# Giethoorn

Reed-thatched houses, each on its own island, linked by wooden bridges. Cars cannot enter the old centre: you arrive on foot, by bike or by boat.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/the-netherlands/giethoorn · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## Why does it have no streets?

Because the canals were dug for peat. For centuries, the villagers cut peat from the marshy ground and sold it as fuel. Every ditch they dug filled with water, and the ditches became canals and lakes. Peat and everything else moved by boat, so the houses were built facing the water, each on its own plot surrounded by canal and with its own bridge.

Today the old centre, along the Dorpsgracht, has no road: there is a path for pedestrians and bikes, and the canal. According to tradition, the name comes from the goat horns (geitenhoorns) that the first settlers found in the ground. The village lies inside the Weerribben-Wieden National Park, the largest peatland area in north-western Europe.

## How much time do I need?

Half a day is enough for a stroll and a boat trip of an hour and a half. If you stay overnight, you see the canal almost empty first thing in the morning and at dusk, which is when the village looks like the photos. With a second day, head out by bike or canoe in the national park.

## How do I get there?

There is no train. From Amsterdam, take a train to Steenwijk (about 90 minutes, sometimes changing at Zwolle) and bus 70 to the Dominee Hylkemaweg stop, ten minutes' walk from the canal. The bus also leaves from Zwolle, but runs only once or twice an hour. If you drive, park in the car parks at the entrance to the village: you cannot go into the centre.

## Where do I stay?

On the Beulakerweg, by the water, you will find the Hotel de Harmonie and the suites of De Lindenhof, the two-Michelin-star restaurant. For a tent, a caravan or a tiny house, the Dwarsgracht campsite, 3 km away, is open from April to September and hires out canoes at the door.

## Dónde está
- Zonas: Curious Places
- Cerca: Enkhuizen and Hoorn (a 60.9 km), Volendam and Marken (a 72.9 km), Edam (a 73.9 km), Muiden and Naarden (a 80.4 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Electric boat along the Dorpsgracht and Lake Bovenwijde** (2 h · All ages · From €20 an hour per boat): What it is
Giethoorn was made to be explored by boat: for centuries peat, hay and people moved along the canals, and the houses face the water. Today the normal thing is to hire a fluisterboot, a silent electric boat that needs no licence, and sail it yourself. It goes at about 5 km/h, is steered with a lever and a rudder, and at the jetty they explain in a few minutes how to handle it and the safety rules.
The classic route follows the Dorpsgracht, the canal that runs through the old centre from north to south, between reed-thatched houses, gardens and more than 170 bridges, almost all private. Then you head out onto the southern lakes, the Bovenwijde and the Zuideindigerwijde, which formed in the floods of 1775, 1776 and 1825 on land dug out by peat extraction. On the Bovenwijde there is an island, 't Eilandje, where boats stop and there is a bathing area.
Who hires them out and how much it costs
There are many boat hire businesses in the village. Two with published prices:

Grachthof Giethoorn, at Binnenpad 54, beside the canal in the centre: a small fluisterboot for 5 people from €20 an hour and a large one for 7 from €25. It also hires out sloepen and canoes. No deposit is required, dogs are allowed on board and there is free parking for customers (P2). You are given a map with colour-coded routes and their durations. It is currently open from 10:30 to 21:00 and closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays; confirm when you book.
Smit Giethoorn, at Zuiderpad 58, in the southern part of the village: a fluisterboot for 8 from €20 an hour, a deluxe fluisterboot for 5 from €25, an electric sloep for 6 from €30 and a deluxe sloep for 8 from €35. Its routes on the map range from 2 to 5 hours. It has free parking and is open Monday to Thursday from 9:00 to 20:00 and Friday to Sunday from 9:00 to 21:00. It also organises guided boat trips from €12.50 per person.

