From Purmerend, the E 22/A7 runs about 50 kilometres (31 mi) north, passing by Hoorn and Medemblik, until it reaches Den Oever, where the southwestern end of the Afsluitdijk is located.

After running over the Afsluitdijk, the road continues to the southeast, passing by Bolsward and Sneek until it reaches the town of Joure.

It is the last traffic circle in the Netherlands on a motorway with no grade separated ramps, though it will be upgraded from 2015 to 2017 to half a stack interchange.

N7 continues running to the east in Groningen until it reaches N46 at Interchange Euvelgunne, where you have to make a right to stay on E 22/N7 going to the southeast.

Continuing east it finally arrives at the town of Nieuweschans, located at the Dutch side of the border.

There were only the N7 from Hoorn-Noord to Lambertschaag, from Middenmeer in North Holland to Bolsward in Friesland over the Afsluitdijk, from Sneek to Heerenveen and from Sappemeer to Scheemda, and the provincial road S14 from Zaandijk to Purmerend-Zuid, all with at grade intersections and one lane in each direction.

Between 1966 and 1968 A8, the road E22 runs concurrently with between Amsterdam and Zaandam, was constructed with grade separated intersections and two lanes in each direction.

In 1959, a missing link between two parts of N7 was constructed, from Lambertschaag to Middenmeer, with at grade intersections and one lane in each direction.

Between 1976 and 1982, the last missing link in N7/A7 in North Holland was constructed as A7, in parts, between Purmerend-Zuid and Hoorn-Noord, with grade separated intersections and two lanes in each direction.

By 1985, the entire road from Interchange Zaandam to Zurich, east of the Afsluitdijk, the part of N7/A7 in North Holland, was upgraded to A7 with grade separated intersections and two lanes in each direction.