Giethoorn from Amsterdam: getting there by train and bus, visiting by boat

Ways to get there at a glance

The old village is closed to cars: you get around on foot, by bike or by boat.

Prices checked in October 2026; train fares in 2nd class, full NS 2026 fare.

Getting there by train and bus

The train to Steenwijk

There is no direct train between Amsterdam Centraal and Steenwijk: you change once, usually at Zwolle, for the Intercity to Leeuwarden. Another option: from Amsterdam Zuid station, a direct Intercity to Leeuwarden leaves every hour and stops at Steenwijk. From Amsterdam Centraal, the journey takes about 1 hr 35 to 1 hr 55.

A ticket costs €29.00 one way in 2nd class (€52.20 in 1st class) and €58.00 for a day return. The easiest way to pay is with a contactless bank card (OVpay), tapping in and out at each station. Outside peak hours, the off-peak Holland Travel Ticket, which also covers the bus, works out cheaper than buying the train and bus separately: see our guide to day trips from Amsterdam.

The bus from Steenwijk to Giethoorn

Buses leave from the Steenwijk Station stop. Two lines run by the operator RRReis serve Giethoorn:

• Line 70 (Steenwijk – Giethoorn – Zwartsluis) runs all year, about once an hour on weekdays, less often at weekends, and not in the evening.
• Line 270, the Giethoorn Express (Steenwijk – Giethoorn – Blauwe Hand), only runs from April to October, half an hour out of step with line 70: in season, a bus leaves every half hour during the day.

The ride to the village stops (Harmonie, Kerkweg, Ds. Hylkemaweg) takes 10 to 15 minutes. You can also pay on the bus by contactless card, tapping in when you board and out when you get off; how OVpay works is explained in our guide to getting around Amsterdam. Out of season, check the time of the last bus back in the NS or 9292 app.

By car: paid car parks

By road, allow about 120 km on the A6 via Almere, Lelystad and Emmeloord, then the N333. The municipality reserves spaces for residents: use the car parks set aside for visitors.

• Smit's Paviljoen car park, Binnenpad 14: €6 per exit, 240 m from the pavilion and its rental boats.
• De Wieden visitor centre run by Natuurmonumenten, Beulakerpad 1, Sint Jansklooster: €2 an hour, €8 maximum per day. From late April to late September, a waterbus links this car park to Giethoorn in about an hour, across the lakes of the national park.

Organised tours from Amsterdam

Several agencies offer a guided day trip by coach. The Tours & Tickets tour leaves from Central Station (IJ-hal, De Ruijterkade 34a), lasts about 7 hr 30 and includes transport, a one-hour cruise and free time, for €59 to €65 per person according to the agency's website. Some packages add a stop on the Afsluitdijk dyke, which cuts the time spent in Giethoorn. For a similar budget (€58 by train, the bus and a €10 cruise), the train gives you more freedom; the coach spares you the connection.

On the water: electric boat, canoe or cruise

Renting an electric boat (fluisterboot)

Most visitors rent a fluisterboot, a small, quiet electric boat that needs no licence. Rental firms explain how to steer and hand out a map; the classic loop follows the old village canal (Dorpsgracht) and then crosses the Bovenwijde lake. Allow two hours.

• Smit's Paviljoen (Binnenpad 29a): €25 for one hour, €45 for two hours, €95 for the day.
• Zwaantje (Hylkemaweg 1): €40 to €50 for two hours for a boat for 1 to 4 people, €70 for 1 to 8 people, with a navigation app and audio guide.

Canoe and kayak

Smit's Paviljoen rents single kayaks at €7.50 an hour or doubles at €10, three-seat Canadian canoes at €12.50 an hour and traditional punts at €11.50 an hour. At busy times the Dorpsgracht is crowded with electric boats: if you are paddling, set off early.

