8-day Friesland Cycling Holiday

Your Frisian adventure kicks off in Leeuwarden, the vibrant capital of Friesland province. If the spoken language sounds different to you here, you are absolutely right. Local language differs from Dutch and has becomes an important aspect of the local culture.

Three Frisian towns are lined up for today beginning with Bolsward, a Hanseatic town known to enamour tourists. In IJlst (pronounced a bit like ail-st), perhaps the prettiest of the eleven, front gardens flank the canal in an irresistible backdrop featured in film. Spend the night in lively Sneek, a mecca for water sports and day-trippers where the 1613 Waterpoort Gate is the local pride and joy. Satisfy your sweet tooth with brittle buckwheat cookies called ‘drabbelkoeken’ and top your evening off with a jaunt to hopping bars and cafes.

Leave the hustle and bustle behind and dive into peace and quiet in the Frisian Lake District, with nearly thirty inland lakes it is said to be the largest in western Europe. Experience a feeling of calm as the water surrounds you, and forget the world for a while. Next you cycle into geologically intriguing woodlands in Gaasterland, passing meandering creeks, rolling terrain and deciduous forests on the shores of the old Zuiderzee. The unexpected rock wall called Rode Klif juts up out of Lake Ijsselmeer, providing immense views. Today’s stage ends in Stavoren, known for its picturesque harbour and the statue representing a creepy legend about the ‘Lady of Stavoren’.

There's more Frisian heritage in store, as you head for Hindeloopen’s wooden bridges, narrow lanes and traditional façades with an ice-skating museum to boot. Local style has long influenced painted furniture and traditional fabrics inspired by trading with Scandinavia and the Baltic. Next up is Workum, once a town of potters famed for their grooved ceramics made from the area’s readily available clay. Get a glimpse of it at Koch’s workshop and check out the town hall’s original wooden prison cell. Round off the day in historic Makkum, famous for its Frisian pottery, where the Tichelaar tile factory has been going strong since 1594. On Days 6 and 7 of the tour, you’ll have a chance to properly admire Frisian pottery at the ceramics museums in Harlingen and Leeuwarden.

We pass the shores of IJsselmeer lake again on our way to Franeker, a small but impressive town. It houses among other things the oldest working planetarium in the country: Planetarium Eisinga. From Franeker it is only a short drive to Harlingen. The Wadden promenade is a Unesco World Heritage Site. At low tide the mudflats and tidal creeks are discovered, and shorebirds come to feed. The town has a large number of monumental warehouses, buildings of architectural or historical interest and picturesque canals.

Tip: if you would like to spend a day cycling on the Wadden Island of Vlieland or Terschelling, we can book you an extra night in Harlingen and a return ferry ticket. On the booking form, add 1 extra night in Harlingen and the ferry ticket service. In the remarks section, add the name of the island you wish to visit. 

Follow the coast, with polders on your right, the Frisian inhabitants could keep their feet dry in floods, they built ‘terps’, or raised mounds to live on, and their churches and (farm) houses were perched on them. At Hegebeintum, your first stop of the day, you can see one that has been partially preserved.  At almost nine metres, it is the highest terp in Friesland. Today's journey ends in Dokkum. It has long attracted pilgrims who come to pay homage to St. Boniface. Outside the chapel is a well which Boniface is said to have discovered and blessed. The crystal clear water has healing properties, or so some say. 

Today's landscape is typical Frisian, open and green, with water, meadows and cows. The Dokkumer Ee canal leads to the capital of Friesland. The modest Bartlehiem Bridge from which there is only a short stretch to Leeuwarden.  Kleine Kerkstraat is one of the most popular shopping streets in the country. The city has more than 600 monuments and charming harbours. If you are looking for action, climb the Frisian tower of Pisa called Oldenhove. The bronze statue ‘Us Mem’ (meaning Our Mother) is a good place to start exploring.

Today you have two route options: a 45 km route and a shorter 27 km route. Choose the one that best suits your needs and enjoy the ride.

Today your cycling holiday comes to an end. After enjoying a hearty hotel breakfast, it’s time to pack your bags and return home.