2015 European waterway cruise – Netherlands – Enkhuizen

Busy harbour – Compagniehaven in Enkhuizen

In the last post, we had arrived in Enkhuizen after a slightly bumpy crossing of the Ijsselmeer.

Enkhuizen is situated on the western side of the Ijsselmeer, and is a bit of a yachting mecca.

The Ijsselmeer of course is a wonderful
stretch of water for sailing, though it can be very rough at times.

So Enkhuizen was absolutely teaming with yachts and sailors.

Buitenhaven

It boasts 4 marinas.

We found a berth in Compagniehaven which I estimated could take at least 600 boats.

All those berths were full by the end of the day.

In the Municipal Harbour, the Buitenhaven, the yachts were berthed six abreast at the quayside.

Buyshaven

Oudehaven and Buyshaven were also full to overflowing.

Most of the boats one sees on the Netherlands inland waters are Dutch, but here were quite a few German yachts as well as one Swedish and one Danish.

Irish pub in Enkhuizen

Thus Enkhuizen is rather touristy, with loads of restaurants and bars/cafes.

Even an Irish Pub.

Tower with carillon

There are loads of picturesque Dutch buildings, including the old watch tower which has a 38 bell carillon.

The other attraction is the Zuiderzee Museum. At first we thought it was a bit expensive at Euro 15 each for adults, but it turned out to be well worth it.

There is an indoor and an outdoor section.

The indoor section shows the way of life in the various towns on the edge of the Ijsselmeer (which was the Zuiderzee before the building of the Afsluitdijk) and the different industries for which they were known.

Old boats in Zuiderzee Museuma

There is also a surprising section on fashion and the clothes worn in the regions.

The outdoor section has a whole preserved village with houses and industries including a functioning herring smoke-house.

On the down side –

Compagniehaven was the most expensive marina we have ever stayed in at Euro 26 per night.

Zuiderzee Museum outdoor exhibition

Electricity, water, showers etc all extra.
Wifi was included but generally useless due to the number of boats there and thus the number of people using it. There was the odd moment when it did work.

Sunset in Enkhuizen

But all in all we enjoyed our stay here, with a gorgeous sunset the last night.

Next – on towards Alkmaar via Medemblik.

In Enkhuizen

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