Friesland uncovered: a travel and boating holiday guide
Le Boat’s Hindeloopen base is the gateway to the provinces of Gelderland and Friesland and a part of the Netherlands that people rarely get to see. Boating trips here introduce you to heritage cities, Unesco World Heritage Sites, the Netherlands’ Lake District, and the country’s north coast with its buttermilk-coloured beaches and island-hopping opportunities. Streaked with water, this lesser-known part of Holland is best explored by boat.
At travel agencies, this is often referred to as the Amsterdam lake district. However, it is more than 100 kilometres from Amsterdam. Therefore, the departure base of Hindeloopen is an ideal start to your journey through Friesland and the northern provinces.
Friesland map
Friesland main cruising times
| Hindeloopen to Heeg | 2 hours 30 min. |
| Heeg to IJlst | 1 hour |
| IJlst to Sneek | 1 hour |
| Sneek to Spannenburg | 1 hour 45 min. |
| Spannenburg to Lemmer | 1 hours 15 min. |
Discover our suggested itineraries in Friesland.
All the cruising route suggestions by Friesland’s Touris Board.
Top towns and cities to visit in Friesland and surrounding areas
Geithoorn
Known as The Venice of the Netherlands, Geithoorn is a village of weaving canals, thatched-roofed houses, and more than 170 Lilliput-like bridges. The waterways are too small for Le Boat cruisers to pass through and the area is almost entirely car-free, so the best way to get here is by bike from nearby Steenwjik, where you can moor.
Must dos
Go punting: Do as Geithoorn’s postman does and take a punt around the canals. Other boating options include traditional Dutch sloeps and small electric crafts called whisper boats.
Lemmer
Teetering on the edge of the Ijsselmeer lake, on the coast of Friesland, Lemmer is a fishing village and boating hub with a World Heritage Site in its midst.
Must dos
- Take a tour of Wouda Pumping Station: With its 60-metre-tall chimney, the Wouda Pumping Station (Gemaalweg 1, Lemmer. Tel: +31 514 561 814. www.woudagemaal.nl) is the largest working steam-powered pumping station in the world. Opened in 1920, it’s now protected by Unesco as a World Heritage Site. There’s a visitor centre on site and guided tours are included in the ticket price. Open from Thursday to Sunday. Admission from just under €9.
- Hit the beach: The same colour as the Netherlands’ favourite mini pancake dish, poffertjes, Lemmer beach spills out over 3.5 hectares. Sunbathe or swim in the summer months or windsurf in low season (October onwards).
- Enjoy the restaurants and bars by the canal.
Workum
All gabled houses and cobbled streets, Workum is the closest stop to Le Boat’s Hindeloopen base. The protected heritage city is also wrapped up in grasslands and fronted by an 800-metre-long beach.
Must dos
- Watch the kitesurfers on Workum beach: Dozens of kite surfing sails fill the sky off the coast of Workum beach.
- Go on a windmill hunt: Four windmills crown the countryside that surrounds Workum – De Nijlânnermolen, De Snip, It Heidenskip and Ybema’s Molen – and you can bike between them all in a couple of hours. The first windmill is open on Saturdays and the others can be visited by appointment.
Heeg
Heeg has a cozy transient marina located directly on the Heeger lake. This is the exit point to all directions of the water sports area. An excellent marina to use as a first mooring point. Furthermore, a Heeg is a nice village with good restaurant and is known for its eel trade.
Bolsward
The waterways of Bolsward are lined with trees and overlooked by baroque, rococo, and neoclassical buildings. The countryside that engulfs the city, meanwhile, is streaked with biking and walking trails.
Must dos
- Climb the Bolsward bat: One of a collection of 11 fountains, sprinkled across Friesland, this bat fountain has been designed to be climbed to symbolise the conquering of fears.
- Wander the city centre: Take in the 17th-century town hall, the glass-roofed ruins of the 13th-century Broerekerk monastery and Martini Church, with its 97-metre-tall gabled bell tower.
Sneek
The lakes of the Frisian Lake District pool around Sneek, making it a hub for boaters. The city itself is sprinkled with heritage buildings, including its unmistakable Waterport, with its octagonal towers and witch hat-shaped rooves.
Must dos
- Take a guided tour: Learn the secrets of Sneek’s landmarks. Find out why the clock of the landmark Waterport is always five minutes fast and learn how to read the façade of the city’s Baroque town hall.
- Try Beerenburg: The Widow Joustra distillery (Kleinzand 32. Tel: +31 515 412 912 . www.weduwejoustra.nl) has been producing a spirit called Beerenburg since 1864. It’s made with 70 different herbs and visitors can still sample the original recipe in the tasting room above the Widow Joustra liquor shop in Sneek’s centre.
Planning tip:
Book a trip in August to experience the Sneekweek, the largest sailing competition on inland waterways in the world. For seven days, Sneek comes alive with fairground rides, live music, and street theatre as the regatta unfolds. Don’t miss the light-hearted rubber dingy race through the Waterport.
Franeker
Descartes once studied in this former university town of red-bricked buildings, spired churches, and tree-lined waterways. Don’t miss the city’s star turn, the Unesco-listed Eisinga Planetarium.
Must dos
- See the Eisinga Planetarium: Now protected as a Unesco World Heritage Site, the Eisinga Planetarium (Eise Eisingastraat 3. Tel: +31 517 393 070. www.eisinga-planetarium.nl) is the oldest continuously operating planetarium in the world. Built in the late 18th century, it takes over the ceiling of what was once the living room of an ordinary canal house. Open Tuesday to Saturday, year-round, and Mondays between April and October.
- Discover the Frisian sport of Kaatsen: Kaatsen is a complicated version of handball. Visitors to Franeker can find out all about it at the Keatsmuseum (Voorstraat 76. Tel: +31 517 859 291. www.keatsmuseum.frl), which is said to be the oldest sports museum in the Netherlands.
Best for island hopping
Harlingen
Nuzzled up to the Wadden Sea on the Netherlands’ north coast, Harlingen is the gateway to the West Frisian Islands. The Rederij Doeksen fast ferry to Terschelling, with its platinum beaches and biking trails, runs up to four times per day and takes 45 minutes.
No time to island hop? Those who stay in town can take a tour of more than 600 heritage buildings (book a guided walk at the tourist information office), unwind at one of Harlingen’s many terrace-fronted cafes, go beer tasting at Het Brouwook brewery (Nieuwe Willemskade. Tel: +31 517 859 291. hetbrouwdok.nl), or head to the beach to walk the 200-metre pier or watch the sunset.
Friesland by bike
More than 2,750 kilometres of cycle trails lace their way around Friesland, taking riders through forests and moors and past beaches of sponge cake-coloured sands.
Keep an eye out for Tourist Transfer Points in cities. These signposts are located near the starting point of cycling trails and mark out the routes for you.
Popular cycling routes in Friesland
- The Elfstatentocht Country Estate Route: From Leeuwarden, where Le Boat cruisers can dock, you can take a gentle 24 kilometre circular ride to take in a series of country estates, parks, and gardens.
- The Story of Eise Eisinga: Once you’ve explored the Eisinga Planetatium in Franeker, you can hop on your bike to discover more about its creator Eise. The 26 kilometre circular route traces the astronomer’s former walking routes and passes spots like his childhood home and the cafe he is thought to have drank in as a student.
- The Frisian Fersepaad: Running linearly from Bolsward, where Le Boat vessels can moor up, this 12-kilometre trail follows a route where 25 Frisian poems are displayed.
For more information about cycling in Friesland, visit www.friesland.nl.
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