Guide to Giethoorn: a fairytale Dutch village
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Have you ever dreamt of finding a place where cars aren’t an option? Where everything is green, full of flowers and the air smells good? If you are looking for the perfect place for some digital detox and to unplug from the urban jungle, then we found it for you. Giethoorn is a Dutch village that will make you feel like stepping into a fairytale: a must see if you are visiting The Netherlands and also a great option for a day trip from Amsterdam.
Giethoorn is one of those idyllic and wonderful places … that was always in my feed on Instagram and Facebook as I was planning our trip to The Netherlands. We were going to rent a car, and because we decided not only to explore Amsterdam, but also to try a real road trip in the Netherlands, we decided to ad Giethoorn to our itinerary.
We really wanted to see if it’s worth the trip or if it was yet another Instagram scam. After all, how many times have we visited a beautiful place found online, than in the end looked just plain and dull?
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How do I reach Giethoorn?
You can get from Amsterdam to Giethoorn by train, from the Amsterdam-Zuid station, to Steenwijk. There you need to hop on bus number 70 to reach Blauwe Hand, the closest stop to get to Giethoorn.
During the peak season you can also use bus 249 to get to Giethoorn: it also works on the weekends. The whole trip takes just over two hours. If you rented a bicycle, you might have to leave it behind for this day trip from Amsterdam… unless you’re able to ride it for 118 km … and back (my legs hurt just by writing this)!
We reached Giethoorn by car in less than two hours. The scenic A6 road to Emmeloord is generally busy in the Amsterdam outskirts, but the rest of the journey was smooth and pleasant, between green meadows and a landscape dotted with flowers and windmills: the perfect postcard from the Netherlands!
If you are looking for Dutch instagrammable spots, then make sure you take your time on this road, because you will definitely stop a lot!
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What is the best time to visit Giethoorn?
The best season to visit Giethoorn, the Dutch “Venice of the North” is Spring, when it’s full of blooming shrubs that will give you that fairytale village vibe. The Dutch have a green thumb, while on the contrary I’m unable also to take care of a succulent. Al, on the other hand, loves gardening, and he spent the whole trip wondering what magic they use in the Netherlands to have such beautiful gardens!
Since the Dutch climate is always variable, carrying a foldable raincoat in your backpack is a great idea. Don’t be discouraged if you all you can see are the clouds!
During our trip to the Netherlands it was raining for at least one hour every afternoon, but the sun kept on shining for the rest of the day: good enough for us.
In case you still feel a bit discouraged, know that having too much sun won’t improve your pictures. The harsh light is in fact considered to be the worst from many professional photographers. So a few clouds won’t ruin your trip!
What to expect from this Dutch village
Located within the De Wieden nature preserve, in the Dutch province of Overijssel, Giethoorn is a small Dutch village that you can only explore by foot or by boat. It is of course possible to use your bicycle to explore the outskirts of the village, but it’s really up to you. We have reached Giethoorn using a car and walked to the village center: walking in what looks like a fairytale location is priceless.
We left our car in an open lot in front of a small supermarket. Once there, of course, we decided to go in to buy a bottle of water. And… we filled our backpack to the brink of something that the Duch absolutely love: licorice. Perhaps you didn’t know it, but in the Netherlands people eat a lot of licorice. We even got to taste the salty licorice that we read about, and that we don’t have in our stores in Italy. It doesn’t taste terrible, but it’s definitely different from what you might be used to.
Anyway every store in The Netherlands has a huge licorice selection. If you are looking to try some “weird” ones or if you want a nice snack for your day trip, the supermarket near Giethoorn is a good place to go to!
Giethoorn was founded in 1230 by a Protestant religious group, the Flagellants, whose members, in order to escape the persecution, decided to take refuge in this area that was used mostly for trading peat. Once they settled, they started to build a dense network of channels, the same one we can see today in Giethoorn.
This Venice of the North has over 180 small bridges, and is inhabited by about 2600 people. Unlike other places, ruined by the mass tourism, Giethoorn hasn’t become some kind of Disneyworld in the Netherlands, but has remained faithful to its traditions: it still is a silent, peaceful and green place, deliberately shielded by the chaos of the bigger cities.
The perfect location for all of those who want to unplug, maybe looking for some digital detox.
Things to do in Giethoorn
Like in many other cities in the Netherlands, in Giethoorn you can also rent a boat or buy a ticket for a cruise on the canals. There are many local cruising companies that offer different cruises. If you want to find the best deal, either have a good look around, to make sure you check all the prices, or book one in advance, to be able to check the online reviews! You should be able to find the most convenient offer for you in terms of time and money.
If you decide to just have a walk around this fairytale village, enjoying your day and relaxing, the main route you can choose is the Binnenpad. It’s also the most colorful and instagrammable one. On this street you will be able to see some of the cutest houses (and gardens). Most of the cutest pictures I have found online of Giethoorn were shot from here!
Because there are many benches, the Binnenpad is perfect for those who are planning a nice pic-nic in the Dutch countryside. Once again, the supermarket is not too far away, so you can buy some sandwiches and have lunch in the shade, without having to bring your stuff all the way from Amsterdam.
Best local restaurants and eateries in Giethoorn
The village is very small but there are still some nice restaurants where you can eat, mainly on the Binnenpad. Specifically, the restaurant Fratelli serves Italian dishes and it’s really pretty inside! The restaurant De Grachthof serves charbroiled meat, salads and delicious cheese platters, while the Grand Café Fanfare offers a very rich and colorful seasonal menu.
