Located in Oversijl, Giethoorn is one of the iconic spots in the Netherlands that really should be on your bucket list.. This quaint Dutch town is known as the Venice of the Netherlands because of all the winding canals. You can’t drive through it. Instead you need to either walk or use a boat. I frequently get asked about Giethoorn boat rental and how it works so I decided to just pen everything down.
Just note that if you aren’t sure about boats or nervous, you don’t have to rent a boat. Instead you can head out on one of the guided boat cruises through Giethoorn. It’s a cool way to learn about the city and also catch the boat experience in Giethoorn.
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Best Time To Visit Giethoorn
The best time to visit Giethoorn is in summer. This is because all the flowers are in bloom, the weather is warm and it is the perfect time to enjoy the outdoors. Giethoorn is afterall, all about the outdoors.
Spring on the other hand is not a bad time to visit but it is rather hard to plan. This is because the weather is rather unpredictable. We visited Giethoorn in spring because we stay in Groningen and it’s just an hour’s drive away from us. So on one sunny spring day we just quickly took a trip.
The thing about visiting in spring is that you don’t get the crowds and you can dare to rent your boat in Giethoorn on the spot. Summer however is a whole different ball game. The tourists descend here and there is bumper to bumper traffic. I’m not kidding. Everyone is all over the place. Pushing a stroller on the narrow paths becomes difficult and the boats keep bumping into each other.
The best way to avoid the crowds in summer is to reach here as early as you can.
Giethoorn Boat Rental: Should You Book Your Boat In Advance?
As I explained before, it all depends on the season. In spring and in autumn the crowds aren’t quite as high so you may be able to get away with not booking your boat in advance. I wouldn’t recommend it though, especially if you have had a couple of days of good weather.
We visited in mid spring, mid week and we still just managed to rent a motor boat on the spot. This is true for the guide boat tours in Giethoorn too. I’ll talk about the different types that are available in just a bit.
Types Of Boat Rentals In Giethoorn
As I explained before, there are different types of boats that you can rent. The type you rent depends a lot on your comfort levels and the size of your group. In addition to the different types of boats, there’s all kinds of boat rentals in Giethoorn that provide unique experiences.
First off, I’m going to divide the Giethoorn boat rental based on whether you are taking part in it as a day trip from Amsterdam or if you have your own mode of transport and just want a boat rental in Geithoorn.
Rent A Kayak
This isn’t your traditional Giethoorn boat rental but its still cool. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find a link for this but if you are adventurous you can rent a kayak in Giethoorn and explore the canals. I know because I’ve seen a couple of people kayaking in the water.
I was tempted to do this but we had our two toddlers in tow and we decided to opt for the motorized boat instead. It was just easier. Plus in the event we got tossed into the water which is quite possible with me, the water would have been too cold in mid spring.
In summer though, this would be a very cool option. Just know that given the currents, you would need some muscle power.
Boat Rental With Steering Wheel
The most fun way to explore the town is to rent a boat with a steering wheel in Giethoorn. This is a motorized boat so you basically don’t have to put in the effort of rowing the boat but you do have to steer and that takes some skill. The Dutch make it look so easy but we bumped into some of the sides a time or two.
Oh and when you head to some of the bridges, get ready to duck. These are pretty low and can knock your head so keep your eye ahead.
The boats are designed for 8-12 people. The price depends on the number of people and the route you take. There were three routes that we were shown. One took an hour, the second two hours and the last 4 hours.
Don’t worry about getting lost. You will be given a navigation app before you leave and you can easily follow the route. We would definitely have made mistakes without it.
Geithoorn Village & National Park Canal Cruise With Coffee
⭐️ Rating: 4.6/5 (507 Reviews) Price: $11 per person Duration: 1 hour 📍Meeting Point: Botenverhuur- en rondvaartbedrijf Koppers Giethoorn. Details: Read more on Get Your Guide Now!
Now if the canals are crowded and you don’t feel like navigating through them with a boat yourself, you can always choose to let someone else do the navigation for you. This actually works out cheaper that the motorized boats and you get to sip a cup of hot coffee, tea or lemonade while you are taking the scenic delights of Geithoorn.
