Giethoorn Toerist Information

Giethoorn

Click on the map to enlarge. Giethoorn, the Venice of Holland. The center of Giethoorn Village, the fairytale pittoresque city without roads and only waterway's is at point Hylkemaweg 1 Giethoorn. The village is in the countryside in the North West of the provence Overijssel between Meppel and Steenwijk and about 30 km from Zwolle. Provences Drenthe and Friesland is in reach within 15 km.
The area is in the naturepark Weerribben Wieden.

Train

Take the train in the direction of Leeuwarden, intercity trainstation Steenwijk is your destination
Timetables planning train trip

Taxi

Taxis need to be reserved in advance by phone. ATTENTION: no Uber.
Taxi Meppel 0031-6........ Taxi is quit expensive. NO UBER

Bus

It takes about 17 minutes to get from central station Steenwijk to Giethoorn with the bus line no 70.
Center Giethoorn = busstop Dominee Hylkemaweg.
You can buy your busticket in the bus.

• Bus 70: Steenwijk - Giethoorn 1x per hour monday-friday 6.28 - 19.28 saturday sunday 8.58 - 18.58
• Bus 70: Giethoorn - Steenwijk 1x per hour monday-friday 6.14 - 19.14 saturday sunday 8.41 - 18.41
• Giethoorn Express bus 270: Steenwijk - Giethoorn - Blauwe Hand vice versa; this bus does not drive in low season

Bus time table planner busstop Dominee Hylkemaweg Giethoorn bus time table planner

Tips

Timetable departures busstation Dominee Hylkemaweg Giethoorn bus time table planner

• A ticket can be bought in the bus 70 by tapping your bankcard OVPay. No cash, pin only.

Car

Tourist Information Office next to Kultuurhuus, at the back of the supermarket Eendrachtsplein Giethoorn. Embarkment pier tourboats and ticketbox boat rental: Hylkemaweg 1 Giethoorn.

Parking in Giethoorn. The historic city center of Giethoorn is only accessible by bike, boat or on foot. There are several private parking places. When you park on the private parking place of company 't Zwaantje (suitable for touringcar, cars and wheelchair bus) you can hop directly into a boat or rent a bike. Our private parking place is only for guests from the little Swan. This company is a so called ANWB bike-service-point and will give you tourist information. Route.

A public parking place is nearby. Route

Giethoorn

The village Giethoorn with about 2.620 habitants is unique in the Netherlands because of it's bridges, waterways and punters (typical boats from Giethoorn). You see 18th and 19th century farm houses hidden between the trees and wooden bridges. Of course all this is best be viewed with a guided canelcruise or trip by whisperboat which you drive yourself or canoe paddleboat. In Giethoorn village and surroundings is a fantastic network of cycle paths, it is safe and very well marked, an ideal sportive activity. Suitable for children and adults are the duo bikes.
All inclusive daytrips

What to do

Check our page 'What to do in Giethoorn'. Day out Giethoorn

Museums

The following sights are on the Binnenpad, a short walk from 't Zwaantje (little Swan) and are reachable on foot, by bike or boat.

• A 'must see'. Museum farm 't Olde Maat Uus a typical farm from Giethoorn (± 1800) with an exposition about living and working in Giethoorn over the past 100 years.
  Opening hours: saturday - sunday - monday 11.00-17.00, sunday 12.00-17.00. Easter 2022 till October 2022 daily 11.00-17.00 Winter season groups from 20 persons only by appointment outside regular opening hours.
  This museum is part accessible for wheelchair.
  Entrance €6,50 or buy with discount online
• Stone- and Mineral museum 'The Old Earth'
  Opening hours march till october daily from 10.00-18.00, ocotber till february wensday till sunday 10.00-17.00, school holidays daily open.
  Reachable only by bridge, not suitable for handicapped people or wheelchair.
  Entrance online. A visit to the shop only is for free.
• Next to the Oude Aarde, pottery with blue ceramics
• Shells museum Gloria Maris
  season daily opened.
  free entrance.

online tickets

Additional

• There are 2 compagnies in Giethoorn who build the traditional wooden punters. They are the only ones in The Netherlands left. Here you can make a nice walk, the owners will tell you all about the work. This walk is included at some package-deals
• Oldtimers museum Histomobil Dwarsgracht lays about 3 km from Giethoorn and can ben reached by car or bike
  opened daily,

Biking

As a biker you can enjoy the wide area network of cycle tracks. A variety of nature, culture and history. There are many different routes: ANWB- biking route, Wieden and Werribben route and of course the village route which lead you through the different picturesque villages in the surrounding.

