The Voorstreek and Achterstreek run on either side of the central canal that bisects Sloten, and the row of stepped-gable merchant houses lining the water is the most photographed view in the town. The houses date mostly from the 17th and 18th centuries — small but tall, with characteristic Frisian masonry — and are largely unchanged from their original layouts.
Two small humpback bridges cross the canal, and a few moored sloops are usually tied up beneath the trees in summer. The light here, particularly in the long northern evenings, is what brings the Dutch landscape painters of Friesland up here even now.
There is no charge to walk; the route from one town gate to the other along both banks takes about twenty minutes at a slow pace.