The best part about this is that in addition to the fact that someone else does the navigation for you, the tour also gives you a local guide.
So as you pass monuments and points of interest, your guide will tell you all about them.
He/she will also give you deeper insight into the history of Giethoorn, how the houses are built and maintained and the local economy.
“The boat trip is a great way to get to know Giethoorn and the nature reserve. The guide tells you some interesting things, for example about the way of life and the creation of the lake in the nature reserve. The trip was super relaxed, interesting and funny. The tea included (or optionally coffee or lemonade) rounded off the experience. Highly Recommended.”
Maike (read more reviews now!)
The Weerribben-Wieden National Park is another part of the area that you will get to see. Some of the parts are only accessible by boat so its an overall interesting trip and it takes approximately 2 hours.
Day Trips From Amsterdam With Giethoorn Boat Rental
Okay so I’ve talked all about how you can check out the Giethoorn boat rental when you are in the town but for many the trip from Amsterdam is not easy because they can’t arrange transport. I’ve added this because most tourists tend to stay in Amsterdam rather than outside it because the city is so well connected.
Since Giethoorn is so far away from the city, organizing transport is crucial. That’s why people tend to choose tours. Since there are a couple of attractions along the way, many tours tend to combine attractions. I’m going to talk about some tours that offer boat rental and some of the best ones that offer good combinations of locations.
Giethoorn Day Trip With Small Electric Boat
⭐️ Rating: 4.7/5 (535 Reviews) Price: $138 per person Duration: 8 hours 📍Meeting Point: Prins Hendrikkade, 1012 AD Amsterdam Details: Read more on Get Your Guide Now!
Remember the Giethoorn boat rental that I talked about initially? The one with the steering wheel? Well this tour departs from Amsterdam and handles your transport from the city to this quaint town. It also includes a pre-booked small electric boat. That means that you don’t have to worry about any of the boat rentals when you reach.
Pretty convenient if you ask me. Plus you get a full hour on the boat which is pretty much what we did. This will cover all the highlights of the area.
After your boat excursion, you have an hour to eat lunch. The lunch can be provided by the tour provider for an extra cost or you could choose to eat at one of the many local restaurants. I highly recommend catching some yoghurt ice cream while you are in town.
“This trip was amazing. Our group was small and the weather was great. Our guide Aku was outstanding. He took us to see the tulip fields on the way to Giethoorn even it wasn’t in the plan. He knew how to avoid crowds and to enable us to experience the peace of the place. I highly recommend this trip.”
Albina (read more reviews now!)
Once everyone is done with lunch you then head out on a guided tour of Giethoorn. This tour is conducted on foot. The best part is the 1 hour free time that you are given after the guided tour. Here you can explore the neighborhood at your own pace and click as many photographs as you want.
Geithoorn + Zaanse Schans With Boat Rental In Giethoorn
⭐️ Rating: 4.6/5 (354 Reviews) Price: $149 per person Duration: 9 hours 📍Meeting Point: Hotel NH Details: Read more on Get Your Guide Now!
Zaanse Schans is one of the iconic spots in the Netherlands with windmills flanking the Zaan river. There are loads of things to do in this area including a museum, entering the windmills, drinking some of the best hot chocolate in the Netherlands and clicking loads of photographs. Getting from Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans is pretty easy but having your own mode of transport definitely makes the trip more comfortable.
Zaanse Schans makes a great stop on the way to Giethoorn because its just 30 minutes out from Amsterdam. It breaks the journey down and makes it more enjoyable.
You will get a guided tour through the wooden shoe workshop, Catharina Hoeve cheese farm and the World of windmills. In addition to this, you will also get 25 minutes of free time to wander around on your own.
“It was a perfect day, which exceeded my expectations. Veronica the tour leader and the driver Mukti were very kind, professional and made this day special. We were then a group of 3 people with a small van, as if it were a private tour (even if it wasn’t). Then obviously the places visited are really worth it, they are enchanting.”
Jennifer (read more reviews now!)
After this you will take a 95 minute bus drive to Giethoorn. Here you will have lunch (can be provided by the tour provider for an extra fee) and then head out on a one Giethoorn boat rental. This is a guided tour where your guide will tell you all about the sites. Very similar to the guided tour that we talked about before.
