Day Trip To Giethoorn (How To Visit + Things To Do!)

When visiting the Netherlands, a day trip to Giethoorn is a must! Read this post for everything you need to know before visiting.

If you’re dreaming of escaping to a fairytale destination in the Netherlands, a day trip to Giethoorn should be at the top of your list. Known as the “Venice of the North,” this enchanting village boasts tranquil canals, picturesque thatched-roof houses, and stunning scenery that feels like stepping into a postcard. With no roads in the village center, the only way to explore is by boat or foot.

In this guide, I’ll go through everything you need to know about planning the perfect day trip to Giethoorn. Whether you’re traveling from Amsterdam or elsewhere in the Netherlands, reaching Giethoorn is easier than you might think. I’ll cover the best ways to get there – from public transport options to driving tips. 

Once you arrive, you’ll discover an abundance of things to do in Giethoorn, from serene boat tours through the canals to indulging in traditional Dutch treats. I’ll highlight the must-see attractions, recommend the best places to eat, and even share some lesser-known spots to make your visit unforgettable.

Get ready for one of the best day trips from Amsterdam. Giethoorn is nothing short of magical! While it has become controversial in recent years (more on that later), I loved it personally, and I hope that you decide to visit as well!

FAQs about Giethoorn

How much time do you need for Giethoorn?

A day is typically enough to experience the charm of Giethoorn. Most visitors spend 4–6 hours exploring the canals, taking a boat tour, walking or biking around the village, and enjoying a meal at one of the local restaurants. If you’re looking for a more leisurely experience, I recommend staying overnight to fully soak in the peaceful atmosphere, especially once the day-trippers leave and the village becomes quieter. 

Is Giethoorn a tourist trap?

While Giethoorn is undeniably popular with tourists, I don’t feel like a “tourist trap” is a fair description. The village’s beauty and unique setting justify its fame, but peak times, like weekends and summers, can feel crowded and commercialized. If you want to avoid the busiest periods, then make sure to plan your visit properly. This means visiting during the early morning or late afternoon. Additionally, I would highly recommend visiting outside the high season for a more authentic experience.

What is unusual about the village of Giethoorn in the Netherlands?

Giethoorn is unusual because of a few factors. Firstly, it stands out because it has no roads in its historic center, which is a rare and fascinating feature. Instead, transportation relies on canals, bridges, and narrow paths. Residents and visitors alike travel by “whisper boats” (silent, electric-powered boats), bicycles, or on foot. In addition, the village’s idyllic ambiance, combined with its thatched-roof farmhouses, well-kept gardens, and absence of motor vehicles, creates a unique and magical atmosphere that’s unlike anywhere else in the world.

Another interesting thing about Giethoorn is the history of how it was formed (in the 13th century!). Giethoorn originated when peat diggers settled in the area. Over time, the extraction of peat created shallow lakes and waterways, which were later expanded into the now-iconic canals. Residents built their homes on islands of raised land, connecting them with over 170 wooden footbridges that add to Giethoorn’s charm.

This post is all about Giethoorn, the Netherlands. 

Best time to visit Giethoorn

The best time to visit Giethoorn largely depends on the type of experience you’re seeking. For idyllic weather and vibrant scenery, late spring (April–June) and early autumn (September–October) are ideal. During these months, the village is bathed in natural beauty. You will find blooming flowers in spring and colorful foliage in autumn. In addition, these seasons often have mild and pleasant weather.

If you’re looking to avoid crowds, winter offers a quieter, and often magical atmosphere. If you are lucky, the canals occasionally freeze over, offering the opportunity for ice skating along the canals! In addition, if it’s been snowing then you will be rewarded with some incredible postcard-worthy views. However, it’s important to note that some attractions and restaurants may have limited hours in the off-season.

For those who want to experience Giethoorn at its liveliest, summer (July–August) provides long, sunny days perfect for outdoor activities like canal boat tours and cycling. This being said, keep in mind that this is also the busiest time of year, so visiting early in the day can help you enjoy the village before the crowds arrive.

