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Giethoorn Cruises & boat tours

Our most recommended Giethoorn Cruises & boat tours

Giethoorn: Village & National Park Canal Cruise with Drinks

1. Giethoorn: Village & National Park Canal Cruise with Drinks

Join a cruise on an e-boat through Giethoorn to experience the tranquility of the village, and peek into Weerribben-Wieden National Park from the water. Get the most out of your trip with a tour guide, and enjoy drinks included onboard. Board the electric boat and set off through the labyrinth of Giethoorn's canal system. Hear about the history and traditions of the mostly car-free village from your local skipper, and admire the idyllic scenery on the route. Then, cruise along the Weerribben-Wieden National Park to take in the serene natural surroundings. Enjoy a cup of coffee, tea, or lemonade as you sit back and discover the charming area.

Amsterdam: Giethoorn & Enclosing Dike Day Trip w/ Boat Tour

2. Amsterdam: Giethoorn & Enclosing Dike Day Trip w/ Boat Tour

Climb aboard an air-conditioned coach and travel through a typical Dutch landscape for 1.5 hours en route to the picturesque town of Giethoorn. Experience how the Dutch people live with, and on, the water upon arrival, and set off to explore on foot and by boat. Enjoy the peace and quiet of a town where cars are forbidden and little has changed over the centuries. Admire the many types of boats in the town, from gondolas to punters and flat-bottom vessels used as transportation on the canals. Cruise past the skillfully restored farmhouses on a 1-hour boat trip, and get some free time for lunch and to explore on your own. Get tips from your guide on what to see and where to eat. Continue to the Enclosing Dike (Afsluitdijk), the 32-kilometer dike connecting the provinces of North Holland and Friesland. The Netherlands is famed the world over for the way it deals with water management. Admire the Afsluitdijk, built to tame what was formerly the Zuiderzee (now the Ijsselmeer lake), and a prime example of Dutch water prowess.

From Amsterdam: Giethoorn Day Trip by Bus and Electric Boat

3. From Amsterdam: Giethoorn Day Trip by Bus and Electric Boat

Explore Giethoorn on a guided day tour from Amsterdam by bus and electric boat. Admire the charming canals and traditional homes as you cruise along the water. Wander along the narrow footpaths and bridges and get a sense of local life as you explore. Depart Amsterdam and travel to the enchanting village of Giethoorn in the north of the Netherlands. Explore a village notable for its many canals and complete lack of roads. Upon arrival, explore the fairy-tale village, where only 2,700 people live, on a 1-hour guided boat tour in English. Experience the idyllic scenery from a unique perspective on a leisurely trip through the canals. Watch people punt the traditional flat-bottom boats over the canals as you go. Although most transport in the village is by water, there is also now a cycling path. So, after your boat tour, explore the beautifully preserved village by bike or on foot. See how each farmhouse is built on a small man-made island. Wander the narrow footpaths to discover more than 180 bridges, and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the village. 

Amsterdam: Giethoorn, Volendam, and Zaanse Schans Tour

4. Amsterdam: Giethoorn, Volendam, and Zaanse Schans Tour

See three different regions of the Netherlands with pickup and drop-off from Hotel ibis Amsterdam Centre. Sample local cheeses, enjoy lunch, dress up and take pictures, and take a cruise in Giethoorn. First, start with a visit to the 17th-century village, Zaanse Schans. See windmills from the country's industrial background, and stroll among the green residences. Then visit a factory that makes the popular clogs in this region of the Netherlands.  Before continuing to Volendam, stop at Catharina Hoeve Farm, where you can sample cheese and learn how its made. In Volendam, see brightly-painted wooden buildings and residents dressed in vibrant regional clothing. Your guide will lead you on a brief stroll around Volendam harbor.  Pick up souvenirs and gifts for friends and family back home, and take photographs in traditional Dutch costumes. Stop for a local lunch, then continue to Giethoorn in the northeastern Netherlands, known as the "Venice of the North". See the numerous canals and lack of motorways in Giethroon. During a 1-hour guided boat trip, you'll learn about this fairy-tale village with less than 3,000 residents. Next, stroll through the preserved village.  Finally, explore the village's small footpaths to find hundreds of bridges and take in the tranquil ambiance before returning to Amsterdam.

From Amsterdam: Giethoorn & Zaanse Schans Tour w/ Boat Ride

5. From Amsterdam: Giethoorn & Zaanse Schans Tour w/ Boat Ride

Explore Zaanse Schans, an open-air museum in the Netherlands on a day tour from Amsterdam. See the cheese farm, clog factory, and more before a cruise tour through Giethoorn. You will pass through the small canals, beautiful houses, and cobbled stone lanes of the Dutch village. Your experience begins as your guide meets you near Amsterdam's Central Station, from where you travel to the typical Dutch windmill village of Zaanse Schans. Zaanse Schans is an open-air museum complete with a cheese farm, clog factory, diamond museum, bakery museum, and Kuiperij, where barrels were made to transport goods, green timber houses, traditional crafts, and windmills. Next, head to the unique Dutch village of Giethoorn, heading further north out of Amsterdam. As you travel, listen to learn about the history and significant elements in the Giethoorn region. The journey will take roughly 2 hours, with a break included ensuring a pleasant journey. Giethoorn is beautiful in all seasons and contains a simple beauty that hardly seems real. Discover this as you glide gently through its small canals, passing old but pretty thatched-roof farmhouses. Your captain will serve as a guide throughout this 1-hour boat trip around town. Get to know everything about Giethoorn, with extra time after your boat trip to walk or bike along a narrow footpath, or to learn how to operate the ''whisper boat'', an electric-motor boat. In the evening, arrive back in Amsterdam's center with the rest of your night to look forward to.

