By car. Lemmer sits on the A6 motorway, which links Amsterdam to Friesland over the Houtribdijk causeway across the IJsselmeer. From Amsterdam it is about 90 minutes; from Groningen, 75 minutes via the A7.
By bus. Arriva runs a frequent service from Heerenveen (about 35 minutes), which has the nearest railway station. From Sneek, the bus takes about 40 minutes. There is no direct rail service to Lemmer — the line was lifted decades ago.
By boat. This is the way most leisure visitors arrive. Lemmer is the southernmost port on the IJsselmeer side of Friesland and the start of the Frisian staande mast route (the standing-mast route) for sailing boats heading north into the lakes. Both old and new marinas have transient berths; book in summer.