City walking tour in Urk

Set sail to atmospheric Urk and take a nice city walk after the cruise. The centre is at walking distance from the harbour, where you moor your boat. From the berth, you can walk straight to the old city centre.

What to see on a city walk through Urk

• The beach with beach volleyball court on the other side of the Staverse kade.
• An old shipyard, with bottling shed and the typical Urker Botters in the old West Harbour.
• An old tan kettle, where sails, ropes and fishing nets used to be tanned (preserved) with cachou, a dye from the bark of a tropical tree still stands on the quay.
• The Ginkies, the typical narrow alleys you only find in the centre of Urk.
• The Old Council House museum with the old fisherman's house where you can see how people used to live in Urk. 
• The 1851 Bethel Church, which stands in the middle of the old centre. The inside of this church will surprise you.
• On the west side of Urk stands the 18.5-metre-high lighthouse. This gem was built in 1844, but has many predecessors; from 1617, fire was burning on the 'island'. The coal fire pointed the way for fishermen from Urk and ships sailing from Amsterdam to the North Sea.
• The Ommelebommelestien, an Ice Age boulder lying in the water right in front of the lighthouse, legend has it that all Urk's children come from there.
• The Fisherman's Monument, a statue of a fisherman's wife looking out to sea. Around her on the walls are all the names of fishermen who drowned at sea.
• The little church by the sea from 1786 stands opposite the fishermen's monument. The church used to belong to Amsterdam and is now mainly used for wedding and funeral services.
• In the harbour is a statue of the Orca (opposite the Tourist Info Urk building), the mammal from which the name Urk or Orck probably comes.

Book a Ginkie trip at Tourist Info Urk

Want to learn more about the special history of the fishing village? Then go to Touristinfo Urk and book a Ginkiestocht with a real Urker. The most fun way to discover Urk. And, they also have a route booklet with a fun treasure hunt for the kids.

Urk top path and Urk Forest

Besides the many beautiful buildings and monuments, you will also pass by a patch of greenery while strolling through Urk. In fact, between the buildings of Urk you will find the Toppad Urk; the first State Nature Monument in Flevoland that today is home to many species of breeding birds, mallards and little grebes. Please note that this area is not freely accessible! An alternative is the beautiful Urkerbos forest. This richest forest in all of Flevoland is filled with various species of deciduous and coniferous woodland and has many nature-rich clearings. A natural play forest has also been created here.