Discover the Netherlands
Giethoorn, without the day-trip rush
A village with canals instead of roads, two hours north-east of Amsterdam. We go for the whole day so you are still there when everyone else has gone home.
Ten hours, and why it needs to be ten
Giethoorn is 120 kilometres from Amsterdam. The coach day trips manage it in eight hours, which leaves roughly two and a half hours in the village, arriving at the same time as everyone else. That is where the photographs of crowded canals come from.
We give the drive its due — around two hours each way — and then stay. You are on the water in the early afternoon and walking the village at four, when the day trips have left and it becomes the place in the photographs again.
The route, with times
Pickup at your hotel
An early start, because the point of this day is the end of it.
Optional stop
The Afsluitdijk causeway, Elburg's fortified walls or Zwolle, depending on what interests you. About 45 minutes.
Arrive in Giethoorn
We park at the quiet end of the village rather than the main car park.
Walk the north end
The older, less photographed half, where people actually live. Wooden footbridges and thatched farmhouses.
Lunch
Several canal-side places. The one with the terrace over the water is worth the wait.
Your private whisper boat
An hour on the canals in an electric boat, your group alone. Steer it yourself or we arrange a skipper.
The village, quietly
This is the part the day trips never get. The coaches leave around three and the place changes completely.
Drive back
Two hours, with a coffee stop if you want one.
Back at your hotel
Door to door.
What is included
- Private Mercedes V-Class and driver for 10 hours
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Amsterdam
- A private whisper boat for your group, about one hour
- Fuel, tolls, parking and all road costs
- One stop of your choosing on the way
What is not included
- Lunch and drinks
- Museum entry in the village
- Gratuity
Questions
Is Giethoorn worth the drive?
Two hours each way is a real commitment, and we would rather be straight about it. If you have three days in the Netherlands, spend one of them closer to Amsterdam. If you have a week, or if the photos of Giethoorn are the reason you came, it is worth the day. We wrote a longer answer in our guide.
Is the boat included?
Yes. A private electric whisper boat for your group, roughly an hour on the canals. You can steer it yourself or we arrange a skipper, whichever you prefer.
When is it quietest?
Before eleven in the morning and after four in the afternoon. Our timing is built around being there for the second of those windows, which is when the day-trip coaches have left and the village empties.
Can we stop somewhere on the way?
Yes, and it costs nothing extra. The Afsluitdijk, the fortified town of Elburg and the Hanseatic city of Zwolle are all roughly on the route. Tell us which appeals and we will fit it in.