Giethoorn Travel Guide

  The Dutch Venice
by Nathalie_B
  • The Dutch Venice
      The Dutch Venice
    by Nathalie_B
  • Canal and bridge, Giethoorn
      Canal and bridge, Giethoorn
    by nighthawk
  • GIETHOORN
      GIETHOORN
    by ATLC
  •   Giethoorn
    by FlyingDutchmen
  •   Giethoorn
    by FlyingDutchmen

Pro

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 Cars are not allowed in the village 


Con

pieter_jan_v profile photo

 Muddy waters 


In a nutshell

Nathalie_B profile photo

 You want to see different and yet typical Netherlands? Try Giethoorn, you'll enjoy every moment of it! 

 

Explore Giethoorn

Things to Do  

Go boating

Go boating, Giethoorn

 nighthawk Says:  There s but one thing that most people do when in Giethoorn: they rent a boat.We got ourselves a so called 'whisper' boat.Be aware, during vacation time and weekend it can be hard to find a boat, so be early. 

Exploring the countryside

Exploring the countryside, Giethoorn

 Nathalie_B Says:  As we rented a tiny house (schuurtje) for the long weekend, our reservation included bicycles as well. They even included a map with explanations and suggestions for a trip. Little we knew leaving the house in the morning that that day will remind me of home- Israel. Over 30... 

Hotels  

Hotel De Jonge

 1 Review and 9 Opinions  Besides being a hotel, De Jonge also provides food for the hungry. Although it was a bit of a long... 

Hotel de Harmonie

 1 Review and 14 Opinions  First of all I need to say that I didn't stay in this hotel, but I visited it's cafe while biking in... 

Restaurants  

Bull's: Food can't get any better than this

Bull's: Food can't get any better than this, Giethoorn

 Nathalie_B Says:  On the first day of our visit to Giethoorn we decided to check out some local restaurants. Since we were biking in the countryside all day long we didn't feel like going far and reading every menu of all the restaurants in town. Bull's was the closest one to our rented... 

Smit's: The waterside pavillion

Smit's: The waterside pavillion, Giethoorn

 ATLC Says:  During my teens I spent a punter holiday in Giethoorn and we'd always end up here after a day of sailing and games. I just had to have hot chocolate and whipped cream this time, just like in the old days.Pavillion Smit's goes back to the 1930s when farmer Teunis Gerrits Smit... 

Smit's Paviljoen: At the edge of the Bovenwijde lake

Smit's Paviljoen: At the edge of the Bovenwijde lake, Giethoorn

 pieter_jan_v Says:  Smit's Paviljoen becames famous by its prominent appearance in the Dutch movie "Fanfare" by Bert Haanstra.It's an ever busy place and from the terras you have a wonderful view over the Bovenwijde lake. Any refreshment! 

Smit's: A stopover for ice cream and beer

Smit's: A stopover for ice cream and beer, Giethoorn

 Nathalie_B Says:  Smit's is a nice cafe-restaurant situated on a pier. Boating in the lake we were fairly tired, thirsty, and sunburned. Cold beer, ice coffee, or milkshake sounded really good. But Smit's serve neither milkshakes nor ice coffees, so I sattled for ice cream with strawberries.... 

Transportation  

Whisper boat

Whisper boat, Giethoorn

 Nathalie_B Says:  Whisper boats are the unique transportation of Giethoorn. Since sailing along the canals is the only way to explore this town boat/canoe rental buisnesses are very popular there. Whisper boat gets its name from its silent motor operated by two huge batteries located under... 

Take the waterbus!

Take the waterbus!, Giethoorn

 Roeffie Says:  For those people that are not confident about their boating capabilities: Take the boattour in one of the many places wher you can get on board of these guided boattours. Usually it takes abour 1h30 mins to get around the town. 

Shopping  

Along the water: Ice cream

Along the water: Ice cream, Giethoorn

 nighthawk Says:  We just 'parked' our boat along the water and Bert and eldest hopped off to buy us some icecream.Second child was told to keep the boat along the shore and was determined to do it right.I of course, had to photograph ;-) 

museumshop De Oude Aarde: fossils, stones, minerals.......

museumshop De Oude Aarde: fossils, stones, minerals......., Giethoorn

 tompt Says:   Buy a stone ball, let it be cut and be surprised. Kids can also cut the stone themselves. After it is opened the people selling it will tell you what crystals are inside.The stones are formed by a vulcano. The outside is lava, and the heat formed crystals inside before it... 

Local Customs  

Water lilies everywhere

Water lilies everywhere, Giethoorn

 Nathalie_B Says:  Water lilies are very typical flowers in the Giethoorn's landscapes. Whether in canals or just ponds you'll see those flowers all over. Especially it is beautiful to see the many private houses that stand on, or close to, the water surrounded by ponds of white and pink water... 

Traditonal Boats of Giethoorn!

Traditonal Boats of Giethoorn!, Giethoorn

 Roeffie Says:  Originally transport in Giethoorn is and was the "Punter" It is a typical kind of boat for this region.There are several different punters, such as sail punters, like the one on the picture!But what most people mean when they say Punter is the boat where you sail by putting... 

Warnings and Dangers  

Punter traffic

Punter traffic, Giethoorn

 ATLC Says:  It can be quite busy on the canals in Giethoorn. A sign here says: give way to traffic from the left.The canals are narrow so it takes some steermanship to not get into trouble with other boats. 

Steering the boat

Steering the boat, Giethoorn

 nighthawk Says:  Husband was done with steering so I got on the steering wheel ... boy! that wasn t as easy as it looked! Moved over the water like a drunk dragonfly ... yelled at hubby he could steer again ... far too scary!The kids did not mind at all, they thought it quite funny. 

Oooops!

Oooops!, Giethoorn

 nighthawk Says:  Don t try to hang on too long.....Haha, this guy was boating with some firends, and I think they drank more than just lemonade ;-)His friends just left him hanging here and too bad this bloke was as trained as he was .. he just used his arms to get on land... we were so... 

Sports & Outdoors  

Rent a boat or a canoe

Rent a boat or a canoe, Giethoorn

 nighthawk Says:  The main attraction of Giethoorn of course is the water and there are several places where one can rent a boat or a canoe.We did not rent our boat here, that is because we wanted a so called 'whisper' boat, a boat that s powered by a motor that makes little noise. Not... 

BOATING

BOATING, Giethoorn

 pieter_jan_v Says:  A Giethoorn trip cannot be complete without making a boat tour.You can rent boats everywhere; here are some websites:Broer boat rental traditional sailing boatsGroenewegen whisperboatsDe KruumteSmit whisperboats & canoesZuideinde canal boat tourZwaantje whisperboats 

Favorites  

Tourist information Giethoorn

Tourist information Giethoorn, Giethoorn

 ATLC Says:  Unfortunately the Tourist Information website is only in Dutch and German.They do have an office in Giethoorn.Address:Eendrachtsplein 18355DL GiethoornTel: 0900-5674637Fax: 0521-360565Email: giethoorn@kopvanoverijssel.nlTourist Information Giethoorn website 

USEFUL GIETHOORN LINKS

USEFUL GIETHOORN LINKS, Giethoorn

 pieter_jan_v Says:  General Giethoorn linksDiscover GiethoornKop van Overijssel 

The Local Tourist Office

The Local Tourist Office, Giethoorn

 pieter_jan_v Says:  VVV GiethoornBeulakerweg 114a8355 AL Giethoorntel: 0900-5674637fax: +31-521-362281email: giethoorn@kopvanoverijssel.nl 

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Map of Giethoorn