Boating Around Giethoorn, the Netherlands
- Brooke
- May 21, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 12, 2022
Some places feel like they belong in a fairy tale. Giethoorn, located in the eastern part of the Netherlands, is one such location, where its idyllic setting coupled with charming architecture and gardens, canals perfectly suited to a slow paced boat ride, and pedestrian friendly sidewalks and bridges that straddle the tiny canals make it look like it was plucked right from a picture book.
However, even though it doesn't seem like it should exist, Giethoorn does, and welcomes visitors for day trips or overnight stays. You won't be needing a car once you get to the town, so bring comfy walking shoes, your affinity for puttering down small waterways, a good camera, and maybe a pair of binoculars to keep an eye out on all the potential birding opportunities you're sure to experience.
Named after the discovery of hundreds of goat horns in the marshland by its first settlers, most of Giethoorn is completely cut off from all automobile traffic, making it the perfect place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the Netherland's bigger cities. I first heard of Giethoorn from those somewhat annoying videos on social media that claim each place as "the cutest city ever!" or "you'll never believe this amazing place exists!" Sure, my posting here will only affirm that idea, but truth be told, I've been to some of the places in those videos and more than the occasional one is a let down. Referred to as a "Venice of Holland," I worried that Giethoorn would almost certainly be another one of those too. However, my affinity for boating supersedes any and all concerns for cuteness/letdown factors, so for one of Ben's only 3 days in the Netherlands, we took a chance that Giethoorn would live up to the hype.
Any time I hear of a town/city referred to as "The Venice of the <<fill in the blank>>" I am always skeptical. Venice is its own entity - there is no other Venice like Venice, and throwing some canals into a city does not make it Venetian in the slightest. I grew up in a town on the Jersey Shore that has canals. My former residence Lahaina, Maui used to have canals that they called the "Venice of the Pacific." Bruges, with its charming canals, is also referred to as a "Venice of the so-and-so." None of these places in any way shape or form resemble the magical Italian city, that seems to exist against all odds and logical thinking. Giehthoorn is nothing like Venice - except that it has canals with boats in them.
Now, with that out of the way, Giethoorn is still an absolutely charming and amenable place to spend an afternoon, or perhaps even a bit longer (I personally hope to do a weekend there at some point and enjoy more of the town). But don't go there anticipating it to be compared to somewhere else, especially a place as formidable as Venice - just enjoy it for what it is, and you'll undoubtedly be delighted.
Giethoorn offers canal cruises on larger boats, but we did not have this in mind when we were planning our afternoon. Instead, as someone who grew up with their own small boat on the Jersey Shore, I much prefer to be the master of my own destiny on the open seas (or, in this case, inland lakes and canals). Therefore, we were going to rent our own boat.
My goal when going to Giethoorn, then, was to take a cruise through the canals at our own pace. It turns out that there are various independent boat tours you can take - traffic moves in one direction, helping to avoid accidents in the narrow waterways - and you can determine if you'd like to just putt-putt through the town or head out into the larger lake/marshlands for more time on the water.
We opted to rent a whisper boat from Boot Thuren Giethoorn (Rent-A-Boat Giethoorn), located not too far into the town. We sprang for the 3 hour tour (though I had originally booked the 4 hours), due to our arriving in town a little later than anticipated. Besides, 3 hours, I think, was plenty of time to do all that we really wanted to do on the water. There are full day options, which could be fun if you want to fish or not be in such a rush to do a "tour," but for us, the 3 hours (€45 in 2018) worked out perfectly.
Our tour followed the yellow line, through the town and out into the bigger lake, followed by an exploration of the wetlands beyond. After we finished boating, we sprang for a quick tea and strawberry covered waffle at 't Zwaantje, and did a brief bit of window shopping at some of the adorable stores along the canals.
After all was said and done, Giethoorn did manage to live up to the hype. Cutest city ever? Hmm, maybe, maybe not. Perhaps, though, that's not the point. It really was a charming little corner of the world where you couldn't help but feel that you were in the middle of a picture book sprung to life, each new corner more admirable than the last. Whether you're looking for Holland's best version of Venice, or just a relaxing afternoon in a uniquely Dutch locale, Giethoorn is definitely worth testing whether or not it lives up to expectations.
In our case, it did just that.
The Three Hour Tour...
Getting to Giethoorn:
The drive takes about an hour and a half from Amsterdam, but we opted to do a loop from Alkmaar, making the drive a bit longer. For those without a car, there are public transportation options, though that was not what we used and can't speak for its efficiency.
For those who have a car, we found parking right outside of town on Kerkweg/Binnenpad, and then walked to our boat rental company. The canal side streets are perfect for a stroll or bike ride, so come prepared for either or both.
Boat rentals range the gamut from whisper boats (slow moving motor boats) to kayaks/canoes, to punting boats, sailboats, and just about any small, no-wake modes you can imagine. Various companies offer rentals, so poke around online and see which one will work for you. We were pleased with the one we rented, and would recommend them. See the link above.
Comments