Sneek — or Snits in Frisian — is one of the larger towns in Friesland and the undisputed capital of Dutch watersports. The town sits at the heart of a vast network of lakes and canals, and in summer it fills with sailors, windsurfers, and boat-trippers making the most of the Frisian lakes. The Sneekermeer just east of town is the centrepiece, and the August Sneekweek regatta is the largest inland sailing event in Europe.
The old centre is compact and attractive. The 17th-century Waterpoort, a twin-towered water gate straddling a canal, is the town's most photographed sight and a fine piece of Frisian architecture. Beyond it, the centre is pleasant to wander — the late-Gothic Martinikerk and the Rococo Stadhuis face each other on the Marktstraat, and the Fries Scheepvaart Museum on the Kleinzand canal covers a thousand years of Frisian shipping. The countryside south of town holds smaller treasures: the canal village of IJlst, the working sawmill De Rat, and the 17th-century manor house Epemastate at Ysbrechtum.
If you're passing through Friesland, Sneek makes a good base for a day or two on the water. Bike hire is easy to find, and the surrounding countryside is flat and quiet.