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City and municipality in Overijssel, Netherlands
Photo: Michielverbeek, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl via Wikimedia Commons
Deventer is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands. It is on the river IJssel and was a member of the Hanseatic League. This town in the province of Overijssel offers a great collection of heritage. It is home to the country's oldest brick house, the oldest park and the oldest academic library. Today, the town is also known for its annual Dickens festival in December.
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Saint Nicholas Church
The Gothic church dates from circa 1200 and stands on the highest part of the Bergkwartier. Today, it is used for concerts and exhibitions.
Lebuïnuskerk
The main church of Deventer, built in Gothic style.
Weigh house
Deventer has its own Leaning Tower of Pisa, the 'Waag', which leans quite a lot. The museum, located within the Waag, of course features some of the best works of art from Deventer, as well as a large collection about the city itself. It also has rotating exhibitions, often of more contemporary themes to accompany the main collection.
Located in two late-medieval storehouses, this museum features some 13.000 items of toys used in the Netherlands, from dolls to trains to mechanical and optical toys to board games. The museum is catered to both children and adults.
Museum about a religious leader.
The Proosdij is the oldest stone house still standing in the Netherlands, having been built around 1130 AD.
City Hall
Both the old and new city hall stand almost as neighbouring buildings. The old city hall (at #4), built in 1693, consists of different architectural styles including a neo-classic front facade. The new city hall, opened in 2016, is a copper-colored modern building built with patterned windows. Between the two city hall buildings is the Landhuis, built in 1632. An interior courtyard has access to all three buildings.
The Broederen Church was built in the 14th century.
Vogeleiland
The park is a national monument (rijksmonument) and features works of art between the greenery, a Bird Island (Vogeleiland), a pavilion and a music pavilion.
Cloister Garden
Unlike the former Buiskensklooster building, a former convent now used as a city archive and library, the cloister garden is open to the public. The garden contains a few large trees and a large plant collection provided by two local residents.
Interesting museum for modern and contemporary art, taking the Nul group and the wider ZERO movement as a starting point.
The bridge from the movie A Bridge Too Far. In the movie, the bridge substitutes for the one at Arnhem, as its surroundings had changed a lot between Operation Market Garden and the shooting of the film.
Historic windmill powering a sawmill; completely rebuilt in 2007.
Water tower
This late 19th-century water tower looks as if it should belong to a fairy-tale castle rather than a water utility.
Art space: exhibitions, experiments, events.
Museum for Modern Realism.
Concert venue.
Sports and activity centre in Colmschate. Aside from swimming pools, De Scheg also allows for ice skating and curling during some parts of the year. It also offers facilities to play squash.
The last weekend before Christmas, the annual Charles Dickens festival brings some 120,000 visitors to Deventer's Bergkwartier. Local volunteers and business owners turn the city quarter into a 19th-century town by enacting famous scenes from Dickens' novels and dress up to be Oliver Twist, Scrooge and hundreds of other characters. The rest of the city joins in the celebrations with Christmas markets and other activities, providing a lively, overall buzz. Admission is free, but count on some queueing to enter.
Deventer on Stilts
This July weekend is full of international theatre acts, including a good number on stilts. Most of the acts are performed free of charge and on stages throughout the city.
Bussink Koek
bar bodega Chez Antoinette
Portuguese restaurant, bar and bodega in the historic heart of Deventer. It is the town's evergreen—this place has been around for a long time and is rated high by the locals. Don't get fooled by its French name—this place serves truly authentic Portuguese drinks and dishes. There's a very nice bar which is open till late at night and things can get quite crowded or gezellig as the Dutch would call it. The restaurant definitely requires a booking if you want to be sure of a table. Just ring and make a reservation.
Those with a taste for Asian food return time and again to this local favourite. It serves a range of Thai dishes in a cosy restaurant, situated in the arched vaults of a historic mansion. For groups of 4 to 8 people, there's a free taxi service if you're staying in or directly around the city.
If the weather is nice, reserve a table on the charming inner courtyard, rather than the terrace in the front. The food is French/Mediterranean and of good quality. Service can be a bit hasty when it's busy, but is overall adequate. Good spot for a romantic dinner too.
The floor above is a theatre, but the cozy downstairs restaurant serves non-theatre guests as well. High-quality produce and a love for food are their corner stones, but take into account that waiting times between courses can be on the long side.
A small pub that specialises on all kinds of beer. They have more than 70 different sorts of beer.
Homely bar with board games & beers. Pub quiz every Monday.
Burgerweescafe, Burgerweeshuiscafe
Bar of the Burgerweeshuis.
Brewpub, plenty of beers on tap, good to have a chat, can get loud. Nice garden when the weather is good, good barfood.
Upper budget hotel in the historic centre of Deventer. Some rooms have a balcony and view over the inner garden, but not all of them. Free Wi-Fi.
A small, quaint family-run hotel with an atmosphere quite like no other. It's in a historic building and a former bakery and houses a small museum collection on the Hanseatic League. Rooms come in different sizes and prices. The cheaper ones are a bit small but the exceptional charm and friendly owners get this place raving reviews nonetheless.
On the other side of the IJssel river, the terraces and restaurant of this modern 29-room hotel offer some of the best views of the city around. Some of the rooms have those views too, but ask when booking. The small passenger ferry is right outside the hotel, making it an easy 5-minute trip to the centre. The ferry runs every few minutes until 23:00 and costs €1.50 for a return ticket. Use of the fitness area is free, the sauna costs €10.
Two-star hotel and grand café/restaurant on the north end of the Brink, giving the hotel a very central location within the historic city centre. The hotel has 20 spacious rooms and the staff is more than happy to help you figure out places to visit in both Deventer and the wider Salland region.
Located between the train station and Brink square, Finch is a boutique hotel that aside from comfortable beds, fits their rooms with less obvious amenities the likes of a record player with a selection of records, a coffee machine and tea set. Rooms vary from 17 to 45 square metres (183 to 485 sqft).
A decentralised hotel, spread along the riverfront of the city. The hotel offers a series of studios, apartments and penthouses, as well as a bed and breakfast. The hotel also offers several multi-day packages tailored mostly to those that wish to explore the city and region by foot or bike.
Hostel in the shadow of the Lebuïnuskerk, featuring a fully automated check-in and check-out system. The hostel offers five 2-person bedrooms (four of which with shared bathrooms), two one-person bedrooms and a dormitory.
Hotel with nine spacious rooms fitted and somewhat themed to the original purpose of the rooms in the house they occupied. The hotel has its own restaurant, as well as a complimentary breakfast service.
Stadscamping De Worp
Right on the other side of the river, and easy to reach through the ferry, this quiet campsite is just a stone's throw from the city centre. It has 60 camp spots, including a number of tents ready for rent.
By car
From Amsterdam, Deventer can be reached via the A1 motorway. The ride takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes, depending on traffic.
By train
Deventer has two train stations; {{Station|Deventer|city=nl|nsr|ice}} is the main one and of most use to travellers. Regular trains connect the city to all major destinations in the Netherlands.
By boat
1 km) away from the city centre.
The historic city centre is small and most suited to explore on foot. The Brink is a good place to start, as it houses the Tourist Information Office (at number 89) and a museum in the Waag.
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