In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Giethoorn is about 2 hours each way: an NS train to Steenwijk (€29.00 each way, €58 return at full fare), then bus 70 to the village. Discover Holland’s combined ticket at €53 (to 31 December 2026) adds the bus and a one-hour boat trip to an off-peak return, so it undercuts the train alone. A coach tour costs about what the train does: from £47.88 with a boat, 7½ to 8 hours. Giethoorn is crowded on peak days, and the municipality announced an action plan in March 2026. Or book a tour: the coach tour with a one-hour boat tripad (from £49.96, 4.5 stars from 3,041 reviews) leaves from De Ruijterkade by Centraal at 10:00 (GetYourGuide, 1 October 2026).
Going on your own
Fares are NS’s, as listed on 1 October 2026; the ticket deal is from Discover Holland, an initiative of the Dutch public transport operators.
- The train: Amsterdam Centraal to Steenwijk, €29.00 each way, €58.00 return, second class with no discount card.
- The bus: RRReis bus 70 from Steenwijk station towards Giethoorn. Get off at Dominee Hylkemaweg and walk about 250 metres up the road. Discover Holland puts the whole journey at about 2 hours from Centraal.
- The deal: Discover Holland’s €53 ticket is an off-peak day return by train to Steenwijk, the bus 70 return and a one-hour boat trip from Restaurant De Rietstulp (Ds. T.O. Hylkemaweg 15). It is valid on weekdays until 6:30, between 9:00 and 16:00 and after 18:30, and all day on Saturdays and Sundays. It is not valid on King’s Day (27 April), cannot be combined with other offers and cannot be refunded. It runs to 31 December 2026. The boat does not sail in a frost: the buyer gets a hot drink and cake instead.
- The boat: the first boat leaves at 11:00 and the last at 15:00. To catch the 11:00 boat, leave Centraal by about 8:30.
Tours from Amsterdam
A tour takes the transport out of the day. The cheapest tour costs about what the train does at full fare. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” price on 1 October 2026.
Coach tour with a boat trip
From £49.96 · 4.5 stars from 3,041 reviews · 7½ hours
From Amsterdam: Ultimate Giethoorn Experience with Boat Tourad starts at 10:00 at De Ruijterkade 34, by Centraal. The coach takes about 1½ hours each way, and the day has a one-hour boat trip and free time in the village. The guide speaks English or Spanish, and the listing warns that weather can affect the boat trip.
Direct day trip with a guided cruise
From £47.88 · 4.8 stars from 311 reviews · 8 hours
From Amsterdam to Giethoorn Day Trip & Guided Canal Cruisead is the cheaper of the two direct tours here, with a higher rating from fewer reviews.
Guided day trip, and a small electric boat
From £72.61 and £109.33 · 4.8 stars from 379 reviews and 4.6 from 585 · 8 hours
From Amsterdam: Giethoorn Guided Day Trip with Canal Cruisead is a guided day with a canal cruise. Giethoorn Day Trip with Small Electric Boatad uses a small electric boat.
Which to choose
- Train and bus with the €53 ticket if you travel on a weekday between 9:00 and 16:00 or at a weekend, and want to choose your own hours.
- A tour if you want the transport, a guide and a boat in one booking: the price is level with the full-fare train.
- Neither if you have only one day in Amsterdam, which Amsterdam in one day fills: Giethoorn takes 7½ to 8 hours, and the Zaanse Schans is 17 minutes away.
What to see
Giethoorn is a small village of about 2,600 people, known for thatched cottages along its canals and its footbridges.
- The boat trip. An hour past thatched-roof cottages and out onto Lake Bovenwijde, with a skipper, from De Rietstulp. Do this first: the last boat on the €53 ticket leaves at 15:00.
- The bridges and the village. Walk the paths along the water between boat and bus. Kayaks and stand-up paddleboards can be hired, and Museum De Oude Aarde, the village’s oldest museum, is in the centre.
- Skip boat hire on a busy day. Rental boats are getting bigger, many visitors cannot steer them, and the stretch of the Dorpsgracht between Kerkweg and Volkensvaart regularly jams. Take a skippered boat instead.
Crowds and rules
Steenwijkerland, the municipality, announced an action plan on 26 March 2026 after pressure on the village on peak days: more visible enforcement on the water, a public online crowding dashboard, a dynamic parking system for the new boating season and tighter checks on permits and moorings for rental boats (Steenwijk City). Boats must go the marked direction.
Giethoorn is one of the day trips from Amsterdam, which compares it with Keukenhof and the Zaanse Schans; the trains with nothing to book are Haarlem, Delft and The Hague and Rotterdam. Amsterdam public transport has the GVB fares to Centraal. What to book before you go to Amsterdam has the Anne Frank House release and museum slots to plan around, and the Keukenhof from Amsterdam guide covers the spring alternative.
Common questions
How do I get from Amsterdam to Giethoorn?
Take an NS train from Amsterdam Centraal to Steenwijk, then RRReis bus 70 towards Giethoorn and get off at Dominee Hylkemaweg, 250 metres from the village centre. Discover Holland puts the journey at about 2 hours each way. The train alone is €29.00 each way at full fare.
What is the cheapest way to do Giethoorn from Amsterdam?
Discover Holland's combined ticket at €53: an off-peak day return from any Dutch station to Steenwijk, bus 70 and a one-hour boat trip from Restaurant De Rietstulp. It is valid to 31 December 2026, is not valid on King's Day, and cannot be refunded.
Is a Giethoorn tour from Amsterdam worth it?
On cost, about the same as the train. A coach tour with a one-hour boat trip is from £49.96 for 7½ hours, and a direct day trip with a guided canal cruise from £47.88 (GetYourGuide, 1 October 2026), against €58 for the train at full fare.
How long should I allow in Giethoorn?
The first boat on Discover Holland's ticket leaves at 11:00 and the last at 15:00. With 2 hours each way, a day trip is 7½ to 8 hours door to door, including a boat trip and time to walk the bridges.