Friesland: Culture, Nature and Frisian Routes

Friesland offers several distinct themes to consider when planning a trip: historic cities, museums, astronomy, nature areas, and routes on foot, by bike, or on the water. If you’re looking for a hotel, you can start by considering which of these themes you want to shape your trip. The places and routes below give you specific points of reference to help you choose.

Culture and History

The Eise Eisinga Planetarium in Franeker is the world’s oldest continuously operating planetarium. It is open to the public and serves as an educational center for astronomy. A visit combines a specific cultural destination with a scientific subject. Check current visiting hours in advance.

The Fries Museum houses more than 200,000 objects, making it the largest provincial collection in the Netherlands. Its collection reflects the society and history of Friesland from prehistoric times to the present. Its scope therefore extends far beyond any single historical period.

The eleven Frisian cities were granted city rights between the 11th and 15th centuries and together form the historic Elfstedentocht circuit. Visitors can experience monumental buildings, museums, canals, church towers, and atmospheric streets. When planning a trip, this puts both the cities’ history and their distinct townscapes in focus.

Routes on Foot and on the Water

If you want to focus on longer routes, you can choose between a walking route and a water route. The Elfstedenpad is a 283-kilometer hiking trail with 16 stages. It passes through the Frisian countryside, with lakes, cliffs, dikes, polders, forests, and wooded banks. These landscapes give you an idea of the variety along the route.

The Elfsteden water route is 231 kilometers long. You can travel it in your own boat or a rented sloop. The two routes therefore differ not only in how you travel: for the water route, you’ll also need to decide whether to use your own boat or rent a sloop. Check the route information before making plans.

Nature Areas in Friesland

Friesland has four national parks, two national landscapes, and the only two Dark Sky Parks in the Netherlands. The four national parks showcase a varied landscape of peatlands, forests, a Wadden Sea island, and a lake that was once part of the sea.

Nationaal Park De Alde Feanen is a natural area in Fryslân with stretches of water, reed beds, swamp forests, and open peatland. The park has walking, cycling, canoeing, and stand-up paddleboarding routes. This selection includes both land-based trails and activities on the water.

The De Alde Feanen information point offers a range of walking, cycling, and water-walking routes, as well as magazines and brochures with information and ideas. This can help you find your way when choosing between different ways of getting around. Check current opening hours before visiting.

Exhibition, Guided Tour, and Walks

The visitor center at the Ir. D.F. Woudagemaal features an interactive exhibition and guided tours of the engine room and the adjoining boiler house. The visitor area also has two nature trails for walks around the pumping station. When planning, you can choose between an exhibition, a guided tour, and a walk. We recommend checking current tour dates.

Discover more destinations: Terschelling, Gaasterlân-Sleat, Skarsterlân, Weststellingwerf, Ooststellingwerf, Ferwerderadiel, Franekeradeel, Achtkarspelen, Boarnsterhim, Dantumadiel, Dongeradeel, Harlingen, Heerenveen, Het Bildt, Kollumerland En Nieuwkruisland, Leeuwarden, Leeuwarderadeel, Lemsterland, Littenseradiel, Menaldumadeel, Opsterland, Schiermonnikoog, Smallingerland, Tytsjerksteradiel, Vlieland, Súdwest Fryslân, Wûnseradiel, Nijefurd, De Friese Meren, Wymbritseradiel, Menameradiel.

For the broader travel overview: Netherlands.