Bolsward - city in the Netherlands

Bolsward is a town in Friesland.

Understand

Bolsward is one of the original eleven Frisian Cities after which the most popular Dutch ice skating event Elfstedentocht (eleven city tour) is named. However in comparison to other cities in the region it is considered to be more of a town nowadays. It's much quieter than its neighbours Sneek and Harlingen.

Get in

Bolsward has no rail connections but is easily reached by road.

By car

Bolsward is right next to the A7 motorway which goes from Amsterdam to Groningen, just take the exit Bolsward and follow the Centrum signs and you'll be in the old town centre in no time. There's plenty of free parking space at Plein 1455, at the edge of the town centre, just follow the signs 'P - Gratis'.

By bus

Buses run right through the town centre with frequent connections to Sneek, Heerenveen and Harlingen, all of which have a direct train connection. There are also a lot of less frequent bus lines to the many villages surrounding Bolsward. Beware that in the north of The Netherlands in general a lot of bus services are limited during the evening and weekends.

Get around

The town centre is very walkable on foot or by bike, and there aren't many alternatives to choose from anyway.

See

• Bierbrouwerij Us Heit, Snekerstraat 43, 53.061126°, 5.533841°, +31 515-577449. Shop open Thu-Sa 10AM-6PM. A beer brewery and whiskey distillery with a shop, tours and tasting sessions. Tours start at €8.50
• Broerekerk, Broereplein 10, 53.06203°, 5.52542°. 8:30AM-Sunset. A very old 13th-century church that regularly has (modern) art exhibitions. The original roof and interior burnt down in 1980, but the walls are still standing and are topped by a large glass roof. Free

Do

Buy

Eat

Drink

Sleep

• Hotel-Grand Café De Wijnberg, Marktplein 5, 53.061709°, 5.520065°, +31 515-572220. Located right on the town square, this is the biggest and most centrally located hotel in Bolsward. €75 Double, €50 Single, breakfast included
• Hotel de Groene Weide, Snekerstraat 2, 53.06186°, 5.52749°, +31 515-572284. A small hotel with a café and billiards downstairs. €67.50 Double, €47.50 Single, breakfast included

Camping

• Stadscamping Bolsward, Badweg 5 (behind the bus station), 53.06204°, 5.52957°, +31 515-573573. Next to a swimming hall, where you can also register and pay for your stay. Beware: on weekends the swimming hall is closed after lunchtime, in that case you have to ask another guest for a key to the campsite and pay when it's open. €15,95 for a 2-person tent, €18,05 for caravan
• Boerencamping Half-Hichtum, Hichtumerweg 14, 8701 PG Bolsward (1 mile N of town centre), 53.0738°, 5.5215°, +31 515 57 26 83, info@half-hichtum.nl. Clean facilities, showers included. Popular with tourists on cycling holidays. 1 person/bicycle/tent night €10 2018-08-13

Connect

• PostNL Servicepunt in Primera, Nieuwmarkt 13, 53.06248°, 5.52150°. Mo-Thu 8AM-6:30PM, Fri 8AM-9PM, Sat 8AM-5PM. Sells stamps, OV-chipkaart (public transport chip card), and local phone cards amongst other things.

Go next

The old harbour town of Harlingen is only 30 minutes away, and is also the ferry terminal for services to the Wadden islands of Vlieland and Terschelling.