Hoorn

You can take the nicest boat trip north of Amsterdam at Watertaxi Hoorn. Right at the different parking locations they have easily accessible boarding places with handrails and 'lazy' stairs. From here you can sail into the town centre or to the old port within 10 minutes. Watertaxi Hoorn would be happy to make a boat trip with you and your company. The skipper will also be happy to tell you all about the most beautiful places in Hoorn that you will be sailing along.

In a city that is as connected to water as Hoorn is, a church for boaters and fishermen cannot be missed. The Oosterkerk has had this special function for centuries, as the church was close to the ports. This function that it had as a skipper's church can be seen in the details of the church, for example the weather vane is a ship.

How did our (grand) parents live, and what did the interiors of their homes look like? What did they play with? What was on radio and television at the time? This is part of what you will learn in the Museum of the Twentieth Century. In addition to the permanent nostalgic exhibition, there are also three large halls with rotating exhibitions.

You can shop to your heart’s content in the Hoornse Straatjes. Between the two churches in the town centre towards the Roode Steen and the Havenkwartier you will find, spread over seven streets, many artisanal specialty shops and cosy restaurants.

Bonck House has a special history as a merchant's house, linen weaving mill, city farm and residential home: people have lived and worked here for almost 400 years. Taste the unique atmosphere of this house, where you can, for example, sit at a desk in the ‘hanging room’.

Three facades on the corner of Slapershaven and the Grote Oost tell the history of the naval battle that took place on the Zuiderzee in the Hoornse Hop during the start of the Eighty Years' War in October 1573. These houses were built in 1612.

The recognisable brick buildings with sloping step gables at Onder de Boompjes are silent witnesses from the bustling period of the Golden Age. The warehouse was built for the VOC. A bag of merchandise is depicted on the commemorative stone of the warehouse on the right. Seventeenth-century VOC ‘driemasters’ (3-masted sailing ships) can be seen on the commemorative stone on the left. The bag on the stone is filled with pepper, because the warehouses in Hoorn were intended as storage for spices.

An example of power and awe: the Oosterpoort from 1578. In 1601 a small house was placed on top for the gatekeeper. When the gate was built, the city was completely surrounded by and accessible through four gates. The Oosterpoort is the only gate that remains, and is one of the most prominent monuments in Hoorn.

The Westfries Museum is housed in one of the most remarkable buildings in Hoorn, right on the Roode Steen town square. Behind a 17th-century showcase façade filled with lions and city weapons hides a complex with stately halls, intimate rooms, high attic lofts and mysterious cellars.
The museum is housed in one of the most beautiful monuments in the city, the Statencollege, built in 1632.

The stoker is throwing the coals on the fire, as you wait for the whistle of the steam locomotive. Step aboard the steam tram and experience an historic adventure! A railway dating back to 1887 connects Hoorn with Medemblik and Enkhuizen. A nice way to visit these places by tram.