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Elfstedentocht Cycling Route

(258 km)

You don’t have to wait for freezing temperatures to experience the “Tour of Tours”. Get on your bike and discover the nearly 260-kilometre route through Friesland’s 11 Cities.

Please note: This route includes a ferry crossing. Check the current departure times before setting off.

Follow in the skaters’ footsteps
Discover the Frisian cities and cycle through the landscapes that form the backdrop to the Eleven Cities Tour. Start the route, just like the skaters, in Leeuwarden, or begin this circular route at any other location of your choice.

How does it work?
The Eleven Cities Cycling Route follows the cycle node network in full and is signposted with special Eleven Cities signs. The green Eleven Cities signs indicate the clockwise direction, while the blue signs indicate the counterclockwise direction.

Along the wa…

You don’t have to wait for freezing temperatures to experience the “Tour of Tours”. Get on your bike and discover the nearly 260-kilometre route through Friesland’s 11 Cities.

Please note: This route includes a ferry crossing. Check the current departure times before setting off.

Along the way, look out for the green-and-white numbered signs pointing to the next junction.

The Eleven Cities Cycling Route is divided into four stages. Explore them via the links below:

Find even more tips and tricks to help you get started on your tour here.

Collect your stamps!
For €9.95, you can buy the official Eleven Cities Route map, including a stamp card. In each city, you’ll find a stamp point where you can collect a stamp. Once you have completed your stamp card, you can also collect your well-deserved certificate here! Order your route map with stamp card here.

Please note: check the opening hours of the stamp points before setting off.

Icons of the Eleven Cities Tour
Along the way, discover the 11fountains, the Aukjes, artworks such as Fyftjin and Fierder, the turning point in Dokkum, the bridge in Bartlehiem and the Tegeltjesbrug (Tile Bridge) in Gytsjerk. For information about these final sights, see the route description for Stage 4.

Eleven Cities Tour variations
Would you rather cycle, ride a scooter or drive the Eleven Cities Tour as part of an organised experience? Or would you prefer to go by boat, walk or try something completely different at your own pace? Take a look here at all the options and choose your adventure!

Locations on this route

Start point:

Verlaatsbrug
8913 HB Leeuwarden
Navigate to starting point
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Sneek (Snits)

Sneek, or Snits as we say in Friesland, is the water sports city of the Netherlands. But Sneek is more than water sports and the Sneekweek. The city is bustling with events, culture, unique hotspots, and nice shops.

Visit Sneek

Sneek (Snits)
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IJlst (Drylts)

IJlst (or Drylts in Frisian) is not only one of the famous 11 cities, but also a 'wood city'. For many years, tree trunks were processed here by the legendary wood trading companies Oppedijk and S.O. de Vries.

Visit IJlst

IJlst (Drylts)
11Fountains Ijlst

Culture, like nature, consists of layer upon layer. New generations continue to build on a foundation which does not disappear.

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11Fountains Ijlst
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11Fountains Sneek

A man with a Horn of Plenty stands on a golden ball in the middle of the water.

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11Fountains Sneek
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Sloten (Sleat)

Sloten (or Sleat as we say in Friesland) is the smallest Elfsteden town in Friesland. This walled mini-city is also called sipelstêd (Frisian for onion city) thanks to the unique shape of an onion.

Visit Sloten

Sloten (Sleat)
11Fountains Sloten

The ‘Peewit’ shows a girl standing on the shoulders of a man. She holds a bird in her hand. Under the man’s feet a disheveled pile of buckets, jerry cans and barrels form the base of the fountain.

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11Fountains Sloten
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Stavoren (Starum)

Stavoren (or Starum as we say in Friesland) is very much the main city of the IJsselmeer, being enclosed by the lake on three sides. It is also the oldest city of Friesland, founded around 300 BC at a waterway, and gaining city rights in the 11th century.

Visit Stavoren

Stavoren (Starum)
11Fountains Stavoren

The sea gives, the sea takes. Stavoren, once a rich Hanseatic city, has much to say on this subject. Floods, maritime trade wars, a port that silted up: the city fell into poverty several times.

