Enkhuizen
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Enkhuizen

Enkhuizen

Old Zuiderzee harbour town with Dutch Golden Age trading roots and the open-air Zuiderzee Museum

Enkhuizen is a handsome old town on the Ijsselmeer (the former Zuiderzee), about an hour from Amsterdam by train via Hoorn. Once one of the most powerful trading cities in the Dutch Golden Age — at its peak in the 17th century it was a major base for the VOC — it is now a quiet, well-preserved harbour town that rewards an easy day trip.

The Zuiderzee Museum is the main attraction: a large open-air museum spread along the waterfront with authentic old buildings, traditional crafts, and demonstrations of how life looked in the fishing communities of the former inland sea. Near the harbour, the Dromedaris — a fortified tower that once guarded the harbour entrance — is one of the town's landmarks. Enkhuizen is also a good base for sailing on traditional brown-sailed vessels that still operate on the Ijsselmeer.

Guide

Getting There

Enkhuizen is about an hour from Amsterdam by direct train — one of the most pleasant day-trip train rides in the Netherlands, following the eastern shore of the Ijsselmeer through flat green polders. There are also ferries across the Ijsselmeer from Stavoren and Medemblik in summer, which allow a scenic circular route by train one way and boat the other.

By car, take the N302 north from Hoorn. There is a large car park at the Zuiderzee Museum entrance on the edge of town.

Guide

Things to Do

Enkhuizen is a small town but it rewards a full day. The Zuiderzee Museum is one of the finest open-air museums in the Netherlands and alone justifies the trip. Beyond the museum, the compact historic harbour — dominated by the medieval Drommedaris tower — makes for excellent wandering, and several restored traditional sailing vessels still operate from the waterfront. The quirky Flessenscheepjesmuseum (Bottleship Museum) in a 17th-century sluice house near the Drommedaris holds the world's largest collection of ships-in-bottles — an odd, charming detour.