Ferry Deventer
Coming to Deventer by car? Then park for free on the Worp and then cross the IJssel by ferry. You can use the ferry either on foot or by bicycle. Feel the wind in your hair and look out on Deventer's famous skyline as you sail towards the city.
The ferry leaves from Bolwerksweg 1, this is close to the Pillows Hotel Aan de IJssel, Meadow and the Worpplantsoen.
If you come to Deventer by car, the ferry is also good way to enter the city. In fact, close to the boarding point for the ferry is a parking lot where the car can be parked for free. This makes the ferry not only a nice way to enter the city but also saves parking fees!
Price crossing:
- One-way ticket: €1,20
- A return ticket: €1.80 (valid for 1 day)
- 20 rides: €15
- A one-way ticket + bicycle: €1.40, return: €2.00
Sailing times:
- Working days between 08:00 and 23:00
- Saturdays between 09:00 and 23:00
- Sundays between 10:00 and 23:00
A little history about the ferry
The ferry was in operation before World War II. The three Van Wijhe brothers were operators of the ferry at the time. During the war, however, the brothers were not allowed by the Germans to operate the ferry. So shortly after liberation, the brothers started sailing again, only they did so in rowboats. This was very dangerous at the time; the Canadians even shot at the rowboats once after the liberation because they suspected the occupants of spying. After the war, the brothers remained operators of the ferry. Unfortunately, however, the Van Wijhe brothers' story came to an end in 1962. The maintenance of the jetties cost too much and fewer people stepped in than before.
Fortunately, the story of the ferry does not end here. A young independent skipper named Geert Scheers took over the ferry from the Van Wijhe brothers at the age of 18. He later married the daughter of the former skipper Roelof Van Wijhe. He also purchased a (for that time) modern ferry called "the IJssel". This ferry was only replaced again in 1998 by ferry "the Stokvis" which still crosses every day today.
Until the arrival of the new railroad bridge with walking and bicycle connection, the ferry was doing very well. Unfortunately, the ferry went into the red with the arrival of the new bridge because there was now an easy and free option to make the crossing independently on foot or by bicycle. However, the ferry managed to break even because it became increasingly difficult to park in the downtown area. As a result, the ferry still sails every day.
Since March 2021, a trip on the ferry is also particularly sustainable: the ferry now sails entirely electrically.