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11Fountains Stavoren
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Hindeloopen (Hylpen)

Hindeloopen, or Hylpen as we say in Friesland, is known for its painting and stylish costumes from the past.

Visit Hindeloopen

Hindeloopen (Hylpen)
11Fountains Hindeloopen

The city coat of arms, with its tree of life, with the deer and the doe surrounding it, is the source of inspiration for the fountain in Hindeloopen.

11Fountains Hindeloopen
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Workum (Warkum)

Workum (or Warkum as we say in Friesland), is one of the famous Frisian cities that has enjoyed city rights since 1399. Located on the shores of the former Zuiderzee and bordering the Frisian lakes.

Visit Workum

Workum (Warkum)
11Fountains Workum

For centuries Workum’s city arms on ‘De Waag’ have been supported by two lions. They are naive and their theatrical pose prompts laughter.

11Fountains Workum
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Bolsward (Boalsert)

Bolsward, or Boalsert as we say in Friesland, is the city where history and architecture play a leading role. Let yourself be carried away by the rich history of this eleven cities city.

Visit Bolsward

Bolsward (Boalsert)
11Fountains Bolsward

Bats are intriguing, useful animals, crucial to the ecological system for their insect hunting. In Asian culture, the bat symbolises wealth, happiness and the blessings of old age.

11Fountains Bolsward
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Harlingen

Harlingen is the Eleven Cities town on the Wadden Sea. A beautiful town with a rich maritime past and present, built on what was once the seabed...

Harlingen
11Fountains Harlingen

Harlingen used to be all about whaling. Nowadays we no longer kill these big and grandiose animals, but prefer to conserve them.

11Fountains Harlingen
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Franeker (Frjentsjer)

The Elfsteden city Franeker is a captivating town with its rich university history. For many years, this city was home to numerous students, including well-known names such as Descartes.

Franeker (Frjentsjer)
11Fountains Franeker

The fountain is an ode to the world-famous astronomer Jan Hendrik Oort, who was born in Franeker. His assumption that a ‘cloud’ of billions of comet-like objects is moving around our solar system was a breakthrough in astronomy

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11Fountains Franeker
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11Fountains Dokkum

The Ice Fountain is a toy for the elements and no two days are the same. The ice draws patterns on the copper surface layer of the sculpture.

11Fountains Dokkum
Elfstedentocht Turning Point - Dokkum

Sit on a bench shaped like a traditional Frisian ice skate next to the famous turning point on the Elfstedentocht route. This is one of Dokkum’s most popular Instagram hotspots!

Elfstedentocht Turning Point - Dokkum
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Bartlehiem Bridge - Elfstedentocht

Bartlehiem has no city rights, it is not even a village, but this hamlet is a world-famous place on the Elfstedenroute ("Eleven Cities Route").

Bartlehiem Bridge - Elfstedentocht
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Eleven Cities Monument Tegeltjesbrug Gytsjerk

Across the river De Murk near Gytsjerk you will find the famous Tegeltjesbrug, the Eleven Cities Monument of Friesland.

Eleven Cities Monument Tegeltjesbrug Gytsjerk
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Bonkevaart - Elfstedentocht Finish Line

Whether you experience it standing on the ice, on the bank, or from the water, this historic stretch of water is a must-visit!

Bonkevaart - Elfstedentocht Finish Line
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Leeuwarden (Ljouwert)

Leeuwarden, or Ljouwert as we say in Friesland, is buzzing. From tourists and students to locals. From unforgettable adventures to wandering through cozy little streets.

Visit Leeuwarden

Leeuwarden (Ljouwert)
11Fountains Leeuwarden

Love’ consists of two 7 meter high, white sculptures of a boy and a girl. They seem to be looking at each other, but their eyes are closed.

11Fountains Leeuwarden
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End point:

Verlaatsbrug
8913 HB Leeuwarden
Navigate to endpoint