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Province of the Netherlands
Photo: (WT-en) AYArktos at English Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 1.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Friesland (West Frisian: Fryslân, Dutch: Friesland) is a province of the Netherlands. It is known for its unique language and culture. Friesland has a Nordic feel to it. It has a strong sports culture: ice skating is the most popular sport, and is done along indigenous sports such as fierljeppen (pole-jumping over a watered didge) and skûtjesilen (sailing in old cargo ships).
By train one can travel from the direction of Groningen or Zwolle. And by bus from Den Helder or Hoorn. In the latter case you will pass over the Afsluitdijk, a 30 km long dike separating two seas.
Read in the guideThe train system is low-grade by Dutch standards, which means that only the major cities are connected by rail. Sneek, Leeuwarden, Franeker, Harlingen, Heerenveen and Grou are accessible by rail.
Read in the guideChoose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Groningen · International · GRQ
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capital of Friesland with an historic city centre
Bolsward is a town in Friesland.
Drachten is the second largest town in the Dutch province of Friesland. Today, it is home to some 45.000 inhabitants.
Franeker (or Frjentsjer in the Frisian language) is a city in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It is most notable for its Eise Eisenga Planetarium, the oldest still in operation, and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2023.
Although it is one of the eleven Frisian cities, Harlingen is perhaps the least Frisian of them all, and few people speak the Frisian language as their mother tongue. It's a quaint little port town, which gained its fortune through fishing and trade.
Heerenveen is the sports capital of the Northern Netherlands. The town is famously home to the Thialf stadium, the largest indoor ice arena in the country and the stage for many international ice skating tournaments.
Hindeloopen (Frysian: Hylpen) is a city of 900 people (2017) in Friesland, The Netherlands.
De Fryske Marren (Dutch: De Friese Meren) is a municipality in southwest Friesland.
Langezwaag is a small village in the Dutch province of Friesland. It has around 1,050 residents (2023).
the annual Sneekweek boating event, gateway to the Frisian Lakes
Stavoren, or Starum in Frysian, is a small city by the coast of the IJsselmeer. It is the oldest city of Frysia (Friesland) in the Netherlands.
Workum is a town in Friesland.
about two dozen lakes the Southwestern part of Friesland, popular in the summer among boaters
islands in the Wadden Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, that can be traversed by mudflat hiking
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