The small Eleven Cities Tour is ideal for a mid-week or week. You will pass 6 to 7 cities, depending on the height of your reserved boat. The kleine Elfstedentocht is a beautiful varied route with nature and city. The cities are historic, picturesque and certainly not as we know them, big and crowded. Only 800 inhabitants live in the smallest city.

If you rent a boat with a clearance height higher than 2.40 meters, you cannot visit Hindeloopen by boat.

Stavoren; Friesland's oldest city, Hanseatic city and one of the Frisian Eleven cities is located at the IJsselmeer and has a direct connection to the Frisian Lakes. This makes Stavoren an ideal place for water sports enthusiasts. But lovers of culture and nature will also find plenty to enjoy in the surroundings of Stavoren . The beautiful open landscape with its canals and lakes offers many opportunities for long walks and varied cycling tours.

Ponthús
In 't Ponthús the visitor is told about the history of the city in a contemporary way. A time bar runs through the building, from the year zero up to the present, from which a link is made to the history of the city. By means of this timeline, an event from history is briefly touched upon, such as the Battle of Staveren, the St. Odulf Monastery, the Hanseatic past, the plundering by the Vikings, shipping, etc.. Recent history is not forgotten, such as the rise of tourism and the Hoogland pumping station.

Restaurant de Kruitmolen
Cosy restaurant with a large terrace on the water, located directly at the J.W. Friso lock. Wide choice of lunch dishes, snacks, pancakes and meat and fish dishes for a fair price. From 8 o'clock in the morning you can come to us for an extensive breakfast, but also for fresh rolls to take away.

Hotel Restaurant Serre De Vrouwe van Stavoren
You will find Hotel-Restaurant-Serre "de Vrouwe van Stavoren" at the old harbour of Stavoren . From the cosy conservatory, its exceptionally beautiful location offers you a view of a fascinating spectacle of coming and going sailing yachts and traditional ships such as clippers, schooners and other large flat-bottomed vessels. The restaurant offers a variety of dishes.

locks

One of the smallest Elfsteden: Sloten, a small town with around 800 inhabitants. Sloten has always been small, but well armed. The walls, moats, ramparts and gates had to protect the town from intruders. This is also what charms Sloten, the old architecture of the past is still intact.

City walls, canals and gates
From the medieval city walls, see the cannons that once protected the inhabitants of Sloten. You can hear them pop! Or listen to the voice of the town crier, who still roars through the streets of Sloten. Here you will get the news announced in an old-fashioned way. During the high season, the town militia fire the Sloten cannon at the mill yard of corn mill De Kaai every Friday evening. City announcer Pieter Haringsma explains the history of Sloten!

Museums
All passing ships had to pay a toll in Sloten. The favourable location brought in a lot of money. You can see this wealth in the merchants' houses with beautiful gables and in the former town hall. It now houses a museum. The seventeenth century church is also not to be missed.

thinly

Ijlst is one of the smallest towns on the route of the Elfstedentocht by boat and is situated in the middle of the Frisian lakes. But small certainly does not mean that it is less interesting than the other towns on this route. IJlst is rich in beautiful historical buildings and especially the authentic sawmill De Rat is worth a visit. And if, when entering the marina or at one of the berths at the quay in IJlst, you get the feeling that you want to see more of IJlst, ask for a city walk that shows you all the beauty of this little town.

workum

With IJsselmeer on one side and the Frisian lakes on the other, there is plenty of opportunity to enjoy the water. You can go sailing, kite surfing, windsurfing, canoeing, fishing, swimming or just sunbathing on the beach.

Shopping in Workum is far from boring and predictable. The city stands out because of the variety of larger and smaller shops with their own offer and character. You will not find many large chains, but you will find many surprising boutiques. The city also has a museum, one of the most popular museums in the north, dedicated to the work and life of the Frisian master painter Jopie Huisman. Love of nature, compassion, but also valuing the insignificant. The Jopie Huisman Museum is definitely worth a visit.

bolsward

Bolsward. Not the biggest city, but a gem. A city to love. To enjoy wandering around along the canals, the many monuments and through the beautiful park. Stand still and admire the graceful town hall which, according to many, is the most beautiful in the Netherlands. 

You can also visit the small family business Frisian Beer Brewery Us Heit. Us Heit brews eight different special beers at Bolsward. It is naturally pure beer with character. During a visit to the brewery, you will get an idea of how they brew and distil this beer. Afterwards, you can enjoy one of the beers in the tasting room or on the terrace next to their own hop garden.

The Broerekerk was built in the 13th century as a monastery church of the Friars Minor. The church was opened in 1986. The oldest building in Bolsward was given a glass roof in 2006, designed by architect Jelle de Jong. The building is a national monument and certainly worth a visit.

sneek

Sneek is a bustling water sports town in Zuidwest Friesland! Besides water sports and the Sneekermeer, Sneek has much more to offer. The city is richly endowed with monuments and old cityscapes, has various museums, a cosy and varied shopping centre and is rich in terraces, cafés and restaurants.

Hindeloopen

If you travel by boat to Hindeloopen during the Eleven Cities Tour, you should definitely enter this unique town and moor the boat in one of the marinas or city canals. And when you disembark, don't forget to take your camera, because you will find a lot of history here. The authentic likhúsjes and commadeurswoningen, beautiful churches, the famous Hindelooper painting, Museum Hindeloopen, costumes, beautiful bridges etc. But also for cosy cafes, terraces and (fish) restaurants you are in the right city to disembark.

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