Several cafés and bars along the IJsselkade waterfront open their terraces in warmer months, with views over the IJssel river and the flat landscape beyond. On a sunny afternoon this is the most pleasant place to have a drink in Zutphen — the wide sky, the river traffic, the old warehouses behind you.
The terraces are informal and unpretentious. Order a biertje or a glass of Dutch white wine and watch the barges move slowly upriver towards Deventer. The bars get livelier on summer evenings when Zutphen's modest nightlife gravitates toward the water.