Boat tours in Giethoorn
Guided boat tours through the canals of Giethoorn
Experience Giethoorn at its best with a guided boat tour through the village’s famous canals. Choose from classic canal cruises with individual tickets, fully private boats with skipper, or exclusive private boat tours for smaller groups. Sit back and relax while an experienced skipper navigates the waterways and shares stories about Giethoorn’s history, scenery and hidden spots. A guided boat tour is the most comfortable and complete way to discover Giethoorn from the water.
Canal cruise tickets
Private boat tours
Private boat tour (with a captain)
With skipper, suitable for:
Groups up to 6 persons
Why choose a guided boat tour in Giethoorn
A boat tour in Giethoorn is suitable for couples, families, groups and company outings. Guided canal cruises and private boat tours allow you to explore the village without worrying about navigation, busy waterways or docking. With a skipper on board, you can fully enjoy the peaceful canals, traditional farmhouses and surrounding nature. Boat tours in Giethoorn operate year-round and vary in duration, group size and level of privacy, making it easy to choose a tour that fits your visit. Booking a guided boat tour is one of the most popular and relaxing ways to experience Giethoorn.
Visit Giethoorn from Amsterdam by direct bus
What you’ll see from the water
Giethoorn’s old centre has no roads — only canals, footpaths and bridges — so the water is the way it was meant to be seen. From your seat on the tour boat, the skipper follows the historic village canal, slips under low wooden bridges and out onto the open Bovenwijde lake before circling back to the boarding point.
- Centuries-old thatched farmhouses lining the banks
- More than 170 little wooden bridges between the islands
- The peaceful Bovenwijde lake and reed-lined waterways
- The edge of Weerribben-Wieden, Northwest Europe’s largest peat marsh
Tips for a relaxed boat tour
A little planning makes a guided canal cruise even better. Giethoorn is busiest from late morning to mid-afternoon in summer, so an early or later departure means quieter canals and clearer photos. Tours run year-round, and because every tour boat is fully covered you stay comfortable whatever the weather brings.
- Book ahead in spring and summer — popular times fill up fast
- Pick a 1 to 3-hour cruise to match your day
- Arrive early: free parking and bus 70 are close by
- Pair your tour with lunch at a waterside café afterwards
Its a very beautiful village. You can rent a boat or just walk around the village. I wish someday to visit again and spend a night or 2 in their local hotel, enjoy the local foods, also enjoy the beautiful scenery+4Posted on Google
Vroeg op de ochtend lekker rustigPosted on Google
Light rush today. Will oost more when done with the tour. Looks awesomePosted on Google
Làng đẹp với hệ thống kênh rạch cho cảm giác yên bình. Tuy nhiên, hơi đông du khách nên hơi ồn ào nhất là vài du khách ăn uống, mở nhạc to trên thuyền.+0Posted on Google
Giethoorn is one of those places that looks beautiful in photos, but somehow feels even more beautiful when you’re actually there. ❤️ Everything moves at a different pace here. The little canals, wooden bridges, charming houses surrounded by flowers and greenery, and boats quietly passing by—it almost feels like you’ve stepped into a storybook. We took a boat through the village, and that was definitely my favorite way to experience Giethoorn. There’s something so peaceful about seeing the houses from the water, passing under the little bridges and just enjoying the scenery without needing to rush anywhere. What I loved most wasn’t one particular spot, but the feeling of the whole place. It’s calm, romantic, simple and incredibly charming. Amsterdam has so much energy, art and character, but Giethoorn gave me a completely different side of the Netherlands—quiet, gentle and beautiful in its own way. Definitely worth the trip. Some places you visit to see something. Giethoorn is a place you visit to feel something. ❤️+16Posted on Google
