Three ways to get from Amsterdam to Giethoorn
Giethoorn has no railway station and no roads through its centre, but it is well connected. From Amsterdam you have three options.
- Train and bus: intercity from Amsterdam to Steenwijk, then a short bus ride to the village. About 2 to 2.5 hours each way.
- Car: roughly an hour and a half, with parking at the edge of the car-free centre.
- Organised tour: coach tours from Amsterdam exist. You travel on a fixed schedule and have a set amount of time in the village.
By train and bus: step by step
1. Train from Amsterdam to Steenwijk
Take the intercity towards Zwolle and Leeuwarden from Amsterdam Centraal or Amsterdam Zuid and get off at Steenwijk. Depending on the connection the train is direct or you change once in Zwolle. The train journey takes roughly an hour and three quarters. Check the current times in the NS app or on NS.nl.
2. Bus from Steenwijk to Giethoorn
Steenwijk station is about 10 kilometres from Giethoorn. The bus station is right outside the railway station.
- All year: bus line 70 runs every hour from Steenwijk via Giethoorn to Zwartsluis.
- April to October: bus line 270, the Giethoorn Express, also runs every hour, so in those months there is a bus every half hour, seven days a week.
For the village centre, get off at the Hylkemaweg stop. If you have booked a boat or cruise, your confirmation email names the stop closest to your departure point. Bus times are in the 9292 app or on 9292.nl.
3. Tickets
Buy your train ticket in the NS app, on NS.nl or at the ticket machine. On the bus you pay with an OV-chipkaart (the Dutch public transport card) or contactless with your bank card or phone. The 9292 app plans the whole journey, train and bus together. All bus lines, stops and travel tips are on our page about public transport to Giethoorn.
Total journey time: about 2 to 2.5 hours each way. Leaving Amsterdam in the morning gives you a full afternoon on the water.
By car from Amsterdam
By car, Giethoorn is roughly an hour and a half from Amsterdam. The centre is car-free: you park at the edge of the village on one of the car parks of the parking route, almost always at a boat rental company, restaurant or hotel. Signs reading “P-route Giethoorn” along the Beulakerweg guide you to three zones.
The easiest way to know where to park is to book your boat first: the car park of that rental company is then your destination, and you step out of the car where your boat is waiting. All car parks, zone by zone, are on our parking page.
Organised tours from Amsterdam
Several companies run coach day tours from Amsterdam to Giethoorn. They are convenient if you prefer not to plan anything, but you travel on the group’s schedule and the time in the village is fixed. Travelling by train or car and booking your own boat gives you the same day with more freedom: you choose when to sail, where to eat and how long to stay.
What to do in Giethoorn on a day trip
Time on the water is the heart of a visit. The canals, the little wooden bridges and the thatched farmhouses are best seen from a boat.
- Sail yourself in a whisper boat or a sloop. No boating licence is needed; the rental company explains the controls.
- Prefer to sit back? Take a canal cruise with a skipper who knows the village.
- Walk the Binnenpad, the path along the village canal, and cross the wooden bridges.
- Have lunch or a drink by the water. See eating and drinking in Giethoorn.
- Visit Museum Giethoorn ’t Olde Maat Uus for the story of the village.
More ideas: things to do in Giethoorn.
How a day from Amsterdam looks
You do not need clock times to plan the day; think in blocks.
- About 2 hours of travel from Amsterdam, by train and bus or by car.
- Straight to the water: about 2 hours in your reserved whisper boat, sloop or on a canal cruise.
- Lunch by the canal.
- An hour or more on foot along the Binnenpad and the bridges, or a museum visit.
- About 2 hours of travel back.
Allow at least 4 to 5 hours in Giethoorn itself. If you would rather not rush, stay the night: see accommodation in Giethoorn.
Is Giethoorn worth a day trip from Amsterdam?
Yes, if you like being on the water and in the countryside. Giethoorn is a small village, so a day is enough to see it properly, and the journey through the polder landscape is part of the experience. Keep in mind that it is popular: on summer weekends the canals and the car parks fill up. Booking your boat in advance is the difference between sailing straight away and waiting.
When to go
Spring and early autumn combine good weather with fewer visitors. Weekdays are quieter than weekends. In summer, an early start from Amsterdam puts you on the water before the busiest hours. Read more on when Giethoorn is the quietest.
