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The way to a man’s heart goes through Giethoorn, just rent a boat and you’re good to go!
A small picturesque town in the Netherlands – Giethoorn, the village with no roads speaks of its ancient culture and history through its centuries-old thatched houses, farm museum, boat filled waterways and quaint alleys. Famously known as the “Venice of the Netherlands”, the only things the two places have in common is the surety that they will not run out of water in the near future (much to our envy) and their unmatched beauty, that manages to grab the attention of tourists.
It spoke of a calmness, of simplicity entwined with beauty. After renting a punter, you’d be peacefully gliding across small canals and drifting under a wooden bridge, as you see people cycling past on the bicycle trails and spot scenic cafes and farmhouses.
This Dutch Fairy-tale Village was always on the itinerary of our Euro trip, but little did we know, that even after countless hours of visually satisfying ourselves through Google Images; on our arrival, we would still be as wide-eyes as a five year old in Disneyland. Nevertheless, Giethoorn wasn’t anything less than a town out of a fictional book to us.
The Journey
Amsterdam Centraal—Almere Centrum—Steenwijk Station—Giethoorn, Kerkeweg
If you want to travel to Giethoorn from Amsterdam, you have to set out time of about 2.5 hours (one way) to travel independently through train and bus. There is a special train ticket that costs 24 Euros per head which includes your bus fare from the Steenwijk station to Giethoorn. Alternatively, you can rent a car and drive to Giethoorn (1h20m) or simply book a guided tour for 89 Euros from the Tours and Tickets website. Download the 9292.nl app on your smartphone to find the best route to reach Giethoorn and other places around Amsterdam.
On our arrival, we had decided to join a guided boat tour for about 8 euros per head, which took us through the canals for an hour.
A day trip in Giethoorn
Giethoorn is a toy-like village- small and beautiful. Much of our sightseeing was done in a few hours after which, we stopped by at one of the cafes on the footpaths. The weather, when we had arrived, was rather gloomy and dark
(Advice: when packing your essentials for your day trip to Giethoorn, keep a raincoat as well. It’s Netherlands, we are talking about after all).
Much to our delight, when we stepped out of the café after lunch, the sun had come out and life had undergone a transformation in Giethoorn. Sorcery, I tell you. The place had lit up completely and the people wore smiles as bright as the sun.
Bidding Adieu
As our luck goes, my wife and I managed to miss the last bus from Giethoorn to Steenwijk station and the aftermath wasn’t anything as Bollywood like as I would have liked it to be. Luckily, we made great travel buddies on the way with whom we car pooled a ride back to the station and from thereon to Amsterdam. The journey was worth it. The destination was definitely worth tons of memories and with this we said our last goodbyes to this small postcard perfect village- Giethoorn.
