Hindeloopen – an Insider Tip in the Netherlands

Hindeloopen is a small Dutch town with a lot of charisma. It is one of the eleven towns in the province of Friesland, in the very northwest of the Netherlands. The city is full of Dutch traditions and invites you to explore its narrow winding streets. Situated directly on the shores of the IJsselmeer, it is a great place to relax with fresh sea air and unique landscapes. 

The Arrival

In total we spent about a week in Hindeloopen. With the car we headed off to cross the border. From the Lower Rhine, the Dutch border is not far. All in all, it took us about 2 hours to drive to Hindeloopen. Hindeloopen is, as already mentioned, a very small town with many narrow streets, so we could park our car only a little further away from our accommodation.

To unpack the suitcases & Co. we could leave it but briefly directly at the accommodation. I did not mind that we had no direct parking at the cottage.

Quite the opposite, I found the quiet quite pleasant and very soothing to stroll relaxed through the alleys – without cars to the right or left of me. In addition, the parking spaces were also mostly free of charge! 

The Dream Accommodation 

Arrived at the cottage* we were pretty excited about it! Our cottage hid in one of the narrow streets, a little further away and right on the water. An absolute dream!

The apartment was spread over two floors. Upstairs were two bedrooms, each with two beds or a double bed and a very modern and stylish bathroom. The stairs down was of course a bit steep, but so you know it not otherwise in the Netherlands!

In the basement there was a modern open kitchen with all the utensils needed for cooking or baking, a large dining room table and a comfortable couch and two very stylish chairs. 

My absolute highlight of the apartment was definitely the outdoor area. This was a small jetty with a direct view of the water. There you could take a seat on two comfortable chairs and comfortably end the evening with a glass of wine or start the morning with a cup of coffee.

By the way, the ducks also like to quack here. But be careful: I recommend not to throw any food to them, first of all it’s not very healthy for the animals and secondly they just want more food and partly want to run into the apartment.

Nevertheless, I found it very soothing to watch the ducks swim and quack in the morning and since the accommodation, as described, is located directly on the water, it is also very quiet and relaxing in the morning. Here you can really switch off very well!

Activities in Hindeloopen 

Hindeloopen is a picturesque town with many bridges and great views. The former trading town knows how to keep its unique character through its own language (West Frisian), the Hindeloopen art and its colorful traditional costumes. A walk through the old center leads you along beautiful authentic row houses and cozy cafes, restaurants and small sweet shops. 

Directly on the IJsselmeer you can also make beautiful walks on top of the dike and look over the small town.

Hindeloopen also has a museum that tells about the impressive history of the place. Visitors can learn more about the special costumes, the hand-painted Hindelooper furniture and the town history. There is also a skating museum, because Hindeloopen is also one of the eleven cities of the famous “Elfstedentocht”, the world’s largest speed skating tour! 

In addition, Hindeloopen has many delicious restaurants and cafes directly overlooking the IJsselmeer and of course you can rent bicycles here and make beautiful bike tours around the IJsselmeer.

This is also a great way to discover the many other beautiful Frisian towns that border directly on Hindeloopen. In addition to Hindeloopen, we also visited four other towns. By the way, I have already presented them to you in this blog post.

Conclusion About Hindeloopen 

Hindeloopen is in my opinion a real insider tip and convinces with its unique flair. I will definitely come back again! Maybe next time in the summer, so you can also cool off super in the IJsselmeer.