Heerenveen



Heerenveen is the sports capital of the Northern Netherlands. The town is famously home to the Thialf stadium, the largest indoor ice arena in the country and the stage for many international ice skating tournaments. But there's more to this town, including some nice historic sights, plenty of shopping opportunities and events all year round.

Understand
Compared to other Dutch towns, Heerenveen is not very old. It was established around 1550 at the crossing point of two water ways. Those canals were dug out at the order of the "Heeren van het veen", or "Lords of the Peat", from which the town derived its name.

Get in
Highways A7 (from Groningen to Sneek) and A32 (from Zwolle to Leeuwarden) intersect near Heerenveen, making the town well reachable by road from all directions. Regionally, the town is also served by the N380 (Schoterlandse weg) and N924 (Rottumerweg).

Heerenveen is a stop on the intercity train from Leeuwarden and Zwolle, and is served by a direct intercity train with only a few stops, and a second intercity train which stops at more destinations on the way. They run once per hour each, providing a connection between the major destinations every half hour. It's about 20 minutes from Heerenveen to Leeuwarden or 40 minutes from Heerenveen to Zwolle. If you're on the train that stops more often, your travelling time is only a few minutes longer, so don't bother waiting for the other one. The sports stadium has its own stop, but is only served by the stop train.

The bus station is next to the train station, and buses run to and from most regional destinations. There are Qliner services to some further destinations, including Groningen and Lelystad.

Heerenveen is easily reachable by bike, with many roads leading into town. If you have a boat, you can also get to the town over water. The main waterways are the Heeresloot, the Engelenvaart and the Nieuwe Heerenveense Kanaal. Along this last one you'll also find a yacht harbour (De Welle) .

Get around
You'll get around fine on foot, for the major sights and shops. This is not a particularly small town, however, so a bike can be convenient if you want to see even a bit more. Bikes can be rented at the bike parking on the train station, and several hotels rent them out as well.

See
There aren't too many national monuments to be found, but Heerenveen has a few heritage sights worth seeing. The Crackstate is a 17th century castle and now serves as the town hall. The little tower on the roof was originally probably a lookout post, but now has a carillon. The only remaining windmill is called

Other notable buildings include the

There are no cathedrals or other grand religious monuments around, but two churches are listed as national heritage monuments. First, there's the 18th century The other one is the 19th-century

Do

 * Football: sc Heerenveen play football in the Eredivisie, the country's top tier. Their home ground Abe Lenstra Stadion (capacity 27,000) is 1 km east of the railway station.
 * As in any town in this area, the locals love water. Heerenveen isn't exactly a hotspot for boating or other water activities, but you'll find some options in town (especially in the yacht harbour along the Nieuwe Heerenveense Kanaal) and plenty of renting opportunities or sailing courses in nearby towns.
 * Biking is a perfect way to explore the surrounding of Heerenveen. There are several scenic routes along the lakes and water ways; head to the tourist office to get some maps.
 * Visit Thialf Stadium, especially when there's a competition going on. It's one of the major ice skating arenas in Europe.

Buy
Heerenveen has a long history of trade, and it serves as shopping centre for the surrounding. There are a good number of larger chain stores, but also smaller boutique shops. All in all, it's a fine place to go shopping. There are a few supermarkets, including:

Drink
The old town has several pleasant bars, in summer most with outdoor terraces. They're good for some drinks and a chat, but if you want to go out dancing, try

Sleep
Surprisingly, although Heerenveen is a famous sports destination, lodging options are fairly limited and many are located closer to the stadium than to the town centre. If you have trouble finding a place, consider searching in nearby destinations closer to the lakes. Those are typically more popular with tourists and have ample places to stay. Note also that prices may rise significantly during major ice skating events.

Connect
As of July 2022, Heerenveen has 4G from KPN and Vodafone, and 5G from T-Mobile.

Go next
Pretty much all destinations in the Frisian Lakes district are a short drive from here. Some of the best options include Sneek, Leeuwarden and Franeker. Or, head out to Groningen, the capital of the nearby province with the same name.