Friesland

Part of Netherlands

Friesland is water, meadows and of course the home region of the eleven cities. Cycling in Friesland is almost automatically a fight against the wind, the ‘Dutch Mountains’. The province’s most famous route is the Elfstedentocht: the signposted route is 258 kilometers long and goes past all eleven of Friesland’s cities. Ride it in one day, like during the Fietselfstedentocht on Pentecost Sunday, or split it over a long weekend. In addition, you can choose from various gravel routes, you have the Bakkeveensche Dunes, the Drents-Friesche Wold and Fochteloërveen.

Why cycle in Friesland?

• The Elfstedentour, along the route passing through Sneek, Stavoren, Hindeloopen, Harlingen, Franeker and Dokkum.
• Gaasterland, with forests, rolling hills and the cliffs of Mirns and the Red Cliff: the most mountainous part of the province.
• The Drents-Friese Wold in the southeast, with sandy paths and meadows: good for gravel. Combine this with Fochteloërveen for a beautiful route.
• Terschelling, Vlieland, Ameland and Schiermonnikoog. Take your bike on the boat. You can also pack it and go island hopping!
• Afsluitdijk: you’ll want to drive past it at some point, and then Friesland is the perfect place to start.

Cycling in Friesland in figures

• A network of 3,100 kilometers of nodes, with almost 1,000 nodes. According to Visit Friesland The best of all of the Netherlands.
• The signposted Elfstedentocht cycle route is 258 kilometers long. Visit Friesland recommends dividing it up over four days: about 50 kilometers per day, with time for a comprehensive lunch and all eleven fountains.
• More than a thousand routes for cycling, hiking and boating.

Poles, cliffs and water

Friesland is by far the country of the ferry routes: you cross lakes and canals with small ferry boats. A few favorites among visitors:

• The 8 of Grou (45 km), around the water sports village of Grou.
• The 3 bridges around Sneek (50 km) and Four bridges from Joure (50 km).
• Cycling along the water of De Alde Feanen (40 km), from Earnewâld through the moorland and reedland.
• The cliffs route of Gaasterland (29 km), from Oudemirdum along the cliffs of the IJsselmeer.

If you're looking for the sporty side, drive in the southeast: the gravel route through the Fochteloërveen From Landal Hunerwoldstate, the Drents-Friese Wold begins on the border with Drenthe.

When are you leaving?

From March to October. Around Pentecost, the Fietselfstedentocht is busy; outside that weekend you have the route almost to yourself. The Waddenkust is beautiful, especially if you take a ride around Lake Lauwersmeer near Lauwersoog.

How do you get there?

Of course, you could cycle there, because the Netherlands is well organized. If you still consider going by train, you can go to Leeuwarden or Sneek, with good intercity connections. By car, you are about 1.5 to 2 hours from Utrecht to your destination.

Events in Friesland