Holiday apartment in Heerenveen: culture, water and ice sports

Heerenveen combines a history closely linked to peat extraction with museums, waterscapes, parks and ice sports. This allows you to shape your stay around different interests: the Heerenveen Museum introduces you to the development of the town, Heidemeer offers a beach and relaxation, and the Turfroute opens up boat trips through wooded natural areas, meadows and villages. When choosing a holiday apartment in Heerenveen, it is therefore worth considering the main focus of your trip.

Discover the town’s cultural history

The origins of Heerenveen are linked to the founding charter of the Schoterlandse Veencompagnie, signed in 1551 by Van Dekema, Van Cuyck and Foeyts. The Schoterlandse Compagnonsvaart and the Heerensloot are also part of this history: both were created to transport the extracted peat. These connections give the town a historical character that you can trace not only through individual buildings, but also through the former transport routes.

The Heerenveen Museum is a dual museum about the origins of Heerenveen. It displays archaeological finds and 19th-century paintings. The museum is within walking distance of Heerenveen railway station, making it easy to include in a stay in the town. Another notable monument is the Heerenveense School, a municipal monument in the centre of Heerenveen.

At Oenemastate, you can view a restored ceiling painting. The work was created by Mathias van Pelckum in 1663. If culture and historical discoveries are important to you when choosing your holiday apartment in Heerenveen, the museum, Heerenveense School and Oenemastate offer different ways to explore the town’s history.

Heidemeer, parks and the Turfroute

The De Heide recreational area lies on the outskirts of Heerenveen. At Heidemeer, it includes a beach where you can swim and sunbathe. For a holiday with varied daily plans, this location provides a clear contrast to the focus on museums and monuments. De Nieuwe Aanleg and Molenbos are other parks in the area around Heerenveen.

The Turfroute offers boat trips through wooded natural areas, meadows and villages. In Heerenveen, water is therefore not only part of the town’s history, but also something to consider when planning your trip. Depending on whether you mainly want to plan museum visits, a boat trip, time at the beach on Heidemeer or peaceful park landscapes, you can view the location of your accommodation as a starting point for different days out without committing yourself to just one type of holiday.

Other destinations in the surrounding region

The wider region around Heerenveen also offers various historical and landscape-related points of interest. Rookoepolle is an island near Heerenveen. Lange Warren is an island in the wider surrounding region. Toutenburg is a castle in this wider area, while Bakkeveen is a fort. The Vermaning gemeente Sneek is located there as a church. The Fries Museum is also in the wider region around Heerenveen. These different categories – island, castle, fort, church and museum – offer various starting points for planning your days.

Ice sports as a distinct travel motivation

Thialf is an ice sports venue in Heerenveen and is considered the centre of Dutch ice sports. Alongside culture, water and recreation, the town therefore also has a clear sporting focus. If ice sports are important to your trip, this theme can be just as decisive when choosing a holiday apartment in Heerenveen as the desire to visit museums or take trips to the water.

Heerenveen is therefore suitable for accommodation from which you do not have to limit your holiday to a single activity: its founding history, canals and artistic monuments appeal to visitors interested in culture; Heidemeer, parks and the Turfroute represent water and landscape; Thialf places a special emphasis on ice sports.

Places for your further planning

If you would like to organise your travel ideas beyond Heerenveen, also discover Oranjewoud and Oudeschoot.

For the higher-level travel overview: Heerenveen.