Electric boat
The simplest boat, based on the former punter boats. The seats have backrests, except the driver’s seat. You steer with a lever and a speed control.
't Zwaantje
boat tours, boat hire and restaurant
’t Zwaantje is a family business on the Ds. T.O. Hylkemaweg in the centre of Giethoorn, with boat tours, boat hire, canoes, bike hire and a restaurant. All the hire boats are electric and all the tour boats have a lift for wheelchairs.
Boating, cycling and eating in one place
At ’t Zwaantje the hire boats, the tour boats and the restaurant are side by side, close to the bus stop and with their own car park. You can hire a boat yourself, join a boat with a skipper or hire a bike, and have something to eat or drink before or after your trip. The company makes a point of letting everyone join in, including people in a wheelchair.
- Over 50 electric hire boats: whisper boats, sloops (electric boats) and punters (traditional wooden boats)
- Sail without a boating licence, with up to 10 people per boat
- Boat tour of about an hour in covered, electric tour boats
- Lift in all the tour boats and a sloop with a wheelchair lift to sail yourself
- Dogs are welcome in the hire boats and the tour boats
- Canoes, bikes, tandems, e-bikes and cargo bikes for hire
- Restaurant with room for groups of up to 100 people
At ’t Zwaantje you can hire whisper boats, sloops and punters, sail yourself or join a trip in a wheelchair, take a boat tour or a private boat tour, hire canoes, hire bikes and tandems, eat pancakes, have lunch, drink coffee with cake, eat with a group and have your luggage looked after.
Sail yourself: the hire boats
’t Zwaantje started in 1985 with 4 boats and now has over 50 hire boats, from simple electric boats and antique punters to sloops with cushions. All the boats have been electric since 1992 and are repainted every winter. The number of people for each model is the maximum, and children count.
Whisper boat with steering wheel
An electric boat with a steering wheel, also known as a console boat. All the seats have backrests. There are versions for 4, 6 and 8 people, and it is a popular model for families with children.
Sloops
Sloops are roomier and more stable than a whisper boat, with cushions, a steering console and often seating around the edge. There are five models, from a small sloop for 6 people to a spacious sloop for 10 people.
Punters
Antique wooden Giethoorn punters with an electric motor. ’t Zwaantje no longer hires out punters with a punting pole, so as not to hinder the flow of traffic on the village canal.
Sloop with wheelchair lift
An open sloop with a built-in lift for 1 wheelchair, also electric. You drive onto the platform from the bank and lower to the bottom of the boat at the push of a button. The controls come with you, so you can also moor along the way.
Canoe
An open Canadian canoe with loose paddles, for routes from 3 hours to a whole day. There are 10 canoes; in a canoe you can reach ditches where other boats cannot go. Not suitable for paddling alone.
How it works
Sailing without a boating licence
Before you set off you get an explanation of the boat and the route, and you are given a boating map. You can also follow an audio tour of the boating route on your smartphone, in languages including Dutch, English, German, French and Chinese. For people with hearing difficulties the tour can also be read as text. The boats have no GPS; if you lose your way, you call the helpline and ’t Zwaantje will come to you if necessary.
The water in the canals and on the lake is about one metre deep on most routes, and the boats have flat bottoms. A pram body, buggy or Maxi-Cosi can stand on the bottom of the boat. Life jackets for small children are available for hire. In the open boats you can bring your own picnic. On the batteries a boat can sail for six to eight hours.
- About 1 hour: short tourist route through the busiest part of the village
- 2 hours: extended village route, with time to moor
- 3 hours: village route and nature reserve
- 4 hours: village route as far as Giethoorn Noord
- Whole day: also Dwarsgracht and the hamlet of Jonen
Boat tour
Boat tour with a skipper
On the tour boat you sail for about an hour through the narrow canals of the old village, under the little bridges and across the lake in Weerribben-Wieden National Park. The skippers hold a boating licence, speak English and tell you about Giethoorn along the way. One of the boats has an audio system with eight languages, and with the free app you can also follow the tour in other languages.
The tour boats are covered and run electrically on solar power. When it is warm the windows and part of the sliding roof open; on cold days there are fleece blankets on board. Groups of up to about 150 people can sail at the same time, spread over several boats. For groups of 25 or more, a longer tour of about 1 hour 40 minutes is possible on request, and two boats can also be hired privately.
- Tour boats 1 and 5: small tables and upholstered seats in a train-style layout, for up to 44 and 48 people
- Tour boat 2: seating around the edge for 40 people with room for about 8 wheelchairs, available for private hire
- Tour boat 3: extra-large scissor lift for heavy electric wheelchairs, mobility scooters or stretchers
- Tour boat 4: cinema-style seats around the edge for 25 people, available for private hire, catering can be added
- Dogs welcome on a lead, with their own ticket
- No outside food on board, but takeaway from ’t Zwaantje is fine
Accessible
Boating in a wheelchair
’t Zwaantje has well over twenty years of experience with boat tours for people in a wheelchair and sails for, among others, branches of the Zonnebloem, the Red Cross and care institutions. All the tour boats have a platform lift that lowers to the bottom of the boat. So you do not have to step or be lifted. Two members of staff help with boarding and disembarking: one in the boat and one who operates the lift from the bank.
With large groups, about 35 wheelchairs can come along at the same time. A person in a wheelchair pays the same as a companion. In principle a mobility scooter can come on the tour boat, but if you can walk a few steps, ’t Zwaantje asks you to leave the scooter on the bank and take a seat on a bench. Mobility scooters are not allowed inside the restaurant; a loan wheelchair is available.