The fluisterboot is an open boat; the sloep is more stable and some have a roof, so it is better if you want to go out onto the lakes or if rain is threatening. Book online on each company's website to secure a time, especially on spring and summer weekends.
How long and which route
In an hour and a half or two hours you cover the whole Dorpsgracht and peek out onto a lake. With three hours or more you can cross the Bovenwijde, stop at the island and come back along quieter canals. Look at the map you are given: each operator marks routes with an estimated time, calculated sailing slowly through the village and a little faster on the lakes.
When to go
Set off early or late. Giethoorn receives between one and one and a half million visitors a year, and in season, at midday, the Dorpsgracht fills up with boats crossing and brushing against each other. Smit Giethoorn advises it too: get up early or go out late. Spring and September, on weekdays, are the most pleasant times. On the lakes you notice the wind; if it blows hard, stay on the canals.
Rules and safety
The gardens, jetties and bridges belong to the residents: do not moor where it is not allowed and do not step onto private plots. Give way calmly and do not throw anything into the water. With small children, ask for life jackets in their size and make sure they do not lean over the side in the narrow canals. If you have an afternoon to spare, walk round the village first along the Dorpsgracht footpath to decide where to sail.
How to get there
You cannot drive into the old centre: leave the car in the car parks at the entrance or at your operator's. By public transport, take a train to Steenwijk and the bus 70 or Giethoorn Express to the Dominee Hylkemaweg stop. There is a summary of the hire businesses under boat hire. For a meal by the water when you get back, Grachthof and Smit have terraces over the canal.
- **Walking the Dorpsgracht footpath** (1 h 30 · 4 km · With a pushchair · Independent · free): What it is
In the old centre of Giethoorn there is no street: there is a canal, the Dorpsgracht, and beside it a path for pedestrians and bikes. It runs from the Noordeinde, the northern end, to the Zuideinde, the south, via the Middenbuurt, and is only interrupted at the crossing with the Kerkweg. In the centre it is called Binnenpad; towards the south, Zuiderpad. Walking it is the simplest and free way to see the village: farmhouses with reed-thatched roofs, each on its own plot surrounded by water, neat gardens and wooden bridges, most of them private. Giethoorn has more than 170.
The canal exists because of the peat. The villagers cut it for centuries as fuel, the ditches filled with water, and the boat was for a long time the only transport. The traditional boat was the punter, about 6.30 metres long, which was pushed along with a pole; you will still see one moored here and there.
The walk
Start near the Dominee Hylkemaweg bus stop or the car parks at the entrance and look for the canal. Heading south along the Binnenpad, you pass the 't Olde Maat Uus museum, at number 52, a village farmhouse you can visit inside, and Grachthof, at 54, with a terrace over the water. Further south, along the Zuiderpad, the path continues to Smit Giethoorn, at 58, already close to the southern lakes.
The simplest is to go there and back the same way. Allow between one and two hours at a relaxed pace, with stops for photos. It is flat, of asphalt or brick, and suits a pushchair or wheelchair, although the arched bridges that cross the canal are quite steep.
Rules of the path
The path is shared with bikes: walk on your side and give way. The bridges and gardens leading to each house are private; do not cross where it says privé and do not sit on the neighbours' jetties. Giethoorn receives between one and one and a half million visitors a year in a small village where people live all year round.
When to go
First thing and at dusk the canal is almost empty and the light is soft. The excursion coaches arrive mid-morning and leave in the afternoon: between eleven and four, in season and at weekends, the path fills with people stopped on every bridge. On weekdays in spring or in September it is much quieter. In winter the walk stays open, with less atmosphere, and in a hard frost the canal can freeze.
With children and with a dog
With small children it is an easy walk, but the path runs right beside the water and has no railing: hold them by the hand or keep them in the pushchair. With a dog, keep it on a lead because of the bike traffic. If you want to add the water, hire an electric boat afterwards: after walking round the village you will know where you want to sail.
How to get there and where to park
You cannot drive into the old centre: leave the car in the car parks at the entrance to the village, beside the Binnenpad and the Beulakerweg. By public transport, take a train to Steenwijk and bus 70 to Dominee Hylkemaweg, about ten minutes on foot from the canal.
