Koppers Giethoorn has been a family business on the Ds. T.O. Hylkemaweg in the centre of Giethoorn since 1947. You take a covered boat tour, hire an electric boat with no boating licence needed, or step into one of the souvenir shops or the ice cream parlour.
Koppers has been in the hands of the Koppers family for generations. From the Hylkemaweg you sail in a hire boat under the first wooden bridges within a few minutes, past farmhouses with thatched roofs. All the hire boats are electric and before you set off you always get a personal explanation from a member of staff. If you do not want to steer yourself, you step aboard one of the covered tour boats.
At Koppers Giethoorn you can take a boat tour or private boat tour, hire a sloop, console boat or whisper boat, go out on the water with a group, buy souvenirs and gifts, and eat an ice cream.
All the tour skippers hold a boating licence and speak Dutch, English and German.
Koppers hires out four kinds of electric boat. They sail almost silently and the batteries last a whole day. On the sloops and the console boat you steer with a steering wheel, which many people find easier; on the whisper boat you steer with the lever on the motor.
1 to 8 people
The largest hire boat at Koppers. At the front is a circular seating area, so the whole party sits together, with seat and back cushions. You steer with a steering wheel at a console at the back. Dogs are not allowed in the sloop.
1 to 6 people
A sloop with a long circular seat, soft cushions, a large steering wheel and a swimming platform at the back of the boat. Slightly smaller than the electric sloop and a little trickier to steer. Dogs are not allowed.
1 to 6 people
A light aluminium boat with a steering wheel, backrests and a console in front of the skipper’s seat, so even tall people have plenty of room. With a lot of luggage or provisions you are more comfortable with a maximum of four people. Your dog is welcome.
1 to 6 people
The simplest boat: you steer and accelerate with the lever on the electric outboard motor. With more than six people you book two boats. With luggage you are more comfortable with a maximum of four people. Your dog is welcome.
You do not need a boating licence. On arrival you get a paper boating route map and a member of staff explains the route. He then steps aboard with you for a short instruction: you turn the wheel only a little, you always keep some speed so the boat keeps responding, and with the lever you go forward, reverse and brake.
If you are more than six people, you book two boats. If you need three or more, contact Koppers.
The Koppers boating route map shows routes with a colour for each length. The time on the map is pure sailing time. If you want to get out along the way for a break, the lookout tower in the nature reserve or a swim at the swimming island, hire the boat for longer than the route takes.
The water around Giethoorn is about one metre deep, in the canals and on the lake. The best place to swim is at the swimming island on the Bovenwijde; Koppers recommends wearing swimming shoes. You do not swim in the navigation channels themselves, because of the boats.
The village boat tour takes about an hour. You sail through the old centre, under the wooden bridges and past the farmhouses with thatched roofs, and for a stretch across the Bovenwijde, where you have a wide view over the village and the landscape. The skipper tells you along the way about the history of Giethoorn, the bridges and how the village came into being.
The tour boats are electric, fully covered and seat 48 people. You sit at a table on a cushioned bench and can get a drink on board. The boats come and go from the quay at Hylkemaweg 13. If you have missed the boat, you can join the next one in consultation with a member of staff.
You can also hire a whole tour boat for your own party, for a private boat tour of one or two hours. That suits a birthday, family day or company party. You request a private boat tour from Koppers by phone; it is confirmed as soon as Koppers has confirmed it.
Longer trips are also available on request. The nature trip of about two hours starts in the village and then goes to the quieter water, the reed beds and the nature of De Wieden. For groups or a special occasion, Koppers can put together a trip of three hours or longer, for example with a lunch stop, a picnic spot or a visit to a lookout tower.
Koppers sails with company outings, family days, coach companies and travel organisers. The company has three large electric tour boats for 48 people per boat. Together with sister company Zuideinde, more than 200 people can sail at the same time. Because the boats come and go, the wait is short, even if a coach arrives later than planned.
Coaches park at the municipal car park P1 Centre Groen on the Ds. J.J. Ketstraat, within walking distance of the tour boats. All the skippers speak English and German, also for international groups. For a group you request a quotation from Koppers.
Koppers has written down the story behind the landscape for the guests on board. A few things the skipper tells you along the way:
The Koppers family has been selling souvenirs and gifts for decades. In both shops you can pay by cash and by debit card.
Het Rode Pleintje at Hylkemaweg 13 is in a former post office that became a gift and souvenir shop in the 1990s. It is opposite the boarding place for the boats and close to car park P1 Centre Groen. You will find souvenirs of Giethoorn and the Netherlands, such as magnets, teaspoons and mugs, as well as Delft blue, clogs, shells, jewellery, nautical gifts, angling gear and summer items such as sunglasses, caps and flip-flops. You can also get an ice cream or a drink here, and there are toilets.
The second shop, In den Coop'ren Duikhelm, is in the rear house of an old farm at Binnenpad 62. You can get there on foot, by bike or by boat, and tour boats can moor there. Here you will find jewellery, gemstones, model ships, shells, music boxes and thimbles, among other things.
A stone’s throw from the boat hire and the boat tour, Koppers has an ice cream parlour. You can get an ice cream there, before or after a trip on the water. The terrace faces north and so stays in the shade even on warm days.
No. You do not need a boating licence for any of the hire boats at Koppers Giethoorn. Before you set off you get a boating route map, a member of staff explains the route and you get a short instruction on operating the boat.
Your dog can come in the whisper boat and the console boat. Dogs are not allowed in the electric sloop and the sloop deluxe, because of the cushions. On the tour boat a dog is allowed if it can lie under the table.
You hire a boat for 2, 3, 4 or 6 hours, where 6 hours is the whole day. With 2 to 3 hours you sail through the centre of Giethoorn and part of De Wieden; with 4 hours or longer you also reach Giethoorn-Noord and further into Weerribben-Wieden National Park. The batteries last a whole day.
Yes. The Koppers tour boats are electric and fully covered, so rain or a bit of wind is no problem. There is no sailing in ice or storms.
The hire boats are in the Cornelisgracht, level with the souvenir shop at Ds. T.O. Hylkemaweg 13. The tour boats depart from the quay at the same address.
Koppers refers you to the municipal car park P1 Centre Groen on the Ds. J.J. Ketstraat, a few minutes’ walk away. Set your navigation to Ds. T.O. Hylkemaweg 13; you then pass this car park. If it is full, you can go to P2 or P3 Centre Groen, about ten minutes’ walk.
Yes, in a hire boat you may bring your own food and drink. Alcohol is not allowed on board, not even for passengers. You can also buy drinks in the souvenir shop.
Cancelling and moving a reservation follows the terms of the rental company. If it rains heavily, you can join the covered boat tour instead of sailing yourself.
