Kids to go: the nicest addresses in Friesland for the whole family
The best thing about Friesland is a combination of space, greenery, and the get-away-from-it-all atmosphere. But also the nice coffee shops that pop up everywhere, the cozy terraces on the water and the beautiful, unique places to stay the night. If you go with a bunch of kids, the far north is a paradise of great addresses to discover. These are the nicest spots in Fryslân boppe:
(also scroll all the way down, where we pasted a few more Frisian pearls in the carousel)
Right on the Ijsselmeer is a wonderful spot to watch boats and drink beers: Strandbar Thuishaven in the fishing village of Makkum. At the helm are two young sisters who gave everything a major touch-up in 2019, from the interior to the menu. Elke and Evelyn transformed the former building into a laid-back place to have breakfast with the whole bunch (the acai bowl is perfection, croissants for the small stuff) or lunch. If you decide to stick around after a day at the beach, this is the ultimate spot for a hearty burger or a well-filled salad. You might even manage to catch a picture-perfect sunset with a fresh glass of rosé. Give the little one an extra rocket.
Sparjebird is located in at least one of those great locations. Hidden in the woods between Drachten and Heerenveen and Leeuwarden, you can relax and drink coffee or have a drink while the children play and roast marshmallows over the campfire. It doesn't get any cozier. That nice atmosphere is enhanced by the retro looks of the Log Cabin. In the summer you can grab a spot on the sunny terrace and when it is cooler, you can warm up by the wood-burning stove. De Blokhut has a bag with assignments for the kids, which they can do during a treasure hunt through the forest. The real little ones will also have endless fun: splashing around with water at the water pump, climbing in the climbing tree or discovering the gnome forest together. This is enjoyment in the Frisian Wouden.
Other nice play forest in the region: Hossebos in Drogeham with no fewer than six play pools where your little one can play endlessly with a landing net.
The It Dreamlân nature campsite is also located in the middle of greenery. Or actually, we're doing it a disservice, because you can indeed throw your own tent there, but there are also wildly attractive 'trek-ins' for the glampers among us, holiday homes in a barn and a spacious family home. The luxury of a comfortable bed, but also the fun of children shuffling barefoot to the water playground in the morning and romping outside all day long. Or grab a free canoe with the entire tribe from the jetty and paddle to the town of Kollum. The Lauwersmeer is just around the corner, as is Dokkum, the northernmost town in the Netherlands. Even though you know that you have to lobby hard to get the kids off the It Dreamlân grounds.
And, do yourself a favor and throw a few snacks in your bag while you're on the road. That little one will thank you for it! Our favorites? The nutripops (chips in a handy tin), the apple cookies (we secretly can't keep away from them ourselves - really tasty) and the dairy squeeze bags! In short: everything NaturNes Bio in the bag. After all, they are double: tasty and responsible (win-win.)
We don't have to choose, but if we have to name a favorite in Friesland, it is Harlingen. Departure point of the boat to our beloved Vlieland and Terschelling, but secretly too nice not to stay a night. In one of the spacious apartments of De Bank, for example, which is located in a historic bank building on the Noorderhaven. Suitable for up to six people and within walking distance of nice places such as Eetcafé Nooitgedacht (in an amazing old warehouse) and the Homminga shop, a specialty shop with the best sandwiches in Harlingen and the address for a famous cheese board.
Sleeping in a church must have something magical. This is possible thanks to Holy Nights, an initiative of two ladies who transform churches that are empty or still partly in use into places to stay overnight. Brilliant, because it gives us the opportunity to stay in a unique place with our loved ones and/or the children. Take the Pieter Stuyvesant Church in Peperga, Frisian. There is room for four people and you are guaranteed to sleep wonderfully between the organ and the altar. A high chair is available, as is a camping bed and a sofa bed for the older ones. There is no shower in the church, but a splash in one of the lakes in the Weerribben-Wieden National Park is easy.
The church is located near the city of Drachten, where you can eat tasty meat dishes and cocktails at the new James Bistro Bar. Vegetarians have also been taken into account, just like the kids. Inside there is a special junior lounge with Lego, air hockey and even a turntable for the budding DJs. You can dine for a long time and sip a cocktail in the city garden.
Of course, we cannot skip the capital of the region, because Ljouwert has plenty in store. We mention great coffee shops such as Nørd and Barrevoets and excellent restaurants such as Wannee, but there are also tasty hotspots for the youngest of the bunch. Children's café Blikspuit, for example, where a good menu is served for young and old. And don't miss the Four Seasons children's store, where beautiful brands hang on the shelves and original toys are for sale. Also an absolute must in Leeuwarden: the Fryslân Nature Museum. Thanks to changing exhibitions and really fun activities, every visit is slightly different.
A store where it is impossible to leave without a nice new wardrobe for the child is Nyn Styles in Dokkum. Scandinavian beauty, Spanish well-known brands such as Bobo Choses and the Dutch Repose smile at you. Then you and your mannequin sit down at the nice coffee bar Knus for a cappuccino with something sweet or at the nice Stadscafé Artisante, where a number of always-good dishes for the little ones are on the menu.
We received this tip from several sources and consistently for the same reason: great tent in a great location. Restaurant – or food bar, as they call it – Picnickers is located right on the Sneekermeer and has a lovely terrace with a view over the Frisian lakes. The menu includes classics such as pasta carbonara and croquettes, but also Indian yellow curry and a vegetarian kapsalon. Plus a very nice drinks menu, we like. If you are sleeping somewhere nearby and the little ones need to go to bed, you can also pick up something from Picnickers.
Still nearby? Grab a snack and a juice on the sunny terrace of Buur in Sneek. Or go the other way and treat your child to an ice cream and a trampoline at Ice Farm Boereiis in Akkrum.
Favorite coffee shop in the province? That must be El Cafetín, a tiny place where you can get a picobello iced latte to go. At the mill beans from Latin America and every day a different cake is waiting to be tasted. The Argentinian owner Horatio initially started with a mobile coffee bar, a renovated Piaggio, but now (also) has this permanent location in Workum, Friesland.
Another reason to be stranded in Workum? The beach (see what we did there?). The water drains very slowly, making it ideal for small children. You rent SUPs there and the swimming area is separate from the kite surfers. Enough to watch, enough to play. And the harbor of Workum looks so beautiful on a postcard.
Straight out of an interior magazine, that is Studio Bosk in the woods of Gaasterland. The recently renovated forest house is more beautiful than handsome and wonderfully spacious. There are toys and a sandbox for the children and there are bicycles outside. A high chair and crib are provided. It's that the area is so beautiful, otherwise we would settle down by the wood stove and never go anywhere again. Still going outside? Then your little one will be very happy at the beach pavilion De Hege Gerzen on the Ijsselmeer. Of course they can swim in the lake itself, but for the little ones there is also a paddling pool with a slide.
Pssttt.. child(ren) over for a sleepover and just the two of us going out? Located a little further in Oudemirdum Atelier Gaasterland and that is a little escape par excellence.
Another wonderful place in the green and exactly what you are looking for when you are out with the mini(s): Om de boeing. On the terrace you get a good coffee and a large piece of cake in front of you. There is a really nice shielded playing field with wooden play equipment and goats roam around for your child to pet. In the spring there are lamb days, so keep an eye on the Facebook page of Om de dobben.
