Day trip from Amsterdam Giethoorn
A village of canals, footbridges and thatched farmhouses in the north-east of the Netherlands, about two hours from Amsterdam by coach.
Is Giethoorn worth a day trip from Amsterdam?
Only with a tour.
Take the tour or skip it. By public transport you need a train to Steenwijk with one change, at least 1 hour 35 minutes, then bus 70, which runs once or twice an hour, then a ten-minute walk. That is 2 to 2.5 hours each way and about € 58 return. The coach tour costs from € 59, takes two hours each way and includes the canal boat, which is the point of going. Either way you travel four hours for about three in the village, and on summer weekends the canals are packed with rental boats.
The decision sheet
- Travel time
- 2 hby tour coach; 2-2.5 h by train and bus · one way · Trainline (NS timetable)
- Transport
- Tour coach
- Self-guided cost
- € 58Train to Steenwijk and bus 70, return. The village is free; a boat is extra · Amsterdam Explorer (Giethoorn transport guide)
- Tour price
- From € 59Civitatis catalogue
- Time needed
- 3–4 hDaytripo editorial
- Closed days
- Not verified yet
- Best time
- May-Jun and Sep, on a weekdayDaytripo editorial
- Verdict
- Only with a tourDaytripo editorial
What to see and do in Giethoorn
- 01
The canal boat ride
About an hour through the village canal and onto the shallow Bovenwijde lake, passing under low wooden bridges. On the tour it is a covered boat with a skipper, and the centre of the visit.
- 02
The Binnenpad
The footpath beside the main canal, roughly 2 km long, past thatched farmhouses on their own small islands. Each house has a private bridge. Walk a stretch in each direction, 45 minutes in all.
- 03
Museum 't Olde Maat Uus
A farmhouse museum showing how the village lived from peat cutting and boat building a century ago. Allow 40 minutes. From November to March it opens only from Friday to Monday.
- 04
Self-drive whisper boats
Small electric boats that anyone can steer, rented by the hour along the canal from spring to October. Worth it only if you have come independently and have two spare hours.
How to spend the day
The tour meets at De Ruijterkade 34a, on the water side of Amsterdam Centraal; be there 30 minutes early. Two hours on the coach, then the boat trip through the canals straight away. After that you have free time: walk the footpath along the main canal and eat lunch there. The coach is back in Amsterdam about 7.5 hours after departure, so a 9:00 start means a return around 16:30.
Giethoorn in summer and in winter
Summer
June to AugustThe gardens are in flower and every boat is on the water, which is the problem. On July and August weekends the main canal is a slow line of rental boats bumping into each other, and the path is just as full. Weekdays are much better. June is the sweet spot: long light and fewer boats.
Winter
December to FebruaryRental boats stop from November to March, the museum opens only four days a week and several restaurants close midweek. Tours still sell boat trips, so confirm what runs on your date. With four hours on a coach for a short, cold walk, this is the weakest winter choice from Amsterdam.
How crowded it gets
Very busy- Busiest
- Jul-Aug and all weekends from May to September, 11:00-16:00
- Quietest
- Weekdays in May, June and September; before 10:30
The village is one canal wide, so there is nowhere for people to spread. Coaches arrive around 11:00. If your tour gives free time, walk south along the Binnenpad, away from the boat docks, where it empties within ten minutes.
How do you get to Giethoorn from Amsterdam?
Organized tour
- Travel time
- 7.5 hours round trip
- Cost
- From € 59
- Departs from
- De Ruijterkade 34a, Amsterdam Centraal
Direct coach, two hours each way, with a guide and the canal boat trip included. It costs about the same as the train and bus fares and saves at least an hour of travel. Lunch is not included, so bring cash or a card for the village.
Train + bus
- Travel time
- 2-2.5 hours each way
- Frequency
- Bus 70 once or twice an hour
- Cost
- About € 58 return
- Departs from
- Amsterdam Centraal
Train to Steenwijk with one change, then bus 70 to the stop Dominee Hylkemaweg and a ten-minute walk into the village. Miss the bus and you wait up to an hour. Only sensible if you want to stay longer than the tour allows.
Practical: clothes, food and money
What to wear
Flat shoes for narrow paths and arched wooden bridges, which are slippery when wet. On the boat it is cooler than on land, so bring a jacket even in summer. There is little shade or shelter on the path.
What to eat
Restaurants and pancake houses line the main canal and fill at once when the coaches unload around midday. Service is slow at that hour. With limited free time, bring a sandwich from Amsterdam and spend the stop walking, then have coffee on a terrace.
What you will spend
Nearly everything is in the tour price, from € 59 with the boat included. Going alone costs about € 58 in fares before you pay for any boat. The village and the path are free. Lunch and the small museum are the only extras.
How to get the most out of the day
- Sit on the right side of the coach heading out. You cross the polders of Flevoland, land that was sea until the 20th century.
- Cyclists share the Binnenpad and do not slow down. Keep to one side, above all on the bridges.
- The houses are private homes. Stay off the small bridges that lead to front doors, which residents have fenced or signed.
- Card payment is accepted almost everywhere in the village, so you do not need to bring much cash.
How long do you need in Giethoorn?
Plan 3–4 h on site, plus 2 h of travel each way from Amsterdam.