Giethoornbetter known as the ‘Venice of Holland’, is by far theThe most beautiful town in the Netherlands. Its picturesque canals that seem straight out of a fairy tale or Tolkien’s Hobbit Shire itself, are connected by wooden bridges. The landscape is simply fascinating and the reason why many want to travel to that corner of the world.
Where is Giethoorn
The Giethoorn people live in the northeast region of the Netherlands, a little further north of the small Dutch city Zwolle, capital of the province Overijssel. It is part of the Weerribeen-Wieren National Park, an extensive region where nature still evokes the ancient forests of the region. The park is of utmost importance for the Netherlands, as it is home to the largest swamp in northwestern Europe.
But in addition to the great expanse of nature that takes refuge in Weerribeen-Wieren, the park is home to the Giethoorn village where the grounds covered by gardens and the canals of , are harmoniously interwoven.
What Giethoorn is like
The closest description of Giethoorn would be ‘a Venice built by hobbits’, yes, those picturesque beings from JRR Tolkien’s literature who build their houses in complete harmony with nature. This is the most beautiful town in the Netherlands, with green expanses that cover the ground and rustic wooden houses. Modern life there seems to not exist and it is prohibited to use vehicles, which must be parked on the outskirts of the town. At the moment The population of northern Venice is only 3 thousand people.
But the most special characteristic of Dutch Venice is precisely that The streets are more like water channels. Some of them are only one depth, but the sections of the small town are divided into islets that are only interconnected by wooden bridges.
Now you will understand why you cannot enter with vehicles, because it is simply not a town where there are streets to travel on foot. All internal transportation in Giethoorn is by boat. or if you want an individual experience, you can also tour the town on a paddle board.
How to get to Dutch Venice
The town is 120 kilometers from Amsterdam, about an hour and a half drive. To get there from the Dutch capital, the shortest route is through the cities of Almere and Lelystad, once you reach Emmeloord, you can take the exit towards Steenwijk. On the outskirts of the town you will find three parking lots where you must leave your car to enter the Venice of the North.
Although if you prefer to escape the worries of getting lost on the roads, you can rent a tour that departs from Amsterdam on the Giethoorn tour, which is managed by the town’s residents.
It is also possible to get there by public transport. If you are traveling from Amsterdam central station, you must take a train to Zwolle station and then change in Zwolle to bus № 70, where your final destination will be Busstop Dominee Hylkemaweg in Giethoorn.
Origin and what to do there
The small village is very old, it was founded in 1230 AD, by fugitives from the Mediterranean region, but it was not until later that a group of monks dedicated themselves to digging the iconic canals that now characterize the town. The canals were used to transport peat, the main source of income for the village.
Today you can visit the town of Giethoorn and forget about modern life for a few moments. The most outstanding activity is to travel the more than 4 kilometers of canals that interconnect the islets. You can do it in private or collective boats and hire a guide to explain the history of the place. You can also hire paddle boards and go your way through the waters.