The Grocery Museum is a charming little establishment and a museum that offers sweets, such as liquorice, butter cookies and more, all of them locally made in Utrecht. The museum is housed in a 17th-century building, which initially served solely as a shop. Today it is both a shop and an exhibition space displaying a range of nostalgic items, including treats and artefacts reminiscent of the 19th century.

In the middle of the Øresund strait, right between Sweden and Denmark, lies the idyllic island of Ven. The astronomer Tycho Brahe was gifted the whole island by King Fredrik II after he discovered a new star in the Cassiopeia constellation. Here he constructed one of the most interesting buildings of the time: the Uraniborg castle, a subterranean observatory called Stjerneborg and a renaissance garden. The New Church of Ven has now been turned into a museum, the garden has been renovated, and in the observatory you can watch a light and sound show. The light in Ven is said to have a unique quality, which has attracted many an artist and ceramist to the island. Take a tour among the studios and workshops, and meet with sculptors and silversmiths along the way. Ven is a small island, and the best way to get around is by bike, which you can easily rent when you get off the ferry.

The Alaska Zoo might be small, but it offers a rare chance to see Arctic and sub-Arctic animals like musk oxen, lynx, and wolves up close. Many of the animals here are rescues or permanent residents that wouldn’t survive on their own, making it more of a wildlife sanctuary than your typical zoo.

The Saint-Francis of Sales Church, listed as a historical monument, is located near the Palais de l'Île, across the Thiou river. Even if the facade seems a bit austere, the interior of the church is luxurious: the baroque style is expressed through an organ, paintings and a magnificent altar. This church used to host religious relics, such as the graves of Saint Francis and Saint Joan of Chantal, which were there before being transported to the Visitation Basilica.