Welcome to Hoorn
With a magnificent horn-shaped harbour, for which it's named, a string of museums and some outstanding restaurants, Hoorn attracts plenty of skippers and weekenders. It was once the capital of West Friesland and, thanks to the presence of the Dutch merchant fleet, a mighty trading city. As a member of the league of Seven Cities, it helped free the country from the Spanish who occupied the town from 1569 to 1573.
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Hoorn activities
Netherlands, wetlands below sealevel, dunes and dikes
We will show you the water levels in the North Sea and the IJsselmeer (the former South Sea) at places where you can compare it with the water level in the several polders. You will learn how these polders were drained with the help of windmills and later steam engines.Even now the windmills are still pumping water from low to high water levels. You will also visit the sea dike in Petten. Over 5,5 km there were no dunes, but the dike is too weak when the sea level is rising in the future because of the melting pole caps. Therefor It had to be strengthend with 20 million cubic metres sand for new dunes. You will experience our everlasting battle against the water. And our answers on this main problem. The tour starts at 9 AM. During the day we stop for a coffee break, a lunch and a drink with a snack in the afternoon. You will be treated on typical Dutch snacks like stroopwafel, bitterbal and haring with onions. Return at 5 PM. The meeting point is at your hotel anywhere in the province North-Holland or at railway station Zaanse Schans when your hotel is in the center of Amsterdam.
Walking tour around the city centre of Brussels
ItineraryThis is a typical itinerary for this productStop At: Grand Place, BrusselsThe Grand-Place is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Construction on it began in the 15th century; first of all, some market halls, trade guild houses, and a town hall to establish the authority of this trading centre. Bombarded for 3 days by the French army in 1695, it was almost completely destroyed but, like a phoenix, it went on to rise from the ashes in less than 5 years. That’s why four styles stand alongside each other or sometimes even overlap; it’s a wonderful hotch-potch of Gothic, opulent baroque, neoclassical and neogothic. The tower is more or less 96 meters tall. History of the Grand-Place At the Grand-Place, numerous historic events took place: 1523: the first Protestant martyrs, Hendrik Voes and Jan Van Essen, are burned by the Inquisition there 1568: the counts of Egmont and Hoorn are beheaded there August 1695: during the War of the League of Augsbourg, most of the houses on the Grand-Place were destroyed during a bombardment of the City by the French troops of marshal De Villeroy. Only the facade and the tower of the City Hall, which were the target, and some stone walls resisted the flaming canon balls. The houses surrounding the square were quickly reconstructed, in stone this time, by the various guilds. Among these, the house of the Brewers guild which shelters the Brewers Museum today.Duration: 15 minutesStop At: St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral (Cathedrale St-Michel et Ste-Gudule), BrusselsThe Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula is a Roman Catholic church in Brussels, Belgium. The church was given cathedral status in 1962 and has since been the co-cathedral of the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels, together with St. Rumbold's Cathedral in Mechelen.Duration: 15 minutesStop At: Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, BrusselsThe Saint-Hubert Royal Galleries are an ensemble of glazed shopping arcades in Brussels, Belgium. Designed and built by architect Jean-Pierre Cluysenaer between 1846 and 1847, they precede other famous 19th-century shopping arcades such as the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan and The Passage in St PetersburgDuration: 15 minutesStop At: La Bourse de Bruxelles, BrusselsNice street to walk Duration: 5 minutesStop At: Manneken Pis, BrusselsManneken Pis is a landmark small bronze sculpture in the centre of Brussels, depicting a naked little boy urinating into a fountain's basin. It was designed by Hiëronymus Duquesnoy the Elder and put in place in 1618 or 1619. The current statue is a copy which dates from 1965.Duration: 5 minutes
Visit The Harbor of the Netherlands with the Electric Watertaxi in Hoorn
Hoorn, it gave the name to the most Southerly point of Amerika, Cape Horn (1616).It was a hard time sailing over the world and hoping to find a good and safe destiny.Good sailors came back and brought wellness. Hoorn was also very poor for a long time after the so called 'Golden age'.The benefit of this are the well kept original (ware) houses.Hoorn, beautiful city along the IJsselmeer, only 35 minutes from Amsterdam. A direct train connection, straight through UNESCO protected landscape.The relaxed atmosphere will surprise you. Here you will find many shops, bars and restaurants as well.You will start your tour on one of the various stops. This can be close to the centre square, the lighthouse, the beach, a free parking garage or at one of the restaurants along the harbour. During the tour, your guide will tell you everything you need and show you all!