You also get 50 minutes of free time to wander around the city before you board the bus back to Amsterdam.
Giethoorn, Volendam And Zaanse Schans With A Boat Rental In Giethoorn
⭐️ Rating: 4.6/5 (403 Reviews) Price: $150 per person Duration: 10 hours 📍Meeting Point: Amsterdam Details: Read more on Get Your Guide Now!
I’ve already talked about the Giethoorn and Zaanse Schans combination. If you want to squeeze one more location into your trip then Volendam is definitely recommended. Its on the way and is a super cute fishing village. It was one of the first places in the Dutch countryside that I visited. Still one of my best trips ever.
The downside to adding another stop is the fact that it will mean less time spent at each location.
The trip is great for people who have just a short time in the Netherlands though because you get to see a lot in a day and you get to see beyond Amsterdam. Again, something that I really recommend.
This particular tour involves stops at Giethoorn, Zaanse Schans and Volendam. Each place has its own guided tour where you get to learn about the iconic parts of each town.
In addition to this, you can partake in some local cheese tasting in Zaandam, eat local snacks in Volendam and obviously have the Giethoorn boat rental taken care for you so you don’t have to worry about a thing.
“The tour guide of Xalam Tours – Mr. Alamudi Naufal and the bus driver Pete, both were really kind and friendly.
Mr. Naufal gave us really nice tips on the ride…for visiting different places, to use the free restrooms, he also suggested some nice Vegetarian restaurants for us, I would recommend this trip to anyone who wants to visit all these 3 cities.
It wasn’t hectic as well, we started around 9AM. We had enough time to spend in all these places (including the Wooden shoe and Cheese factory) and reached the drop location around 7.30 PM. Highly recommended!”
Supraja (read more reviews now!)
This tour is longer than the others because of the added stop so it takes 10 hours. Its a whole day activity so you can’t really plan much else other than night activities on that day.
Keukenhof Tulip Gardens + Giethoorn Trip
⭐️ Rating: 4.6/5 (72 Reviews) Price: $161 per person Duration: 10 hours 📍Meeting Point: Amsterdam Details: Read more on Get Your Guide Now!
Keukenhof is the the famous tulip garden of the Netherlands. This particular tour is specifically for spring so make sure that you check your dates when you are booking. Keukenhof is open for 8 weeks every year. The dates are always announced early in the year so you can plan your trip accordingly. Generally speaking the garden is open in April and May.
You can easily get from Amsterdam to Keukenhof on your own using public transport or you can take one of the numerous Amsterdam tulip tours. This particular tour works if you are visiting during tulip season and want to combine two iconic spots in the Netherlands.
This trip starts off at Keukenhof which is great because you will avoid the worst of the crowds. You get a total of 3.5 hours here inclusive of a self guided tour around the gardens.
The tour also includes some free time that you can use to wander around or just take a cycle around the countryside.
Make sure to rent your cycle in advance because they sell out and they aren’t included in the tour.
You will then head to Giethoorn where you will pretty much do the same thing as the other tours.
“The Keukenhof Tulip Garden tour was amazing, what a stunning place! We were extremely lucky to visit the garden during the week when most of the flowers were open! The park is amazing, it has structure for all ages and places to eat.
Then we went to Giethoorn, which is a charming, incredible experience navigating through the “streets” of this small village. I recommend!”
Fabiana (read more reviews now!)
Like the others, the Giethoorn boat rental is handled by the tour company so you really don’t have to worry about anything. You also have some free time to walk around the scenic canals on your own and at your own pace.
The tour takes a full 10 hours. So its a bit longer than expected but that’s about it. I think an extra one hour is a small price to pay to see two interesting locations in the Netherlands.
When it comes to the Giethoorn boat rental, you will find plenty of options. As I mentioned before, you need to see what fits with you. Do you want to sit in comfort and enjoy the view? Do you want to be a bit more adventurous and try your hand at steering a boat?
Or maybe you want to make the most of your time and see more than one spot in the Netherlands. The good thing is that there are loads of options and no matter what Giethoorn boat rental you pick, you are bound to have a good time.
Have you been to this gorgeous spot and used a Giethoorn boat rental? Let us know about Your experience below.