Giethoorn: Private Guided Canal Cruise with Coffee and Tea

6. Giethoorn: Private Guided Canal Cruise with Coffee and Tea

During the cruise you will sail with your own private group ( max 25 passengers) through the centre of the village Giethoorn. The boat which fit for max 48 people is all yours so you have enough space to make beautiful pictures. During the cruise, the captain will tell you about the history of the village and some specific characteristics of old farm houses and special buildings. The tour boat sails underneath the many bridges and alongside the old farmhouses. To make a circle, the boat will also sail over the lake of Giethoorn. On this lake, the captain will tell you about the history of this lake and why this lake played a key role in the history of the village. You will sail in a tour boat of about 12 meters long which is benefit with benches and tables. The Tour boat is covered so you will be dry on a rainy day. On a hot and sunny summer day, you will be sitting in the shadow. Each table in the boat has its own window which can be opened and closed by yourself. Would you like to make beautiful pictures? No problem. You can open the window by yourself. Do you think it is a bit windy and because of that a bit cold. Then you can close the window again.

Giethoorm & Exploring the North of The Netherlands Tour

7. Giethoorm & Exploring the North of The Netherlands Tour

Your private guide will drive you directly to the picturesque village of Giethoorn ( 75min ). The centre of the village is car-free so the only way to get around is by boat or on foot. Your guide will transform himself into your captain and welcome you on board a typical 'punter', a small Dutch flat bottomed boat designed to sail in shallow waters for a private one hour tour through Giethoorn. After you're back on dry land you'll join your guide for a short walking tour giving you another perspective on this picture perfect little village. After leaving Giethoorn you'll drive through the countryside to Hasselt, a storybook village off the beaten path. In Hasselt you'll wander with your guide through the old town’s cobblestone streets, learn about its history and why it's named 'Little Amsterdam'.

Giethoorn: Private Day Trip with Boat Tour from Amsterdam

8. Giethoorn: Private Day Trip with Boat Tour from Amsterdam

Start this tour from your hotel or any other desired location where you will be picked up by your personal guide and driver. From here, drive to the picturesque town of Giethoorn. You will embark on a private walking tour of Giethoorn where you will be shown all the sights. Explore the beautiful Dutch countryside and its many waterways and small farmhouses. After your private walking tour, set sail on a 1-hour boat tour of Giethoorn. This way you will be able to authentically explore the village as the only way to get around the center is by boat. Following your boat tour you will have the option to have some free time to explore the village yourself, take some pictures and visit the many small shops. Since it is a private tour the guide is very flexible and will customize the tour to your needs. After the visit of Giethoorn the guide will bring you back to your hotel in Amsterdam.

From Amsterdam: Private Tour to Giethoorn with Canal Cruise

9. From Amsterdam: Private Tour to Giethoorn with Canal Cruise

Explore Giethoorn, called the “Little Venice of the Netherlands”, on this 6-hour private sightseeing tour. Begin with a convenient pickup at your hotel in Amsterdam and head to Giethoorn, a village in the north of the country.  This town is full of thatched-roof farms that are connected by more than 170 wooden bridges. Explore this unique townscape either by sailing a boat yourself or joining a canal cruise. On the water, your guide will share information about the history and culture of Giethoorn. After taking in the sights, you can take a seat in one of the town’s many restaurants for lunch.

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Other Sightseeing Options in Giethoorn

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What people are saying about Giethoorn

We have loved the excursion. Giethoorn has been the most beautiful town I have seen in the Netherlands. It is very different from any other place you can find, it seems like a fairy tale. The guide explains everything great, you learn a lot with him and, in addition, he is very funny. The bus ride is very comfortable and you have views of the pastures, the sheep, the cows... At the dike you have half an hour, enough to see the North Sea and the lake, and in Giethoorn 2 hours to walk around the town , which is tiny. The boat ride is very cool and they take you to a lake full of swans. I would repeat and recommend this experience if you are going to spend several days in Amsterdam.

Such a cute fairytale like village!! Definitely 100% recommend!! This is a once in a lifetime experience and should be on every bucket list, it is one of the cutest places I’ve ever been!! Ig: @ cassieofearth for pics and YouTube : Cassandra Beatrice for video :)

It worked for me as I just needed something peaceful. I believe there is more that can be explored and given from this trip as there is so much beauty.

The boat trip is really nice and the tour guide is informative and interesting.

It was wonderful and the treatment was the best! I highly recommend it!