- **t Olde Maat Uus Museum** (1 h · Families · Adults €7.50, children aged 4 to 12 €2.50): What it is
The 't Olde Maat Uus museum, which now presents itself as Museum Giethoorn, tells how people lived in the village before the hire boats came. It occupies a traditional Giethoorn farmhouse at Binnenpad 52, beside the canal in the old centre, and its claim is clear: it is the only place where you can see inside an authentic village farmhouse. Around it are a small fisherman's cottage, a boat shed and a garden with a haystack frame, the wooden structure for storing hay, which every summer is the stage for a Midsummer's Eve concert.
It answers the question you will ask yourself while strolling: why the village is the way it is. The rooms explain peat extraction, which opened up the canals and the lakes, and Giethoorn's own customs, with stories told by the villagers themselves. There is a film, activities for children, a shop and a café corner.
The story of the house
In 1980 a group of villagers, the Gieters Comité, set out to save the history of the village with a museum in a farmhouse. After several attempts elsewhere, they bought the empty farmhouse at Binnenpad 52 from the Maat family: Hendrik Maat sold his birthplace on 6 May 1986, and that is where the name comes from, "the old Maat house". The farmhouse was in ruins; with heritage grants and about eight months of works it was restored, and the museum opened in May 1988.
The museum also keeps an image archive with some 30,000 photos and historic documents of the village. Until the end of January 2027 it has a temporary exhibition of watercolours and landscapes, "De poëzie van de natuur".
Opening hours
In winter, from 1 November to 31 March, it is open Friday to Monday, from 11:00 to 16:00; during the Christmas and spring school holidays it is open every day at the same hours. It is closed on 25 and 26 December and on 31 December and 1 January. The April to October hours are longer: check the museum's website before you go. Groups can visit outside opening hours by appointment.
Tickets
The fares, valid until 31 December 2026, are €7.50 for adults and €2.50 for children aged 4 to 12; under-4s enter free. With the Museumkaart, the Dutch museum card, admission is free. Groups of 20 to 40 people pay €5.50 per adult and €2 per child.
How long and how to get there
In an hour you see it unhurried, film included. The museum is on the Dorpsgracht footpath, so you arrive on foot or by bike along the Binnenpad, or by boat if you are sailing. You cannot drive into the old centre: leave the car in the car parks at the entrance to the village. By public transport, the bus 70 from Steenwijk drops you at the Dominee Hylkemaweg stop.
Right next door, at Binnenpad 54, is Grachthof, with a terrace over the canal and boat hire.
With children
It works well as a short stop before or after the electric boat: the farmhouse interior, the boat shed and the children's activities give them context for what they then see from the water. With the children's ticket at €2.50, it is a cheap family visit.
- **Canoeing in the Weerribben-Wieden National Park** (3 h 30 · 14 km · From about age 10 with an adult · Hire from €20): What it is
Giethoorn is on the edge of De Wieden, the southern half of the Weerribben-Wieden National Park: almost 11,000 hectares of lakes, reedbeds, hay meadows and swamp woodland born, like the village, from centuries of peat extraction. In a canoe or kayak you enter narrow canals where motorboats cannot go, and in a short while you leave the traffic of the Dorpsgracht behind. It is the way to see the natural side of the park: some 140 to 150 species of birds nest here, north of Giethoorn, in De Auken, there is a colony of purple herons and spoonbills, and with luck you may see an otter.
The Dwarsgracht route
Natuurmonumenten, which manages De Wieden, publishes the Dwarsgracht canoe route: 14 km and about 3 and a half hours. It starts from the Kanodorp Dwarsgracht, in the hamlet of the same name, on the outskirts of Giethoorn. On leaving you turn left, at the end right and right again to enter the Dwarsgracht canal, and from there you follow the route points in their free app.
You pass through Dwarsgracht, a former peat-cutters' settlement with houses on tiny islands, where the oldest ash tree in the Netherlands stands; through Jonen, another hamlet that can only be reached by water or by a small ferry; and beside the Grote Otterskooi, a former duck decoy of 30 hectares that is visited in summer on a guided boat tour. Nearby is the site of the submerged village of Beulake. The route has two points where you have to lift the canoe out of the water to carry it from one canal to another. You can extend it as far as the De Wieden visitor centre, in Sint Jansklooster.
If you prefer something shorter, the Kanodorp itself describes two routes, from Dwarsgracht to Giethoorn and from Dwarsgracht to Belt-Schutsloot, among villages, lakes and reeds.
Who hires them out

