When we start this trip we start in Harlingen. We picked up our camper from Buscampr. – Rented through Goboony – picked up our campervan; an ‘ordinary’ bus completely transformed into a cool campervan. Very hip, nicely decorated and everything has been thought of. What a picture it is! Starting in Harlingen is perhaps not the ‘normal’ route, but for us the most convenient during this trip. Also, you can start the Camperelfstedentocht in any city and drive any order. In fact, the stamp cards are available in every city.
Harlingen and Franeker
Harlingen is the city by the sea, with beautiful spots, lots of history and of course the peace and space of the Wadden Sea. A beautiful area that also characterizes Friesland and makes it very beautiful for me. For me Harlingen feels like home, the smell of the sea, the wind and all the beautiful places there… enjoy!
We love riding through the city, taking our bikes and cycling along the small streets and through the harbors. Ideal if you have your bike with you when camping by the way, we are glad we brought it, a perfect way to get around.
From Harlingen, our next town is Franeker. A shortcut from the tile factory past Hitzum and Herbaijum leads us to the academy town of Franeker. I love shortcuts, nice and quiet and lots to see along the way. These surroundings are vast and spacious, you can often see very far. When it’s dark you can even see the lighthouses of certain Wadden Islands from here!
In Franeker we park the camper at a sports hall and from there it is again easy cycling towards the city center. Only now we do not take the bike, because in 10 minutes you walk from here into the city! Perfect right! In the city we visit some nice spots, walk along the Planetarium (get our second stamp there too), take pictures and enjoy the nice weather. What’s fun to do in Franeker? The walking route with the stories you can listen to via your phone, there are 41 stories throughout the city. You can also stop by Ut Streekie for some goodies for the road!
Dokkum and Leeuwarden
The next town in our route is Dokkum, the farthest town in the tour, so also the most kilometers. We don’t want to take the quickest route, so here too we take the shortcut via Stiens, Hallum, Holwerd to Dokkum. What strikes us are the many windmills along the way, Friesland has countless!
Dokkum is the northernmost city, but again full of history, stories and beautiful buildings to see, museums, stores. Etc. We have a lovely lunch there on the terrace at KB Foods (get our stamp there again too) and get an ice cream at Wiis. In Dokkum you can also wander around the bastions and through the historic center for hours, but sitting on a bench for hours would also do me just fine 🙂
After Dokkum we continue to Leeuwarden. Here again we take a shortcut, past Âldtsjerk, Oentsjerk, Gytsjerk and via the Elfstedenbrug in Miedum (which is also part of this tour :)) to Leeuwarden. Here you immediately notice that it is a different part of Friesland. Much more forests and less wide views. Nice to see how different Friesland is!
In Leeuwarden we park the motorhome at Camperplaats Leeuwarden, where we enjoy the evening. We look back on a beautiful day with beautiful routes. This camper place is perfect on the route, because it is on the outskirts of the city, so you are also so on the road again if you would like.
Sneek, IJlst and Sloten
The next morning we pack everything up again and head for Sneek. That’s our first stop of day 2. Again, beautiful scenic routes through Weidum, Mantgum and Jellum. So we arrive in Sneek at De Kajuit where we go boating! A different experience via the water, but also so nice and enjoyable. Through the water we almost reach the center of Sneek, but there is a thunderstorm coming so we also go back for safety. De Kajuit is located next to campsite De Domp, where you could also spend the night with your camper, but also get your stamp for your stamp card again.
From Sneek we drive to IJlst, which is very close, just a few kilometers away you will find this town and through IJlst we drive on to Sloten. Sloten is the smallest town of the Eleven Cities. We can easily park the camper there at the edge of town and then walk into the center. It starts to rain a bit by then and we are just in time for our lunch at De Zeven Wouden 🙂
Today’s most beautiful route comes next, at least I think so. Via the IJsselmeer we drive to Stavoren. At Rijs towards the dike and then winding along beautiful roads in that direction. I know we will pass the little harbor of Laaksum and we stop there. Because this is a place you must have been once. You imagine yourself completely in the old days, it really seems as if time has stood still there. An old harbor, where a lot used to happen, but now is mainly a place that offers peace and quiet and it’s just enjoyable.
Stavoren, Workum and Hindeloopen
And so, via Laaksum, we arrive in the last town of the day; Stavoren. The city that also lies on the IJsselmeer. The camper place is also there, as in Leeuwarden, at the water. Again such a beautiful place and with the bike you are so in the center of the city!
Stavoren is on the IJsselmeer and so is the camper place. We have a nice spot with a view over the marina. The next morning we pack our stuff again, the bikes on the back of the camper and on to our next destination. First we drive to Workum, not entirely according to the route, but our planning is just so this day. Via a beautiful little road along the IJsselmeer you drive via Hindeloopen to Workum.
When we have done our fun activities in Workum we go the same way back to Hindeloopen 🙂 Workum and Hindeloopen are close to each other, in 10 minutes you are from one town to the other. Hindeloopen is also located on the IJsselmeer and used to be an important trading and harbor town. You can totally see that in this town, in the facades of the houses, but also in the stories you can hear when you do a tour with a city guide or do the walking tour of Waterland of Friesland, for example. The ice skating museum is really a must visit in your tour, here you will learn all about the history of ice skating and the Elfstedentocht. You can also buy the most unique Frisian products here with Hindelooper painting on them! Oh yeah, don’t forget to get your stamp at the skating museum 🙂
It is wonderful by the water, I love it! I immediately feel peace and space, what a beautiful place this is. You can have a nice walk on the dike, but also look endlessly far across the IJsselmeer.
Bolsward
Our last town in this tour is . Bolsward! From Hindeloopen you can ride very nicely via Workum, Allingawier and Exmorra to Bolsward. And that’s our final destination, crazy idea! Then suddenly we are there! We have had all 11 cities, what a tour. Great to experience this. Friesland is my home base, but seeing the province in this way is very different from the rest. I have seen places I have never been, discovered beautiful roads and enjoyed the beautiful nature that is here. Highly recommended!
Basically, you can follow the directions of the Eleven Cities Tour, but you can also map out your own route between the towns. The in-between roads are also beautiful, so it just depends on what you’re looking for!
Lydia from Ontdek Je Plekje has ridden the Camperelfstedentocht. In this article she shares her experiences regarding the route of the Eleven Cities Tour.