I fall in love whit Giethoorn,its the most beautiful village from NL in my opinion, I visited together with my family, we rented a boat and after we did one time the itinerary uch is so stunning whit so many traditional houses,we visited the museum and have lunch in a nice café restaurant then we rented again a boat and remake the full map itinerary, I totally recommended it,definitely you will go from there whit great memories ❤️+0Posted on Google
Sehr empfehlenswert :)+3Posted on Google
Excelente experienciaPosted on Google
Okay yes, I took a little help from ChatGPT to put this into words 😂 but trust me, the feeling is 100% mine. Giethoorn honestly feels like a little dreamland. The canals, those beautiful little houses, tiny bridges, flowers everywhere and people just peacefully cruising around in boats… it almost doesn’t feel real. We had such an amazing time there. Just walking around, boating through the village and enjoying how calm everything was made the whole experience so special. It’s one of those places where you look around and think, “Wait… people actually get to live here?” Pictures really don’t do it justice. If you’re ever in the Netherlands, Giethoorn is definitely worth visiting at least once. Such a beautiful little escape from reality. 🇳🇱+14Posted on Google
This was our first visit and will definitely not be the last. The pictures don’t do this village justice. It’s quaint, picturesque and just lovely. We were fortunate to be there on a not so busy day and enjoyed our time on the canals. We hired our own boat and that was convenient and fun for us. They do have local guided tours if one prefers that rather. After our 2 hour canal boat ride, we walked around the village just soaking it all in. Worth the trip, worth the visit. A day trip is good enough. There are cafes/ restaurants if you need a bite or drink or just Ice cream.Posted on Google
Una Bomboniera. Noi abbiamo preso la barca pomeriggio sul tardi ed è stata un'ottima scelta perché eravamo praticamente solo noi!! Quindi è stato veramente belloPosted on Google
جولة رائعة بالقارب+0Posted on Google
只有住一晚,才能在清晨悠閒漫步,體驗羊角村的美+1Posted on Google
Visotare questo luogo e' come entrare in un' altra dimensione fra stradine galleggianti, casette con i tetti di paglia e canali con barchette colorate.+19Posted on Google
Schöner Ort zum verweilen und spazieren gehen. Man muss nicht unbedingt mit einem Boot fahren, um den Ort zu genießen. Die Kirche dort ist nicht spektakulär oder sehr schön. In der Nähe der Kirche war auch schöner Imbiss mit moderaten Preisen. Man sollte unbedingt den Ort besuchen, wenn man in der Nähe ist, wenn man den ländlichen Flair mit den Kanälen mag.+4Posted on Google
İyi ki görmüşüm dediğim bir yer oldu. Çok huzurlu sakin. Tek bir fotoğraflık değil güzel birkaç saat geçirilebilecek bir aktivite alanı.+0Posted on Google
10 -15 min between houses and more than one hour only vegetation sideways..Posted on Google
Polecam i bardzoPosted on Google
Nice.. multiple dining options.. well maintained water channels, good boats for rent and exceptional pedestrian walk ways . Also we met well organized farm protesters..Posted on Google
مدينه جميله جدا مريحه و هادئه والمناظر خلابه عباره عن قنوات مائيه لا يوجد فيها سيارات التنقل بالقوارب الكهربائيه خاليه من عوادم السيارات حضرنا لها في يوم الخميس فكانت غير مزدحمه ولكن لم يحالفنا الحظ بالجو فكان حار بالمره الشمس قويه لم نركب القوارب الا على الساعه ٧ مساء حتى لطف الجو قليلا القريه جميله وانصح بها سميت بخيثورن و هو قرون الماعز ففي الزمن الماضي حصل فيضان و غرقت البلده و لم يشاهدو الا قرون الماعز فسميت بذلك بالنسبه للقوارب لا تاخذون من اول واحد شوفو الاسعار فهي متفاوته اول واحد قال الساعه ١٨٠ يورو ولازم ساعتين بمرشد و سائق للقارب و لما دخلنا بالمدينه لقينا القارب ب ٢٥ يورو بالساعه ولكن انت تسوقه و بدون مرشد و اخذنا قارب لمده ساعه بمرشد و سائق ب ١٠٠ يورو فلك الخيار افضل من انك تاخذ من اول واحد خارج القريه على حدودها فالافضل التأني.+3Posted on Google![]()