Explore Friesland

Day 1: Enkhuizen – Stavoren (about 2.5 hours sailing)
Day 2: Stavoren – Makkum, 19 or 30 mi. (32 or 49 km) 
Day 3: Makkum – Terschelling (about 4 hours sailing)
Day 4: Terschelling – Harlingen (about 3 hours sailing) | Harlingen – Franeker – Leeuwarden, 21 or 27 mi. (35 or 45 km) 
Day 5: Leeuwarden – Leeuwarden (about 1 hour of sailing) | Leeuwarden – De Alde Feanen – Grou, 24 or 31 mi. (40 or 50 km) 
Day 6: Grou – Sneek, 18 or 27 mi. (30 or 45 km) 
Day 7: Sneek  – Stavoren, 23 or 29 mi. (38 or 48 km) | Stavoren – Enkhuizen (about 2.5 hours sailing)
Day 8: Enkhuizen

*All distances are approximate. The planned itinerary is subject to change due to nautical, technical, or meteorological reasons and other unforeseen circumstances. If there is low or high water, the captain reserves the right to change the route in view of your safety even with no advance notice. During the days when two distances options are possible, you can make a choice for the longer or the shorter option, but not all the mentioned highlights will be visited during the short bike option.

Parts in Italics are undertaken on board.

Day 1: Enkhuizen – Stavoren (about 2.5 hours sailing)
The Lena Maria will be moored and waiting in the harbor of Enkhuizen, a beautiful town overlooking IJsselmeer Lake. One of the most prominent towns of the Dutch Golden Age, it still retains its historic grandeur.  Embarkation begins at 2 pm but you may drop off your luggage from 11 am. Please note, on June 12, embarkation is at 4 pm and it is not possible to bring your luggage on board any earlier.

Once settled in, you can meet your cabin and crew and fellow travelers. On your first cruise you’ll cross the former Zuiderzee, the once notoriously wild South Sea, to reach the province of Friesland. You’ll enter the small Hanseatic trade village of Stavoren, the oldest city in Friesland. for your first night on board.

Day 2: Stavoren – Makkum, 19 or 30 mi. (32 or 49 km) 
The cycling route will follow the Frisian coast in a northerly direction. You’ll pass through the historic harbors of Hindeloopen and Workum, both small picturesque fishing villages. In Workum you can visit a museum dedicated to the painter Jopie Huisman, who was an iconic local artist with a uniquely Frisian approach to life and art. Continuing by bike towards your destination of Makkum, you’ll see a large building clearly visible in the distance. Inside, shipbuilders are busy constructing superyachts, large ocean-going vessels with everything on board that a human could possibly need or imagine. When you arrive in Makkum, the crew will welcome you back on board with tea and coffee.

Day 3: Makkum – Terschelling
In the early morning, your captain will maneuver the Lena Maria through sea locks onto the Wadden Sea. Over about four hours the barge will carry you through UNESCO-listed tidal sea flats to the island of Terschelling. Besides the birdlife, you may even spot some seals on the crossing if you’re lucky.

On the island, you’ll have plenty of time to explore. There are many tiny villages, sandy beaches, and dunes. The eastern part of Terschelling is one large nature reserve where you’ll have a chance to spot black-winged stilts, large colonies of spoonbills, and great black-backed gulls.

Day 4: Terschelling – Harlingen (about 3 hours sailing) | Harlingen – Franeker – Leeuwarden, 21 or 27 mi. (35 or 45 km) 
The Lena Maria will navigate back to the mainland. In the historic fishing town of Harlingen, you depart by bike, leaving the coast for the first time this week to visit Franeker, another of Friesland’s 11 cities. Here the Royal Planetarium is well worth a visit to see a working model of the solar system built by amateur astronomer Eise Eisinga in the 18th century. He planned to create it in six months, but in the end, it took seven years. Today’s destination is Leeuwarden, the capital of Friesland. Leeuwarden is a vibrant city with plenty of things to see and do. Among them, the church tower of Oldehoeve is certainly a highlight. Nicknamed the ‘Frisian tower of Pisa’ you can imagine how it looks!

Day 5: Leeuwarden – Leeuwarden  | Leeuwarden – De Alde Feanen – Grou, 24 or 31 mi. (40 or 50 km) 
During breakfast, the barge will take you out of Leeuwarden (one hour) to start cycling outside the city towards National Park De Alde Feanen. This park consists of a variety of landscapes with small lakes, reedbeds, and swamp forest. In the 17th century, the area was mined for wet peat. Now, centuries later, the former mining grounds have evolved into a spectacular nature reserve with over 400 different plant species. One moment you’ll see a wide view over vast grasslands and waving reed beds, the next you’ll have a sheltered feeling as you pass through fairytale marshy forests. You’ll then return to Grou where the Lena Maria is moored for the night.

Day 6: Grou – Sneek, 18 or 27 mi. (30 or 45 km) 
Today you pedal in a westerly direction for a day of quiet bike paths and expansive views. Today’s destination is Sneek, the oldest fortress town in the province. Sneek, or Snits in Frisian, played a key role in the Friso-Hollandic wars of the 13th-15th centuries when the counts of Holland attempted to conquer the free Frisian territories. One of the city’s highlights is the Waterpoort, an impressive gate connecting city and harbor that is both defensive and decorative. Tonight, the Lena Maria docks in Sneek.

Day 7: Sneek  – Stavoren, 23 or 29 mi. (38 or 48 km) | Stavoren – Enkhuizen (about 2.5 hours sailing)
The last cycling route of the tour leads you from Sneek to Heeg. This 18th-century village is known for its long history of eel trade with London, which continued up until 1938. From Heeg, traditional wooden eel boats would sail across the Channel and right up the Thames to moor in the center of London. Eels were transported live in the bottom of the boats, which had special holes to allow water to flow in and out. From Heeg, you’ll cycle past Fluessen Lake through classic Frisian countryside. When you arrive in Stavoren, the Lena Maria will be ready to take you back to Enkhuizen.

Day 8: Enkhuizen
Enjoy your last breakfast on board before check out and disembarkation at 09:30. End of the tour.

• Lena Maria

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  The barge Lena Maria is a former freight ship rebuilt in 2004 into a comfortable cruise barge. There is a lounge for relaxation with many windows to create an open atmosphere and allows for a nice view while motoring. There is an outside sundeck with chairs. Each cabin has two low single beds and can accommodates two people comfortably. Read More