Kanodorp / Camping Dwarsgracht, at Cornelisgracht 42: canoes, kayaks and SUP boards, from €25 a day, with free parking. Natuurmonumenten recommends booking in advance. It also offers multi-day trips with a night in a cabin.
Grachthof Giethoorn, at Binnenpad 54, in the centre: a one- or two-person kayak and a Canadian canoe for two, from €20, with no deposit, a short explanation before you set off and free parking for customers. It is currently closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

When to go
From spring to early autumn, with long days and birds in the reedbeds. In summer, the village fills up at midday, but the canals in the park remain quiet. On the open lakes the wind raises short waves that are very tiring in a canoe: check the forecast and, in strong wind, stay on the narrow canals. If the weather changes suddenly, head for the bank and wait; the canals are always close by.
Who with
With teenagers it is the thing to do: they paddle, read the map and decide the route. With children of around 10 it works in a Canadian canoe with an adult, on short stretches. Ask for life jackets for everyone when you hire. Bring water, sun protection and something to eat. Natuurmonumenten does not admit dogs in De Wieden except on a limited basis: ask at the visitor centre beforehand. Drones are not allowed.
How to get there
Dwarsgracht is a few minutes by bike or car from the centre of Giethoorn; the Kanodorp has parking. If you come by public transport, the bus 70 drops you in Giethoorn and hiring at Grachthof saves you having to move around. To combine water and land, see the bike route to Dwarsgracht and Jonen.
- **Cycling through the peatlands to Dwarsgracht and Jonen** (2 h 30 · 23 km · Families): What it is
Giethoorn is best seen by boat, but the landscape that explains it is all around: the De Wieden peatlands, the southern half of the Weerribben-Wieden National Park. For centuries the villagers cut peat from this marshy ground; the ditches filled with water and became lakes, canals and narrow strips of land among the reeds. By bike you ride through that landscape on flat, almost car-free paths, and reach two hamlets that look like the Giethoorn of before the crowds: Dwarsgracht and Jonen.
The route step by step
It leaves from the centre of Giethoorn. In the village, cross the bridge, take the Cornelisgracht and follow the signs for Dwarsgracht. In a few kilometres you reach this peat-cutters' hamlet, with houses on tiny islands linked by bridges and the oldest ash tree in the Netherlands. Continue along paths between hay meadows and reedbeds to the Jonen ferry, a pontoon for pedestrians and cyclists that crosses the Walengracht canal in a few minutes. Jonen is a hamlet that can only be reached by water or by this crossing.
On the other side you can carry on towards Blokzijl, the old Zuiderzee port, or close the loop back to Giethoorn. The published loops via Dwarsgracht and the Jonen ferry come to about 23 km, in around two and a half hours with stops; if you add Blokzijl, they exceed 40 km.
The Netherlands signposts its cycle routes with a network of numbered junctions (fietsknooppunten): note down the sequence of numbers at the office or in an app and follow the green junction posts from crossing to crossing. Bring the map, because between canals it is easy to take the wrong bridge.
Difficulty, water and shade
Everything is flat. What tires you is the wind, which in this open area blows unobstructed: if you can, set off against the wind and come back with it behind you. There is little shade outside the stretches of swamp woodland, so in summer bring water and a cap. If it rains hard, Giethoorn and Blokzijl have cafés and restaurants where you can wait.
The Jonen ferry
It runs in season, from spring to autumn and only by day; according to the information in circulation, from April to October, roughly between 9:00 or 10:00 and 17:30 or 19:00 depending on the month. Confirm the fare and the timetable for the year with Visit Weerribben-Wieden before you set off, especially in spring or autumn. If it is closed, return the way you came.
Bike hire and when to go
Several businesses in the village hire bikes, among them the Kanodorp Dwarsgracht, which also hires canoes and is right on the route. Spring is the best time: the meadows fill with lapwings and curlews, and it is not hot. In September the paths are quiet.
With children and with a dog
With children it is a good route because it is flat and each stretch is short, but think about the wind on the way back. The paths run right beside the water and do not always have railings: keep an eye on little ones on the bridges. If you take a dog, in the Natuurmonumenten areas in De Wieden dogs are only admitted on a limited basis; find out beforehand.
How to get there and where to park
Leave the car in the car parks at the entrance and start from the centre. By public transport you arrive on the bus 70 from Steenwijk. If you want to combine, do the Dwarsgracht stretch by canoe through De Wieden and the rest by bike, on different days.