In case you want to stay for the night (how can we blame you?), near the Binnenpad there is a really tiny hotel (only 14 rooms!), the Hotel Giethoorn. I’m not sure how safe it is to go for an unplanned stay because they are so small, so if you aren’t going to risk it, maybe it’s better to book your room in advance.
It’s always good to remember to be respectful of the locals: don’t litter and don’t walk in someone else’s house just to take pictures (sadly enough, it happens a lot in The Netherlands)!
You might also like:
– How to spend a fantastic weekend in Amsterdam
– The best day trips from Amsterdam
– Guide to Giethoorn – the fairytale Dutch village
– 20 gorgeous European cities in autumn
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Travelling Dany – Danila Caputo
Danila Caputo is a bilingual travel writer living in between Naples and the Amalfi Coast (Italy), graduating from the University of Naples Suor Orsola Benincasa in Foreign Languages and Literature. She travels and works with her husband Aldo, photographer and videographer. Their blog chronicles their adventures around the world, their love for the USA (where they have family), Italian/European culture and tips on how to be responsible travelers. You can find out more about their latest trips and their life on Youtube, Instagram and Facebook.
I can scarce believe that such a place like Giethoorn exists! It looks like it has emerged straight from the realms of an artist’s imagination or from the pages of a fairy tale book.Definitely a place to look beyond Amsterdam and the tulips in Holland.
And while the tulip fields can be seen only in Spring, Giethoorn is there every month of the year 😀
The only thing I regret about the Netherlands was not leaving Amsterdam. I love Amsterdam but I would of loved to of visited this place. It really does look magical. Does it become magical after spending time in a “coffee shop” or is it naturally this beautiful hee hee
A lot of people (especially from Italy) stay in Amsterdam, which is beautiful, but honestly there’s so much more to see in the Netherlands! Put it that way: you have the perfect excuse to get back for more. 😀
What a cute place! I wonder how convenient it is for the local to get to work in the morning for example? Also, I’m a little mortified that you have to specify that people shouldn’t walk into people’s home hahah! Has this been done? What is wrong with people LOLL
I don’t think they’re overly bothered by it, considering that in the Netherlands boating is very common! And gosh, yes! There were reports of tourists trespassing in Rotterdam, Amsterdam and even Sausalito (California). People don’t get that there’s someone living in the cute boat so they just walk in and start taking pictures. Then they complain that sometimes the locals get bored with tourists… I wonder why!
When we visited Holland a few years back, places like Giethoorn, Utrecht and Harlem were not so much talked about, and we missed them. Next time we go to that part of Europe, I know which places I’m not missing. 🙂
Haarlem is SO beautiful! If you manage to get back visit it, you won’t be disappointed!
Will you just look at this place! I’ve never heard of it, but it’s on my future travel list now. Sounds like a great place to get off the beaten path and explore. Thanks for sharing!
It is! A nice day trip from Amsterdam and definitely off the beaten path, as the village hasn’t become too touristy. Fingers crossed that it stays like this!
This village looks so charming! So do all the locals have their own boats? I never knew that the Dutch like liquorice, maybe I’ll try the salty version in October when I visit!
It really is! And yes, mostly electrical, they don’t even make that much noise, so they won’t disturb the neighbours! As for liquorice, we also loved the ones filled with fruit jelly, yum!
I love salted licorice and lived off of it while I was in the Netherlands. It’s expensive at home, so I definitely got my fill there. This village is so magical! I would love to boat around on the canals totally relaxing.
So you can find it where you live? We don’t 🙁 Sometimes we buy on Amazon but we might have to get back to the Netherlands to buy some more… such a sacrifice, right? 😀
Giethoorn looks like something out of a dream … or a fairy tale story with watercolor illustrations. Definitely putting this on our list of places to visit when we finally hit the Netherlands! That two hour drive would be totally worth it. 🙂 I love all the little bridges!
We liked the drive too, because it’s very relaxing and the landscape is awesome, so definitely not wasted time! 🙂
I too have seen this on my instagram feed as was wondering about it. Thanks for writing this blog, I would love to go this village for myself, it looks so wonderful!
There was a period, I think Spring time, that it was on my feed every day. 😀 So I had to go and check it myself: it’s all real. 😀
What a beautiful little town. I think I would like to find a way to explore it by boat as well as land. I now need an excuse to ravel to the Netherlands just so I can go see this for myself.
Oh there are so many excuses! Check out the other articles, between Amsterdam and all the nice nearby towns that you can reach by train, there’s so much to see and do!
This looks like such a beautiful part of the world! Can’t believe I missed it when in the Netherlands ?
Lucy x
Probably because it’s not well advertized, I also had to look around a lot to understand how to get there! But hey, now you have the perfect excuse to get back to the Netherlands!!!
Dany, your photos are absolutely stunning! I’d never heard of Giethoorn, but now I’m completely inspired to go next time I’m planning a trip to the Netherlands. Thanks so much for all your great travel advice
Thank you Valerie! We also are thinking of getting back to the Netherlands, hopefully in 2018! Fingers crossed!
I’ve seen pictures of this town before, but I always wondered how to get there. Great guide!
Same here, I had to google a lot to understand how to get there! So I hope this article can be useful to those who wants to see Giethoorn! 🙂
I’m hooked and sold the moment I saw the first photo! And I’ve already pinned this post for my reference for my next trip to the Netherlands. I’ve only been to Amsterdam and Delft before so this would definitely be something different! Thanks for the guide!
Delft! I loved it so much! If you liked it, then you have the perfect excuse to get back! Giethoorn makes a great day trip from Amsterdam!
I will be in the Netherlands in a few hours and I will not be able to see this beautiful town.
That’s a pity! Where are you going?