't Zwaantje (little Swan) is a bike servicepoint and is located on the bike track, bikepoint 61 where you can buy one of the bike routes. When you have a alectric bike you can recharge the battery here. You can also rent bikes and tandems here.

You bring your own bike? You would like to bike your own route? You can use the public parkingplace Route

Ferry Jonen

Only for bikers and hikers, 1th april till may 1th daily 10.00–17.30, 1th may till september 1th 09.00–19.00, 1th september-1th november 10.00–17.30 Bike ferry is closed during winter. Attention: only payment by cards, no cash.

Shopping

• Supermarket PLUS, with post agency and liquor store: Eendrachtsplein 4 Giethoorn +31(0)521361234
  reachable with car and boat
  opening hours monday till thursday 8.00-19.00, friday 8.00-20.00, saturday and sunday 8.00-18.00
• Souvenirs shops in the centre
• Nearest city for shopping: Steenwijk 10 km and Meppel 15 km

Practical

• Family doctor GP/pharmacy De Tjasker Giethoorn +31(0)521361326 weekday's only, weekend Huisartsenpost Meppel
• Dentist 'Mondzorgcentrum' Beulakerweg 119A Giethoorn +31(0)521362115
• Hospital: Diaconessenhuis (no obstetrics) Hoogeveenseweg 38 Meppel (18 km) +31(0)522233333 Isala Dokter van Heesweg 2 Zwolle (30 km) +31(0)384245000 De Tjongerschans Thialfweg 44 Heerenveen (25 km) +31(0)513685685
• Church: Doopsgezinde Gemeente Binnenpad 50 Giethoorn sunday 10.00 uur, Hervormde kerk Beulakerweg 80 Giethoorn 10.00 uur, may till august 9.30 uur

ATM

• Geldmaat ATM accross the supermarket Spar at Kultuurhuus Eendrachtsplein 1 Giethoorn

Gasstation

• Gasstation: Avia Beulakerweg 137 Giethoorn +31(0)521361261

Own Yacht

• Marina De Zuiderkluft and wharf canal Beukers-Steenwijk Vosjacht 1G Giethoorn +(0)521362312

Bridges and sluice gates Operating times

Own boat

With your own boat through Giethoorn.

• Mooring is not allowed on several places in particular there where the canal- and rental boats are. You can recognize these places on the grey charging cabinets; these are in property of local people and companies.
• One-way-road in the canels
• When the weather is beautiful it can be busy on the water; canalcruises but also inexperienced people with boats. Be allert.

Camper

Wild camping is not allowed

• Camper place Haamstede Kanaaldijk 17 Giethoorn +31(0)629004907
• Marina De Zuiderkluft Vosjacht 1G Giethoorn +(0)521362312

Swimming

You can swim in open water: Bovenwijde (also called't Wiede) at the picnic area, reachable by boat.

Sports

• Inside swimmingpool: De Waterwyck Steenwijk (10 km), Bad Hesselingen Meppel (15 km), Zwembad De Kragge Zwartsluis (10 km), Outside swimmingpool: Openluchtbad Tolhekke Steenwijkerwold nearby Paasloo (10 km), Natuurbad with beach Nijeveen (6 km)
• Cinema: JT Bioscoop Steenwijk en Meppel
• Children playground: Ballorig kinderspeelparadijs in Meppel
• Bowling: Hotel Zwartewater in Zwartsluis of Bowlingcentrum in Tuk bij Steenwijk
• Theatre: De Meenthe Steenwijk
• Indoor tenniscourt Racketcentrum Tuk nearby Steenwijk
• Casino playcentre Giethoorn Beulakerweg 165A
• Fishing, you can fish almost anywhere provided that you are in possession of a fishing permit which you can obtain at the supermarket.
• Ice skating: Information is available at the IJsclub Giethoorn

Weerribben Wieden

Giethoorn is found in the provence Overijssel in the middle of the nature reserve De Wieden and conglomerated with Nationale Parc Weerribben. This parc is the biggest peat swamp of North-West Europe.