## Dónde comer
- **Grachthof Giethoorn** (Restaurant, Giethoorn, €€). Qué pedir: something to nibble on the terrace while the boats go by.
- **Smit Giethoorn** (Restaurant, Giethoorn, €€). Qué pedir: a simple meal and a coffee on the terrace.
- **De Lindenhof** (Restaurant, Giethoorn, €€€€). Qué pedir: the tasting menu.

## With young children: Flat, car-free and with a boat

Giethoorn is one of the few villages where a small child can walk without a car passing. The risk is the water: the path runs right beside the canal.

### What works best
A one-and-a-half-hour electric boat: they take the wheel for a while and do not get bored

The Dorpsgracht footpath, with a pushchair

The museum farmhouse, short and with animals and tools

### Where to sleep
A hotel on the Beulakerweg, so you do not depend on the car

### Where to eat
Terraces on the Binnenpad, with room for the pushchair

### Bear in mind
Life jackets in their size on the boat: ask for them when you hire

There is no railing along the canal

At midday in summer, the crowds on the path are tiring

### Qué hacer with young children
- Electric boat along the Dorpsgracht and Lake Bovenwijde
- Walking the Dorpsgracht footpath
- t Olde Maat Uus Museum

## As a family: A perfect day with children of all ages

In the morning, a boat; in the afternoon, a bike or canoe in the park. That way everyone gets their share of the day.

### What works best
A large boat for everyone, with the older ones at the helm

Bikes on the flat paths of the national park

Canoe on the narrow canals, away from traffic

### Where to sleep
One night in the village to set off by boat early

### Where to eat
Simple food with a terrace on the Binnenpad and the Zuiderpad

### Bear in mind
Book the boat online in July and August

Bring a waterproof: the weather changes fast

### Qué hacer as a family
- Electric boat along the Dorpsgracht and Lake Bovenwijde
- Walking the Dorpsgracht footpath
- t Olde Maat Uus Museum
- Canoeing in the Weerribben-Wieden National Park
- Cycling through the peatlands to Dwarsgracht and Jonen

## With teenagers: Let them take the helm and the paddle

The village itself can be seen in an hour. What hooks them is moving around on their own: the boat, the canoe and the bike.

### What works best
Sailing the electric boat, no licence needed

Canoeing on the narrow canals of the national park

Bike route to the hamlets of Dwarsgracht and Jonen

### Where to sleep
In the village, to have time for all three

### Where to eat
Canal terraces; something quick before the canoe

### Bear in mind
A stroll among crowds bores them: go early

The canoe needs an adult with them

### Qué hacer with teenagers
- Electric boat along the Dorpsgracht and Lake Bovenwijde
- Canoeing in the Weerribben-Wieden National Park
- Cycling through the peatlands to Dwarsgracht and Jonen

## Consejos

### Take a boat out before ten or after five
At midday in season, the Dorpsgracht is a traffic jam of boats bumping into each other.

### Book your boat online
Operators charge less online than at the jetty, and they hold your time slot.

### Walk round the village first
The canal path takes an hour and helps you decide where you want to sail.

### Use a bike to get out of the village
The paths in the national park are flat and car-free. Several companies in the village hire bikes.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### Do I need a licence to sail the boat?
No. The electric hire boats (fluisterboten) are sailed without a licence. They explain how to handle them at the jetty in five minutes.

### Can you drive in?
Not into the old centre. You park at the entrance and continue on foot, by bike or by boat. Some boat operators let their customers park for free.

### Can you go with small children?
Yes. The path is flat and children love the boat. Ask for life jackets in their size when you hire, and keep them in sight on the path, which runs right beside the water.

### Can you do it as a day trip from Amsterdam?
Yes, it is about two hours each way by public transport. It is worthwhile if you set off early; if you can, sleep there.

### How much does it cost to hire a boat?
From around €38 for an hour and a half for a small boat booked online. Larger ones, for ten or twelve people, cost more.