Check the weather first
On the Weather in Giethoorn page you can see the forecast for the coming days, including hour by hour. That helps you decide whether to spend the first part of the day outdoors and go inside after lunch, or the other way round. The village is small enough to switch between the two without any trouble.
Visit a museum
Giethoorn has two museums. One is about the history and the former way of life in the village. The other shows minerals, gemstones and fossils. Both are on the Binnenpad, close to each other, so you can walk from one to the other in the same stroll.
You do not need to set aside a whole day for them. A museum visit fits well between a boat tour and lunch.
Take a boat trip under a roof
The regular canal cruise boats are covered and heated, and the windows can be opened. That way you stay dry in changeable or colder weather. A canal cruise lasts about an hour. The skipper steers and tells you about the village along the way, so you need no boating licence or boating experience. You can read more about the options at boat tours in Giethoorn.
If you are travelling with a group, there are also covered private boats with a skipper. The range goes up to boats for groups of 40 people, and some of the larger boats are heated. You can find them at boat with a skipper.
Would you rather steer yourself? That is possible in changeable weather too, but take an extra layer, because it is cooler on the water than on the bank. If rain is likely, a rain jacket is a better idea than an umbrella.
Eat and drink indoors
Giethoorn has restaurants, grand cafés and pancake restaurants. You can have pancakes indoors too, with a view of the water. A longer lunch is an easy back-up plan when the weather is not on your side. The overview of all places is on the page eating and drinking in Giethoorn.
If you are travelling with children, see eating with children. One of the places to eat in the village has a play loft with a ball pit, slides, tunnels, board games, puzzles and craft materials.
Shop in the centre
Giethoorn has no shopping centre. You will find smaller shops and specialist stores, spread across the village and mainly around the Binnenpad. The range runs from souvenirs and regional products to cheese, gemstones and jewellery. What exactly is for sale differs from shop to shop. The page shopping in Giethoorn tells you where to find them. Between two showers, you can walk from shop to shop.
Puzzles and games
There is no traditional escape room in Giethoorn itself, where you are locked in a room. There are alternatives, though, such as escape boxes and escape chests, detective games and other escape games. With an escape box, you solve puzzles and open locks together around a box.
Do check where the game is played. A City Escape and an outdoor escape are played outside, and the escape game in the region takes place mostly outdoors. A large part of the interactive games are also played on your own phone as you walk or sail through the village. Read for each game how and where you play it before you choose.
Archery, a photo in traditional costume and cooking
Archery can be done indoors. You first get an explanation of the technique and of handling the equipment safely, then you shoot yourself. You need no experience.
For a photo in traditional costume, you put on traditional clothing and have your picture taken. You are not outside for long, and it is a short part of the day, so you do not need half a day for it.
A cooking workshop takes place outdoors, over a wood fire. If a shower comes, you carry on cooking under the shelter on the yard. The workshop lasts about four hours and is meant for groups of 8 people or more.
Put together a rainy-day plan
You can combine a covered canal cruise with a museum visit and a long lunch. If it stays dry for a while, you can still walk a stretch along the Binnenpad. With an umbrella, a short walk along the canal is quite doable in the rain too.
Do you have children with you? The article a day in Giethoorn with children has more ideas for a day out with kids.
