There's no place like home for Antoinette Rijpma-De Jong (NED). She was born and raised in the Frisian village Rottum, at two kilometers from the famous Thialf Stadium in Heerenveen. After winning the Olympic 1500m title in Milan, Rijpma-De Jong is looking forward to welcoming the international speed skating elite to her home this weekend for the ISU Speed Skating Allround & Sprint World Championships.

"Heerenveen is a small town, but it has a lot to offer," says Rijpma-De Jong. She and her husband Coen Rijpma share their Heerenveen highlights.

Where to get a coffee?

"Bij Kees is the best spot. They make good coffee with real baristas and they also serve nice natural snack-type food, tea and smoothies. It's in the city center, near other restaurants and cafés, like Café It Houtsje.

"When we've got time, we like to go for a coffee at Bij Kees." 

Where to have a good meal?

"There's a lot of options. 't Gerecht is a great location with a lovely terrace outside in the summer.

 "Ferron is a great place for Italian style lunch or shared dining, with a lot of healthy options. Another nice Italian restaurant is Frisone Pazzo.

"And if you like burgers, you should go to De Buurman."

A local delicacy to try?

"In Fryslân we have our typical sugar bread, in Dutch it's Suikerbrood, but in the original Frisian language we call it Fryske sûkerbôle.

"The bread is baked with sugar, cinnamon and sometimes ginger sirop. You can heat it in a pan and eat it with all sorts of toppings. It's not very healthy but the sugar can give you a lot of energy before a race."

Where to have a day out? 

"We've got a dog and we love to go for a walk in Oranjewoud (Frisian: Oranjewâld). It's a forest near Thialf. We enjoy it and our dog loves the place. After a long walk we often go to Hotel Tjaarda for coffee or lunch."

Where to get some culture? 

"Also in Oranjewâld, is Museum Belvédère, a beautifully designed museum for modern and contemporary art. There's also an octagonal lookout tower which oversees Heerenveen."

Where to see some other sport? 

"There's a lot of options. Of course there's the Abe Lenstra Stadium of SC Heerenveen, which plays in the Dutch Eredivisie. Near the stadium there's the Inline Skate Center Heerenveen. It's got a roof, so you'll be dry when it rains, and it's the perfect place to practice cornering on inline skates.

"There's also Padel Courts, Beach Volleyball, Basketball and you can practice the traditional Frisian sport Fierljeppen, which resembles pole vault, but instead of a high jump, it's a long jump over water."

Have a trip away from the city?

"You can ride the Eleven Cities Bicycle Tour (The original Eleven Cities Tour is a 200km Skating Tour that connects all Eleven Frisian Cities. It was last held in 1997, but ever since, the winters have not been cold enough).

"Fryslân is such a beautiful province with so many scenic towns and villages. The best way to enjoy the landscape is go out there on your bike."