Transfers (short sightseeing) from harbor to busterminal
Watertaxi Hoorn was founded to help people with their transfer to and from our beautiful harbor. As parking is not allowed in our ancient city we would like to take you on a canal tour, guided and comfortable, to bring you to your touringcarbus were you will start a new excursion provided by your tour operator.De-embarking at one of our stops in the city center is also possible.We love requests!We have blankets, cold drinks and love to show you our hometown and provide you with inside information.Watertaxi Hoorn is founded in 2011 by Bram Nijenhuis. Nowadays he is also the captain of replicaship Half Moon. He would like to tell you all the details about the discovery of New Amsterdam/New York.
2-Hour Private Walking Tour of Hoorn
At either 10am or 2pm, meet your private guide at your hotel, river cruise ship, or the Hoorn train station and set off at a relaxing pace to explore this picturesque Dutch town, which was formerly a base of the Dutch East India Company. With just your group and your private guide, enjoy the flexibility to customize the walking tour to your liking — so you can really see, feel, and learn all about the town. As you wander through Hoorn's historic streets, step back in time to the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, when Holland was one of the most influential countries in the world.See the lively harbour and shopping street, and learn about about Jan Pietersz Coen, son of Hoorn and founder of the former Indonesian city Batavia (now Jakarta). Pass by the Main Tower, one of Hoorn harbor's main landmarks. Touch the façade of the Saint John Hospice for luck, and visit the hidden love chapel — once built as a secret place for a forbidden Catholic/Protestant couple to wed. Before bidding farewell to your guide, get insider’s tips about local restaurants, shops, attractions, activities, public transport, and more.
Private Historic Triangle Tour: Hoorn, Medemblik and Enkhuizen
Your full day on the countryside will start at the train station of Enkhuizen or if you wish to combine this tour with a visit to the Zuiderzee Holland Outdoor Museum; at the train station in Hoorn. Set off in a relaxing pace to make sure you really get to see, feel and learn all about this area of North Holland called West-Frisia. After meeting your personal guide at the train station in Enkhuizen, start exploring the highlights of this historic town, once an important harbour to the former United East India Company (VOC). The United East India Company is often referred as the world’s first multinational company, and was definitely the first to issue stocks. Essential to Holland’s establishment of its colonies in Asia, and to the subsequent spice trade, it was arguably the 1st ever mega corporation. Your guide will take you on a stroll around the 17th-century town centre. Go to the Snouck van Loosen Park to see one of the first social housing projects of the Netherlands. Learn about Enkhuizen’s maritime traditions in the harbour, and marvel at the old defence tower of the Drommedaris.After a walk around town of about 45 minutes, take a seat aboard the historic ferry ship Friesland. Enjoy views over the lake Ijsselmeer (Former Zuiderzee/South Sea), watch the birds in the sky and see traditional flat bottom sail ships passing by in the 90 minutes trip to the next stop, Medemblik. Upon arrival at the once prosperous trading town you will have about 1-hour to explore on your own. Admire the 17th and 18th century merchant houses of Holland’s Golden Age, and grab a sandwich of typical Dutch cheese. Next, ride a historic steam train to Hoorn. The engine whistles and the fireman shovels coal into the firebox. Wooden partitions creak, wheels sing and steam hisses. From the wooden 3rd class seats in your carriage you will experience a story from a different era. The train meanders from village to village across the West Frisian countryside. After arrival in Hoorn you have time to visit the Steam Train Museum.Finally have your personal guide take you for a walk around town to see the harbour where the spices arrived from Asia that gave Holland its prosperity.You can choose to depart from Hoorn if you prefer, taking the tour in reverse. This option also includes entrance to the Zuiderzeemuseum in Enkhuizen. See authentic buildings from the former Zuiderzee region, including a church, fish-curing shed, cheese warehouse, and houses from the surrounding fishing villages. The staff will demonstrate historical crafts from everyday life, and more.