Huizen Netherlands North Holland
3
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Riviera Travel (1 Cruises)
Frequently Asked Questions
On the Gooimeer, a stretch of water southeast of Amsterdam. Ships moor near the Oude Haven, the old basin where the botters ride at their lines — the flat-bottomed fishing sailboats of the former Zuiderzee.
A flat-bottomed fishing sailboat of the old inland sea. In the late nineteenth century more than 280 botters were moored in this same basin and an entire village lived on eel and herring. A few restored ones can now be chartered with crew.
Because of the Afsluitdijk, the great closure dyke completed in 1932. The salt water turned fresh, the sea fish vanished and the fishery died. The town could have forgotten; it chose instead to maintain what remained.
The old harbour's boatyard, where shipwrights and volunteers still repair oak hulls, forge included. You watch the woodwork, push open the forge door, then settle at a waterside terrace.
Yes, seasonally. One- or two-hour outings run under sail on the Gooimeer with a crew, as in the days when the whole fleet left at dawn. It is the signature activity of this call.
Life in the fishing village: traditional costumes and caps, reconstructed interiors and the story of the Zuiderzee's transformation. It takes about an hour and explains what the quays alone cannot — above all how each family lived by the tides.
Yes, just a few kilometres away. This star-shaped fortified town has some of the best-preserved bastions in Europe, and it is a frequent excursion from the Huizen quay.
Yes. Huizen is the gateway to Het Gooi, a region of heath, woodland and leafy villas between Amsterdam and Utrecht. The Naarderbos trails and the Gooimeer shoreline suit both cycling and walking.
Two to three hours covers the old basin, the forge and the museum. The rest of the call goes to a botter sail, a bike ride in Het Gooi or an excursion to Naarden. This is not a call with a crowded programme.
No, and it is better to know it. This is a village that lost its original purpose — fishing — and chose to keep its memory alive rather than reinvent itself as an attraction. The appeal lies in that authenticity, not in a list of sights.
