Elfsteden boating route
Take a trip around the Eleven Cities and discover Friesland’s many attractions. It’s a case of wait and see every year of whether the Elfstedentocht can be skated. What is certain is that it can now be travelled by boat. From beginning to end. Thanks to the work on the Northern Elfsteden Sailing Route, water sports enthusiasts can start in Leeuwarden and finish at the Bonkefeart since the summer of 2013. An attractive route full of sights. Discover the Frisian cities!
Sights on this route
8715 JL Leeuwarden
Water Gate Sneek
Water Gate SneekThe Waterpoort in Sneek is a water gate, a gate in a defensive wall that connects a city to a waterway. In the 15th and 16th century, a defensive wall had been built around Sneek.

11Fountains Sneek
11Fountains SneekA man with a Horn of Plenty stands on a golden ball in the middle of the water.

11Fountains Ijlst
11Fountains IjlstCulture, like nature, consists of layer upon layer. New generations continue to build on a foundation which does not disappear.

Museum Sloten
Museum SlotenMuseum Stedhûs Sleat - a really enchanting museum rightIn the middle of Sloten: experience the rich history of the city and the fantastic world of magic lanterns in the attic.

11Fountains Sloten
11Fountains SlotenThe ‘Peewit’ shows a girl standing on the shoulders of a man. She holds a bird in her hand. Under the man’s feet a disheveled pile of buckets, jerry cans and barrels form the base of the fountain.

Museum 't Ponthús
Museum 't PonthúsHere the time line of the famous Stavoren stories is brought to life. Why was Stavoren a target for the Vikings? And how about the trading relationship with Hamburg? Or read more about the story of the emergency landing of the Halifax V during the Second

11Fountains Stavoren
11Fountains StavorenThe sea gives, the sea takes. Stavoren, once a rich Hanseatic city, has much to say on this subject. Floods, maritime trade wars, a port that silted up: the city fell into poverty several times.

Friesian Ice Skating Museum
Friesian Ice Skating MuseumThis museum is a must for all ice skating fans. You will find the world’s largest collection of ice skates here, and a complete history of the Elfstedentocht in a specially designed Elfsteden-room.

11Fountains Hindeloopen
11Fountains HindeloopenThe city coat of arms, with its tree of life, with the deer and the doe surrounding it, is the source of inspiration for the fountain in Hindeloopen.

Jopie Huisman Museum
Jopie Huisman MuseumThe Jopie Huisman Museum is dedicated to the life and work of the Frisian self-taught master painter Jopie Huisman. His love of nature and his compassion are a recurrent theme.

11Fountains Workum
11Fountains WorkumFor centuries Workum’s city arms on ‘De Waag’ have been supported by two lions. They are naive and their theatrical pose prompts laughter.

Sonnema
SonnemaAt Sonnema we proudly and passionately produce Sonnema Berenburg according to a secret recipe, which Fedde Sonnema developed in 1860.

11Fountains Bolsward
11Fountains BolswardBats are intriguing, useful animals, crucial to the ecological system for their insect hunting. In Asian culture, the bat symbolises wealth, happiness and the blessings of old age.

Grutte Pier
Grutte PierDe grootste volksheld uit de Friese geschiedenis moet wel Pier Gerlofs Donia (1480-1520) zijn, oftewel Grutte Pier. Als gewone boer uit Kimswerd speelde een belangrijke rol in de strijd voor een onafhankelijk Friesland.

11Fountains Harlingen
11Fountains HarlingenHarlingen used to be all about whaling. Nowadays we no longer kill these big and grandiose animals, but prefer to conserve them.

Keatsmuseum
KeatsmuseumHet Keatsmuseum is het oudste sportmuseum van Nederland. Het museum geeft in haar vaste opstelling een beeld van de historische ontwikkeling van de kaatssport. In wisselende tentoonstellingen vindt je er alles over de kaatssport.

11Fountains Franeker
11Fountains FranekerThe fountain is an ode to the world-famous astronomer Jan Hendrik Oort, who was born in Franeker. His assumption that a ‘cloud’ of billions of comet-like objects is moving around our solar system was a breakthrough in astronomy

Bartlehiem Bridge - Elfstedentocht
Bartlehiem Bridge - ElfstedentochtThe famous little wooden bridge on the Elfstedentocht route!

Kunstwerk 'Maarten van der Weijden - op handen gedragen'
Kunstwerk 'Maarten van der Weijden - op handen gedragen'Kunstwerk van Maarten van der Weijden die in 2018 zijn Elfstedenzwemtocht moest opgeven in Burdaard.

11Fountains Dokkum
11Fountains DokkumThe Ice Fountain is a toy for the elements and no two days are the same. The ice draws patterns on the copper surface layer of the sculpture.

Elfstedentocht Turning Point
Elfstedentocht Turning PointSit on a bench shaped like a traditional Frisian ice skate next to the famous turning point on the Elfstedentocht route. This is one of Dokkum’s most popular Instagram hotspots!

Elfstedenmonument Tegeltjesbrug Gytsjerk
Elfstedenmonument Tegeltjesbrug GytsjerkOver het riviertje De Murk bij Gytsjerk vind je de bekende Tegeltjesbrug, hét Elfstedenmonument van Friesland.

Oldehove
OldehoveThe Oldehove has been standing since 1529, and leans more than the Leaning Tower of Pisa! You can explore both the inside and outside of this monument: in 2011 a lift was installed to bring all visitors to the first floor. Take the spiral stairs to go up!

11Fountains Leeuwarden
11Fountains LeeuwardenLove’ consists of two 7 meter high, white sculptures of a boy and a girl. They seem to be looking at each other, but their eyes are closed.

Bonkevaart - Elfstedentocht Finish Line
Bonkevaart - Elfstedentocht Finish LineWhether you experience it standing on the ice, on the bank, or from the water, this historic stretch of water is a must-visit!

Leeuwarden