Guided cruises

Covered tour boats circle the village and the lake in about an hour. At Zwaantje, the cruise costs €10 from age 10 and €5 for ages 3 to 9; from April to October, departures run every hour from 10:30 to 16:30, in winter from 11:30 to 14:30 (15:30 at weekends). The audio commentary comes in eight languages, including French, and the boats have a wheelchair lift. At Koppers, the one-hour cruise costs €9.95 from age 13 and €5 for ages 4 to 12, drink included, when booked online. To compare with Amsterdam, see our guide to canal cruises in Amsterdam.

On foot: the Binnenpad and the 't Olde Maat Uus museum

The Binnenpad, a footpath running along the Dorpsgracht, crosses the heart of the old village. It passes the Museum Giethoorn 't Olde Maat Uus, Binnenpad 52, set in an old thatched farmhouse: you visit the farm, a fisherman's cottage and a boathouse, with a film and an audio guide included in the ticket. The museum tells the story of peat cutting, which dug out the lakes and canals.

• Opening hours: from 1 April to 31 October, daily from 11:00 to 17:00; from 1 November to 31 March, Friday to Monday from 11:00 to 16:00, and daily during the Christmas and spring holidays. Closed at Christmas and New Year.
• Prices: €7.50, €2.50 for ages 4 to 12, free under 4 and with the Museumkaart, covered in our guide to museum passes.

Weerribben-Wieden National Park

Giethoorn sits on the edge of Weerribben-Wieden National Park, the largest continuous lowland peat marsh in north-western Europe: about 10,500 hectares of reed beds, lakes and wet woodland, managed by Natuurmonumenten and Staatsbosbeheer. The otter, reintroduced in 2002, lives here again, as do the purple heron and the black tern.

To explore it, extend your boat trip towards the southern lakes, or take bus 270 to its terminus, Blauwe Hand. The De Wieden visitor centre in Sint Jansklooster is generally open from 10:00 to 17:00 (from 12:00 on Mondays). If you are short of time, Waterland, on Amsterdam's doorstep, offers landscapes of water and meadows about twenty minutes away by bus.

Respecting the village and its residents

Giethoorn's houses, gardens and most of its jetties are private. Stay on public paths, do not walk into gardens, do not cross footbridges leading to a house and do not moor at private jetties.

• On the water: since the 2025 season, the speed limit in the village canals is 6 km/h, only electric motors are allowed on rental boats, instruction is compulsory for groups of more than 6 people and alcohol on board is checked, with patrols on busy days.
• Drones: residents complain about overflights, and in 2023 the Steenwijkerland municipal council asked for no-fly zones to be studied; the national park is also a Natura 2000 area. Check the official airspace map before any flight, and our guide to flying a drone in Amsterdam.
• Noise and litter: keep your voice down near houses and take your rubbish with you.

When to go

The boating season runs from April to October. Crowds peak at summer weekends, during school holidays and in spring: come on a weekday, early in the morning or late in the afternoon. In October, line 270 is still running. In winter the village is quiet, but the museum only opens Friday to Monday and only line 70 provides the link. To choose your dates, see our guide to the best time to visit Amsterdam.

A one-day plan

• Around 8:00: leave Amsterdam Centraal, change at Zwolle.
• Around 10:00: bus 70 or 270 at Steenwijk, arriving in Giethoorn a quarter of an hour later.
• From 10:30 to 12:30: two hours by electric boat, or a one-hour guided cruise.
• Around 13:00: lunch by the water.
• From 14:30 to 16:00: the 't Olde Maat Uus museum and a walk along the Binnenpad.
• Around 16:30: bus back to Steenwijk, arriving in Amsterdam early in the evening.

What you can skip

• A cruise and a rental on the same day: one or the other is enough.
• A full-day rental: two to three hours are enough for the village and the lake.
• A second sight on the same day: Giethoorn does not combine with Zaanse Schans, on the other side of Amsterdam; keep the windmills for another half day.

Price summary table

Prices checked in October 2026 on the websites of NS, the boat rental firms, the cruise operators, the museum and the car parks.

Further reading

To compare Giethoorn with Haarlem, Utrecht or The Hague, see our guide to day trips from Amsterdam. For water villages closer to the city, read our guide to Waterland. And to see Amsterdam from its canals, our guide to canal cruises compares boats and prices.