Whatever season you choose, I recommend visiting on weekdays or early in the morning. This is because Giethoorn is a popular day trip from Amsterdam. This means that it often gets crowded in the weekends when everyone has time to explore. In addition, the early morning hours are typically still quite as many day trippers first arrive around 10 AM. Therefore, these times will offer a more serene experience, letting you enjoy Giethoorn’s charm at its best.

How to visit Giethoorn for a day trip

When planning a day trip to Giethoorn it’s important to figure out how to get here. Typically most visitors come on a day trip from Amsterdam, thus all options below will be based on how to get from Amsterdam to Giethoorn. Unfortunately, the village isn’t the easiest to get to with public transport (although it’s not impossible!), so I have outlined three options below!

By car:

Reaching Giethoorn by car is one of the most convenient ways to visit. This is because it offers flexibility and the ability to explore the surrounding countryside. Located approximately 120 kilometers (75 miles) northeast of Amsterdam, the drive takes about 1.5 hours via the A1 motorway.

As previously mentioned in this post, Giethoorn is a car-free village. However, there is a large parking lot right by the village that is completely free! When visiting, make sure to navigate to “Parkeerplaats Giethoorn“. It takes roughly 15 minutes to walk to the village center from the parking lot making it a convenient spot to park for the day. If you want to park even closer to the village then you can also park at “Middenbuurt P1“. Please note that this is a paid parking, and it costs roughly 6 euros for a day ticket.

If you’re looking to rent a car during your trip to the Netherlands then I highly recommend booking your rental through Sunny Cars! I have been using their services for years and have always had such a positive experience. Sunny Cars operates in most countries and always has the cheapest rates that I can find. In addition, they include unlimited mileage, cancellations up to 24 hours in advance, and the most comprehensive insurance package I have seen. Best of all, if you end up needing to pay your deposit for the car, Sunny Cars will refund it to you!

Book your rental with Sunny Cars here!

By public transport:

It is well known that getting from Amsterdam to Giethoorn by public transport is quite complicated. That being said, it’s totally doable! However, I would recommend that if you decide to visit Giethoorn by public transport, you at least spend a night here. Since the journey can take a few hours, it would be a shame to rush your visit. 

To get to Giethoorn from Amsterdam Centraal take the train to Zwolle. Once at Zwolle find bus number 70 and get off at Busstop Dominee Hylkemaweg in Giethoorn. This stop is the village center which will make it a convenient bus stop spot. When planning to arrive by public transport, plan for the jouney to take roughly 2.5 hours, with one way ticktes costing roughly 25 euros. Prior to your visit make sure to check the local 9292 Dutch public transport website for available trains and buses!  

By guided tour:

The last option, and perhaps the easiest way to visit Giethoorn is by booking a guided tour. This is actually how we visited and I thought it was perfect! By joining a guided tour you don’t need to worry about how to get to Giethoorn or where to park. In addition, when visiting independently, you often need book a boat in advance. This is because the whisper boats in Giethoorn are very popular to explore the canals. However, when you visit on a guided tour, then they have pre-booked the boats. That means that you can just enjoy your time without worry.

Personally, my favorite part about visiting with a guide was all of the extra information we got on the history of Giethoorn. Our guide provided us with information on the name Giethoorn (Goat Horns in English) and how it was formed. Additionally, if you visit on a day trip from Amsterdam, they will typically combine a visit to Giethoorn with another stop. This is a great way to get the most out of your money and time if you only have a few days in the Netherlands. You can find the exact tour we did here. In addition, I have listed the best rated tours below:

Where to stay when planning a day trip to Giethoorn

When planning a day trip to Giethoorn it makes most sense to stay in Amsterdam. Not only is this a great base to explore day trips in the Netherlands, but also most guided tours and trains run from here. This makes it the most convenient city to base yourself during your visit. 

