Giethoorn
Meet Giethoorn, a fairytale from the Netherlands. We are known as: the Dutch village without roads. Therefore, we as proud locals of the Dutch Venice, get around by boating, walking or cycling. Did you know that many tourists have explored our village before you? Also because of that, we want to show you what life is like in our village. With the aim, that you can visit us well prepared.
Hire a local to show you all the best spots in our village. Private tour guide service.
Plan your trip
We provide you with relevant info. So, you can make your own plan to visit Giethoorn.
Practical
Accommodation
Transportation
How to get to Giethoorn by train
NS trainstation Zwolle
Travel to NS train station Zwolle. There you can take bus nr 70 from Zwolle to Giethoorn.
NS trainstation Steenwijk
Travel to NS train station Steenwijk. There you can take the bus nr 70 or bus nr 270 from Steenwijk to Giethoorn.
Giethoorn how to get there by car
Google, The location of one of our parkings
for your exact location. Remember that, parking inside this Dutch village is not possible. Most of the parkings in our village are free of charge.
Flights to Giethoorn Netherlands
Our village has no airport. So, the focus should be on Schiphol airport or Eindhoven airport. Travel from there by car, train or bus to Giethoorn.
Giethoorn day tour from Amsterdam
This is a day tour by bus. Costs per person are around EU89. Pick-up at your hotel in Amsterdam around 10.00 A.M for a bus tour. Guided cruise in Giethoorn included. At 16.00 P.M the bus leaves back to Amsterdam. At 18.00 P.M you are back at your hotel in Amsterdam.
Private tour guide
This private tour is for groups up to 8 people. Costs per mini-bus around EU 350. Pick-up at your hotel in Amsterdam around 10.00 A.M for a private tour from Amsterdam to Giethoorn by mini-bus. Boat tour is not included. At 14.00 P.M the mini-bus leaves back to Amsterdam. At 15.30 P.M you are back at your Amsterdam hotel.
Private boat tour
A private guided tour in a sloop boat is for groups up to 12 persons. Costs per hour starts at EU100 for a small group. You will sail through the Venice of Netherlands in an old Dutch sloop boat. Your private captain will guide you through our village. During the boat tour your captain will tell you all special things about the venice of Netherlands. In combination with a private tour from Amsterdam to Giethoorn discounts are possible.
Rent a boat
To really discover our village, you need a boat to sail around and
to feel like a local. You can rent a boat at 1 of our 25 different boat rental companies. The cheapest boats are the 'fluisterboot' type. These are suitable for 2 to 4 people and the costs start at EU15 per hour. For a little more comfort, there are open sloop boats for rent. It is also possible to rent a canoe or a sup board.
Canal cruise
The guided cruise boat tour takes about 1 hour and follows the tourist village route, through the narrow canals and under the bridges. Most 
skippers who sail on these tour boats, speak several languages spoken by the skippers. The prices of these cruises vary from EU6 to EU12 per tour per person. This depends partly on the season.
Private boat tour
This is private guided boat tour in an open sloop boat for groups up to 12 persons. Costs per hour starts at EU100 for a small group. You will sail through the Venice of Netherlands in an old Dutch sloop boat. Your private captain will guide you through our village. During the boat tour your captain will tell you all special things about the Dutch Venice.
Boatrental Giethorn
Boatrental Giethoorn
Bootverhuur Arendshorst
Bootverhuur Broer
Dames van de jonge
De Grachthof
De Harmonie
De Kruumte
De pergola
De Rietstulp
Fam Heida
Geythoorn
Fanfare Giethoorn
Hollands Venetie
Koppers
M.S. van den Heuvel
Resort Venetie
Oort-seinen
Otterskooi (Dwarsgracht)
Smit Giethoorn
Smits Paviljoen
Wildeboer
Zuideinde
Zwaantje Giethoorn
Restaurants are well represented in our village. Most restaurants cater to the Dutch visitor. However, there are also restaurants that specifically cater to the foreign tourist. Conclusion, tastes too over.
Burgers & grill
Brasserie de Pergola
d'Olde Smidse
Dames van de Jonge
De eetkamer van Giethoorn
De Grachthof
De Harmonie
De Kruumte
De Rietstulp
De Witte hoeve
Grand cafe Fanfare
Het wapen van Giethoorn
Het Zwaantje Giethoorn
Hollands Venetie
La Piccola Venezia
Otterskooi
Restaurant 't Binnenhof
Ristoranta Fratelli
Smit Giethoorn
Smits Paviljoen
Resort Venetie
Snackbar Geythorn
Steakhouse
Vishandel Gerrits & de Boer
Dutch canal village
Dutch Venice of the Netherlands
Dutch water village
Little Venice
Geithoorn
Giethoorn Holland
Giethoorn Netherlands
Giethorn
Venice of Netherlands
Venice of the North
Village without cars
Village without roads
Meet Giethoorn
We would like to introduce our village to you as locals. This small Dutch town, is located in the Northeastern part of the Netherlands. It is 85 minutes drive by car from Amsterdam to Giethoorn. Amsterdam is our capital city of the Netherlands. Yearly 1 million people from all over the world are visiting this town of no roads. Therefore, Geithoorn is ranked in the top 10 of cities being visited in the Netherlands. This Dutch village is well known in the Netherlands but also far beyond. In conclusion, it is hard to name a country, where nobody from that country, has visited the Dutch Venice of the Netherlands. Giethoorn has many nicknames. For example: 'Venice of the North', 'Dutch village without roads' or 'Dutch Venice'.
Giethoorn or Giethoorn village?
The part of our village that most foreign tourists will see when they visit us is called: 'Giethoorn village'. This part of our village contains all little islands which are connected by 176 bridges to the mainland. In fact, on all these islands, there are houses (farmhouses) which are built in the 18th and 19th centuries. A walking/cycling path named: 'Binnenpad' runs right trough this area. Tourist shops and restaurants (which are well represented) are interspersed with typical Dutch houses with thatched roofs.
Village without roads
This Dutch village has no roads in the center. Therefore, we speak of a village without cars. Visitors and residents of Geithoorn have to park their car outside the Dutch village on special parkings. That's unique in the Netherlands. However, this car-free area is also referred to the commercial heart of Giethoom. For instance, places where you can rent whisper boats, board a guided cruise, enter a restaurant or visit a museum are all in this village of Giethoorn area. This cycling/foot path ''reffered as'' (Binnenpad) is like walking on a film set. We live in a social media era. Therefore, it is sometimes necessary to wait for your turn to get that perfect picture of that roof thatched house. Above all, your social friends must of course be impressed by your holiday photos. Therefore, is the village of Giethoom our most favorite Netherlands village of all Dutch villages we know.
Venice of Netherlands
All these roof thatched houses are often surrounded by deep green well-kept lawns with beautiful flowering hydrangeas. So, in combination with the many waterways with rows of weeping willows along the canals and the 176 bridges you imagine yourself in a romantic fairy tale. However, this town without streets, is one of the top-10 tourist locations in Netherlands. In other words, you are never alone when you visit the Venice of Netherlands.
Dutch cities nearby
Bigger cities like: Zwolle, Steenwijk, Heerenveen and Meppel are located near Giethoorn.