Giethoorn is one of the cutest villages in the Netherlands. This village in the Netherlands has no roads, only footpaths and canals, which means that you can float through the streets. The village was always quiet until it was featured in a Dutch movie and became famous on the global stage, especially in China. Now, over 800,000 people visit this picturesque Dutch village each year. Although I was concerned that the crowds would take away from it, it quiets down towards the end of the day and you can finally breathe.
One of my favorite parts of visiting this village was renting a boat to float along the canals past the adorable houses, pastures full of sheep, and around the lake behind the village. While boating around the village, you can stop your boat to stop into any of the canal-side businesses for a beer or frites (we did!). Although overtourism is an issue in Giethoorn, I would still recommend it to tourists who are looking for an adorable Dutch villages. It’s not so easy to get here from Amsterdam by train as it’s in involved travel route, but I’d still recommend it for anyone who has a car.
Giethoorn was established as a settlement of peat harvesters. Peat cutting created ponds and lakes, and people built houses on the islands between them. As a result, access was only possible by bridge or using traditional Giethoorn boats, so-called punters – narrow boats pushed along using a long pole by a punteraar.
Fortunately, little has changed in Giethoorn. The tall wooden bridges are still there, and you can still travel the waters on a punter, as well as on an electric boat or a tour boat. A 1 or 2-hour boat tour takes you past the gorgeous 18th and 19th-century farmhouses and under the bridges. Learn more about the history of Holland, Land of Water.
Giethoorn undeniably has a reputation when it comes to gastronomic enjoyment. It is home to various excellent restaurants, many of which are of course beautifully situated at the water’s edge. The highlight among them may well be restaurant De Lindenhof (Beulakerweg 77), with 2 Michelin stars, but Hollands Venetië (Beulakerweg 167) and ’t Achterhuus (Dominee T O Hylkemaweg 43) are also highly recommended!
