A tiny walled port left inland when the Zuiderzee was dammed, and the natural half-day out of the canals.
Blokzijl grew rich on a sea that no longer reaches it: the Zuiderzee works cut it off from open water and froze the town at roughly the size and shape it had in the seventeenth century. What is left is a compact harbour basin, a lock, and streets of merchants' houses around it. You can get there by rental motorboat or by bike, which makes it one of the few excursions here that is itself part of the day rather than a transfer.
Highlights
- Seventeenth-century harbour
- Reachable by boat
- Free to wander
Insider tips
- →Reachable by rental motorboat or bike; bus 70 runs on to Zwartsluis instead.
- →Kaatje bij de Sluis here is the second of the area's two splurge restaurants.
FAQ
Do I need to book Blokzijl ahead?
Is this a good first-time visitor choice?
Where you'll find it
Giethoorn, Netherlands
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