly people of a (religious) community.Borro, a priest who dies in 1320, gave his house and money in favor of old people, at least if they had lived a good religious life. 

Luthers Hofje (almshouses)

Luthers Hofje (almshouses), Zutphen

 Pijlmans Says:  Almshouses were built for the poor, often elderly people of a community, in this case the Lutheran community.The houses were built in 1851 and were restored in 1980-1981,The swan above the entrance is a Lutheran symbol.Inside is a small garden. 

Spanjaards Gate (Spanish Gate)

Spanjaards Gate (Spanish Gate), Zutphen

 Pijlmans Says:  The Spanjaards Gate is a so-called "barbican", a fortified outpost outside the city wall.In 1572 the Spanish entered the city through this gate.During the war in 1944 the Germans blew up the buildings of the old monastery that was next to this gate.The gate was restored in... 

Gunpowder Tower (Kruit Toren)

Gunpowder Tower (Kruit Toren), Zutphen

 Pijlmans Says:  The building of this defense tower dates back to 1320.It was part of the city wall, and build under a special angle in the wall so the wall itself could be optimally protected.Since 1558 it was used to produce and store gunpowder, hence it's name. 

Whisper Boat (Fluister boot)

Whisper Boat (Fluister boot), Zutphen

 Pijlmans Says:  A great way to start your trip through Zutphen is to take a 1 hour guided tour by electrical boat (whisper boat or fluister boot).The boats daily depart at 11.30, 13.30 and 15.00 hours, and 12.00 and 13.30 on Sundays, so plan this well!Costs are only 4.50 euro per adult,... 

Water Tower

Water Tower, Zutphen

 Pijlmans Says:  This water tower was built in 1927, to replace the function of the Drogenaps Tower as water tower.It is 46 m high, and the waterreservoir on top is still in use.In the lower part there are small apartments for single people.The pictures are taken from the water during our... 

Ruiters Hofje (almshouses)

Ruiters Hofje (almshouses), Zutphen

 Pijlmans Says:  These almshouses were founded in the 16th century by the rich beer brewer Henrick Ruyter (Ruiter). He was killed by the Spanish in 1572.We saw this hofje from the water during our whisperboat tour. 

City walk

City walk, Zutphen

 Pijlmans Says:  You can download an interesting and quite complete citywalk of Zutphen at the link below. The walk is about 4.5 km.The text is in Dutch but the map will take you along all important sites.Alternatively, buy an English tour at the tourist office.The rest of my tips are mostly... 

Hotels  

Golden Tulip Hotel Inntel Zutphen

 2 Reviews and 22 Opinions  This hotel is located in an industrial area, at least 30-40 minutes walking from the center of... 

Restaurants  

Vaticano: Great location

Vaticano: Great location, Zutphen

 Pijlmans Says:  This restaurant is located at a small square, the Houtmarkt.Since it was raining, we had to sit inside.It was very busy, which is always a good sign for a restaurant.We got a small table for two in the old basement, which was really cosy and gave the restaurant an extra... 

Lekker (Delicious): Local and biological

Lekker (Delicious): Local and biological, Zutphen

 Pijlmans Says:  We went to this restaurant because it was listed as one of the restaurant on a dinner-voucher that I got as a present (Tapas for two, distributed by Hema shops).The dinner had 5 courses and all of them were good!Also the vegetarian option was nice according to my girlfriend. 

Nightlife  

Cafe Camelot: Cafe Camelot

Cafe Camelot: Cafe Camelot, Zutphen

 bonio Says:  Recently voted Number 85 in the best cafes in the Netherlands, just along the road from our hotel so we had to visit. There on a Sunday night along with the rest of Zutphen it seemed, but the reason was live music, good it was too. Visited again on a Monday evening, much... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Palace Het Loo, Apeldoorn

Palace Het Loo, Apeldoorn, Zutphen

 Pijlmans Says:  The Loo, from the name you might think that this is a public restroom, but it isn't!It is a very nice palace, close to the city Apeldoorn. We stayed in Zutphen, and it was too rainy to do the hike we planned, so we visited this Palace instead.Besides the old and luxurious... 

The Place

Plan a Zutphen vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Zutphen locals

Experience Zutphen
  •   84 Tips and Reviews
  •  263 Photos
  Share your Travels  
Map of Zutphen
 

The People

13 Members Live Here
 
Our Members Say
 profile photo

 In Zutphen you can still find pieces of the old city walls that protected the city from attack. The section on the photo can be found at the starting point for... 

13 members live in Zutphen

 

Questions and Answers

anthonyleonard profile photo

Q:  I need to get from Amsterdam about 15.00 to meet a friend in Zutphen in the afternoon. What are my options as I am pressed for... 

K_V_B profile photo

A: Drive (although that would entail battling the eternal trafic jams around Amsterdam) or take a train. Train takes about 1 3/4 hours depending on which train you use,... 

Read 5 Replies

postQuestion_button

Top Zutphen Writers

1

Daytrip to Zutphen

Pijlmans profile photo

 Zutphen is a small city located along the river IJssel. Zutphen used to be a fortified town, and there are remains of the city wall, towers and many historical buildings to be seen. We spend here an... 

2

Zutphen

OlafS profile photo

 I've got some interesting experiences in Zutphen. I'd love to share with you the 8 tips I've written, the 10 photos uploaded, and 0 travelogues I've created. 

3

Ancestry

ATLC profile photo

 I spent a saturday exploring Zutphen with a friend. What a lovely town it is, with many hidden treasures as well. 

4

Bonio's two days in Zutphen

bonio profile photo

 Arrived on a snowy and cold evening, fortunately our full day was beautifully sunny, good day to explore this quiet town on the river Ijssel. Here's what we did 

5

Zutphen Page

egonwegh profile photo

 Zutphen - the city walls. A visit to the Walburgiskerk with the Librije, a library dating back to the 15th century, and the Broederenkerk with the public library. With members of our regional... 

View all rated pages

View newest pages

Build your own Zutphen page