That being said, if you want to explore Giethoorn for a longer time, I would recommend to consider staying there overnight. I would especially encourage this if you visit during the peak season. It is well known that Giethoorn can get extremely busy during the summer months during the daytime. This is because it is one of the best-rated day trips from Amsterdam – with good reason. Due to this, it could be a great idea to stay overnight to enjoy Giethoorn before and after the daytrippers have left! 

Things to do on a day trip to Giethoorn

1. Rent a Whisper Boat

The number one BEST thing to do in Giethoorn is to rent a whisper boat. The only way to properly explore Giethoorn is by boat. Therefore, you simply cannot visit without exploring the village from the water! There are lots of boat options available for a variety of prices. The most simple whisper boats start at around 25 euros per hour and have a capacity of up to 4 people. 

I would highly recommend booking your whisper boat of choice in advance. While it is possible to rent a boat upon your arrival, they may be sold out upon your arrival. Therefore, unless you are visiting well outside the peak season, I would encourage you to book it online. You can find the official site for boat rentals in Giethoorn here. 

2. Walk around Giethoorn

The second best activity in Giethoorn is walking around and exploring the village on foot. Giethoorn has around 180 bridges connecting the pathways over the canals. That being said, most bridges lead to private homes, so make sure not to trespass and look out for “private” signs. 

There is one main pathway in Giethoorn that runs through the entire village and it is also where all of the centrally located restaurants can be found. While it can get busy, I loved walking through Giethoorn just as much as I loved exploring it by water. The bridges offer amazing vantage points for photos, as well as the perfect people-watching spot. While in Giethoorn, make sure to explore the entire village both by boat and by foot. Even if you think you have seen it all one of the other way, I’m sure you will find new cute spots just like I did! 

3. Have a Picnic

When I imagine the perfect picnic spot, there aren’t many places that would be better than Giethoorn. The picturesque canals of Giethoorn make for the perfect backdrop for a picnic! There is a PLUS Supermarket just a few minutes from the village center you can stop at to get some fresh snacks and food. Alternatively, you could grab takeaway meals from one of the restaurants and open a blanket to enjoy your food with a view. 

If you are planning to have a picnic in Giethoorn, please first make sure you are not sitting on private property. Since most of the area is filled with private cottages, it’s important to ensure that you are not trespassing on private property. In addition, make sure that the place you pick does not disturb others, especially locals. If you are in doubt, you can always ask a local whether the spot you pick is ok. If the village center is too crowded, then you can also head to the large lake nearby for a quieter experience. 

4. Explore the Bovenwijde lake 

One of the prettiest places that most day trippers visiting Giethoorn miss is the Bovenwijde lake. Located just outside the village center this large lake offers lots of water activities such as renting a kayak, paddle boat, or even just going for a swim. In addition, if you find the village center starting to get busy, you can easily escape to this quiet nature haven. 

If you are interested in checking out the lake from the water, then you can find lots of rental options at Smit’s Paviljoen. Additionally, Smit’s Paviljoen offers lots of water activities such as paddle board lessons and treasure hunts by boat. You can find a list of all of the activities they offer here! if you aren’t interested in water sports, then the Pavilion is also a restaurant where you can enjoy some food or drinks with a view. 

5. Learn about the history of Giethoorn

If you visit Giethoorn on a guided tour, then you will be able to enjoy a short history lesson detailing how the village was created. However, if you plan an independent day trip to Giethoorn, then I would highly recommend checking out the Het Olde Maat Uus Museum. The museum goes over how the village was formed as well as how locals have lived here through the centuries. 

During the summer season, the museum is open daily from 11:00 to 17:00. Entrance costs 7.5 euros for adults and 2.5 euros for children between 4-12. 

That concludes my day trip to Giethoorn guide. While Giethoorn can be quite busy and underwhelming, I still think it’s a magical place to visit. Before planning your trip make sure to align expectations and try to arrive early in the day. Alternatively, consider staying overnight to experience this picturesque village. Personally, I loved my visit to Giethoorn and I hope that you will too! 

This post was all about a day trip to Giethoorn including how to visit & the best things to do.