Lake IJssel & Friesland

The IJsselmeer (formerly the Zuiderzee 'Southern Sea') is inextricably connected with the period of prosperity in the 17th century, the Golden Age, when Holland was one of the most powerful seafaring trading countries. After crossing the Ijsselmeer you arrive in the province of Friesland. The peace and nature have made Friesland extremely popular with skaters, but certainly also with cyclists. The route leads you through towns and villages, with the green watery countryside in between, where farming usually determines the horizon. Other important parts of the scenery consist of the numerous little bridges, that 'leap' the ditches and the sailing boats that cross the vast lakes like white swans. The last part of the tour you cycle along the Ijsselmeer back to Amsterdam again.One of the highlights on this tour is a visit to the Zuiderzee museum in Enkhuizen, which you can visit on Thursday. Here you will revive that rich past. Crafts typical of the time are practised in this open-air museum, and houses, boats and costumes can be admired.