- Lift in all the tour boats, also for walkers, prams and stretchers
- Sail yourself in the sloop with a wheelchair lift
- Short distances between the car park, restaurant, toilet and departure jetty
- Wheelchair minibuses and coaches can come right up to the jetty
Restaurant
Restaurant ’t Zwaantje
The restaurant consists of the Eethuys and the Gelagkamer, a living room in Old Dutch style, and a Mediterranean-style section with a grill. There is a terrace with a view of the boats and a terrace on the cycle path side. The tour boats are right outside the door, so you can have something to eat or drink here before or after your trip.
You can go there all day for pancakes, lunch, dinner, snacks, and coffee with cake, with vegetarian, vegan, halal and gluten-free options. The menu changes, so call 0521 36 15 93 for the current menu. You can also take food with you in the boat, and there is coffee to take away. For groups there is room for 100 people, and a coffee lunch (koffietafel) is possible on request.
- Gluten-free options; the kitchen is not completely gluten-free
- Please give dietary requirements and allergies in advance if you can
- Step-free, with automatic sliding doors and a spacious accessible toilet
- Dogs welcome on a lead; there is a water bowl outside
- Two high chairs, colouring sheets and small toys at the table
- Reading glasses to borrow and free Wi-Fi
Bike hire
Bikes, tandems and e-bikes
’t Zwaantje lies right on the cycle path along the N334, close to cycle junction 61. At the desk you can hire bikes for children and adults, tandems, electric bikes and cargo bikes, by the half day or by the day. A route map is included. The bikes are meant for Giethoorn and the immediate surroundings and may not be taken to another place by car.
- Bikes with back-pedal brakes and three gears
- Tandems with eight gears, a sprung saddle and adjustable handlebars
- Electric bikes with a mid-mounted motor
- Children’s bike and cargo bike
- Limited number of child seats on the back; not on a tandem or e-bike
- Routes such as the Dorpentocht (village tour) via Giethoorn Noord and Dwarsgracht and the route along De Wieden and Weerribben
About ’t Zwaantje
A family business since 1985
The parents of the current owners came to Giethoorn in 1985 and started De Babbelaar, with four hire boats. In 1992 the family bought ’t Zwaantje. Jan, Jolanda and Tanja now run the business, with their (grand)children and a team of permanent and temporary staff. Jan is a tour boat skipper and runs the boat hire, Tanja is hostess of the restaurant and Jolanda does the administration and the website.
Sustainability and accessibility are important to the family. The roof is covered in solar panels and the newest sloops with a wheelchair lift were built to their own design. At ’t Zwaantje you can also have your luggage, such as a suitcase or rucksack, stored for a fee during your day in Giethoorn.
Practical information
- Reservationsyou hire individual boats at the desk without a reservation, as long as boats are available; boats cannot be reserved by phone. For groups and packages, get in touch
- Parkingown car park for guests, entrance on the Beulakerweg next to number 135; paid on busy days; charging point available
- Public transportDs. Hylkemaweg bus stop (lines 70 and 270) right next to ’t Zwaantje
- Paymentcard and contactless payment at the restaurant and the boat kiosk; Mastercard and Visa with PIN
- Toiletsin the restaurant, including two accessible toilets; the tour boats have no toilet
Frequently asked questions about ’t Zwaantje
Do you need a boating licence to hire a boat at ’t Zwaantje?
No. You can sail the electric boats, sloops and punters of ’t Zwaantje without a boating licence, as long as there are no more than 10 people in the boat. Adults and children both count, the dog does not. If you are more than 10 people, you hire two or more boats.
Can the dog come in the boat?
Yes. Dogs are allowed in all the hire boats of ’t Zwaantje, including the sloops. On the tour boat the dog is allowed if it is on a lead and stays off the seats; you do need a separate ticket for the dog.
How long does the ’t Zwaantje boat tour take?
The boat tour takes about an hour and goes through the old village, across the lake and back again. For groups of 25 or more, a longer tour of about 1 hour 40 minutes is possible on request.
Are the tour boats suitable for wheelchairs?
Yes. All the tour boats of ’t Zwaantje have a built-in lift, so you can board with a wheelchair, walker, pram or even a stretcher without having to step. For anyone who wants to sail themselves, there is a sloop with a built-in wheelchair lift for up to 10 people, including 1 wheelchair.
Can you reserve a boat by phone?
No. According to ’t Zwaantje, individual boats cannot be reserved by phone. You can hire a boat without a reservation at the desk at Hylkemaweg 1, as long as boats are available. On busy days there may be a wait.
How long should you hire a boat for?
For a trip around the village you need about 2 hours, including some time to moor. With 3 hours you also sail through the nature reserve, and with 4 hours you reach Giethoorn Noord. Hiring for one hour is only possible for a short tourist route and not always.
What can you eat at restaurant ’t Zwaantje?
You can go there all day for pancakes, lunch, dinner, snacks, and coffee with cake. There are vegetarian, vegan and halal options as well as gluten-free options, and you can take food with you in the boat. Call 0521 36 15 93 for the current menu.
Where do you park at ’t Zwaantje?
’t Zwaantje has its own car park for guests, with the entrance on the Beulakerweg next to house number 135. There is room for cars, wheelchair minibuses and coaches, and there is a charging point. On busy days parking is arranged by staff and you pay for parking.