• Staatsbosbeheer visitors centre De Weerribben Hoogeweg 27 Ossenzijl
• Natuurmonumenten visistors centre De Wieden Beulakerpad 1 St Jansklooster

Surroundings

Sightseeing Giethoorn

• Dwarsgracht and Jonen are in the immediate vicinity of Giethoorn and are included in the various sailing, cycling and walking routes. Jonen is only accessible on foot, on water or by bike. In appearance similar to giethoorn
• Vollenhove (10 km), fishing town that was ever as 'city of palaces' with special highlights such as the Havezathe. To visit the oudheidkamer for example
• Blokzijl (15 km), likewise a former Sothern See city founded by Dutch merchants and a thriving trading city in the time of the golden age. In the monumental merchant houses with stair neck and clock gables and this is still to be seen. In the middle of the town lies the port kolk. You can visit the Gildenhuys
• Wanneperveen (6 km), village with agrarian character in the middle of a vast puddles and lakes area. To visit a traditional sheep farm. In Wanneperveen start of the peat Meadow trails, hiking trails through the marsh area of nature reserve ' De Wieden
• Steenwijk (10 km), old fortress town with ramparts and pleasant shopping street. Very nice is the oudheidkamer with adjacent fairground and circus museum located on the market. In July and August on Wednesday midweek parties
• Zwartsluis (6 km), municipality Zwartewaterland: the gateway to the North known by the tug boat days. Visit Centre for nature and handicraft
• Meppel (15 km), municipality Meppel, Drenthe: Meppel city and known from the cosy canals Thursday days in July and August. Nice shopping streets. To visit, among other things, printing museum Meppel (15 km)
• Staphorst (20 km), the famous traditional village, beautiful farms in the typical color hard blue, white and green. Many villagers in traditional costume. And visit museum farm
• Havelterberg/Havelte: forest, megaliths and flock
• Genemuiden (20 km), in first place known by rush mats. When this became out of fashion, one rap played in on the trend of fitted carpets. The development and made of this is on display in the carpet museum
• Hasselt (15 km), the town of Hasselt with 70 monuments is classified as protected cityscape. The former late-Gothic town hall is now a museum where one of the largest collections of arquebuses and other medieval weapons is on display. Lime kilns (guided tour)

History

About 1230 Giethoorn was founded by refugees who came from areas around the Mediterranean. These first inhabitants, Flagelanten, found horns of wild goats, who died during a flood. They called their settlement Geytenhoren. Is this name Later corrupted into Geythorn, which later became Giethoorn.

The characteristic of the village has its origins in the peat. The peat diggers took on the for their favorable locations the peat from the soil, mixed in a mixing bowl and threw it on the land to dry, then there was stabbed peat. Lakes were created. To transport the peat groove one trips and locks. Many houses are therefore on islands only, which still are to be reached only through over the arched bridges and plank bridge.

Then and now

In the booklet photos of then and now. Only for laptop or pc. Link opens in a new window

fotoboekje

Tourism

Already in 1900, in the magazine published an article in which the Earth and its Peoples Giethoorn was listed as one of the most peculiar, but wonderful, fairy-like zone of our country, rich in natural beauty.

Read 110 (!) year old article

In the ' Kingdom of the Netherlands ' oldest film of Netherlands from 1921 is a small minute attention to giethoorn with images of Princess Juliana in a punt.

Tourist became giethoorn only really well known after the film Fanfare (1958) by Bert Haanstra. Since 18 October 2008 is a statue of Albert Mol in the centre opposite the Baptist Church.

Fanfare NOS journaal

Whereas previously the income mainly came from the peat extraction are nowadays the main income of the tourism and the cane cultivation. The cane is a first quality and is used for roofing.

Calendar

• Last Saturday of August Gondelvaart Giethoorn
• 15 16 augustus 2025 Bloemencorso Sint Jansklooster

WaterReijk

Click to enlarge map region Weerribben Wieden
Since 2010 is the name VVV Kop van Overijssel replaced by Waterreijk Weerribben-Wieden.
The organisation is in the hands of Marketing East.
The tourist office is no longer officially a member, the VTRB entrepreneurs have made efforts still have a physical office in Giethoorn open.

For the new season 2014 there will be opened an Office and is located next to the Spar supermarket at Eendrachtsplein +31(0)521360112 here you can find general information about for example hotels, campsites and other locations in Giethoorn.
As soon as hours of operation are known, they will be published here.

Information

The information on this site is compiled from various sources and are as carefully as possible. We cannot be held responsible for evt. incorrect entries.

For questions related to the other pages on this site, please contact 't Zwaantje (little Swan)