Private Boat Tour in Giethoorn: Experience the North Netherlands 'Little Venice'

Embark on a private boat tour in Giethoorn, the ‘Little Venice’ of the Netherlands. Experience the tranquility and natural beauty of this magical village. Explore the fairy-tale charms of Hasselt by foot and discover its rich history.

Duration: 7 hours, 15 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Giethoorn - Your private guide will drive you directly to the picturesque village of Giethoorn ( 75min ). The centre of the village is car-free so the only way to get around is by boat or on foot. Your guide will transform himself into your captain and welcome you on board a typical ‘punter’, a small Dutch flat bottomed boat designed to sail in…
What's Included
  • Air-conditioned vehicles
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
Additional Information

Giethoorn
Among the worth-visiting Dutch locales, Giethoorn stands out. Famously known as the ‘Little Venice’ in Netherlands, the only way to access it is via boat, with no roads, and hence, no cars. We invite you for an exclusive canal journey to soak up the serenity, stillness and natural allure of this enchanting village.
Hasselt
Explore the…

Location
Giethoorn
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(23 Ratings)
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Arevs2025
May 16, 2025
Excellent! Highly Recommend - What I liked about this tour – there were a lot of pleasant surprises that weren't listed. The guide took professional photos of me with my phone; he even told me professional poses to take, and the photos turned out great. At the walking tour, I made a mistake and went the wrong direction, which cost me some time because I ended up near a highway. Just follow the path where the cafés are.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tiff_c
May 13, 2025
Fun and Memorable! - We were so fortunate to have Steve as our guide! He’s punctual and a great communicator. The evening prior to the tour, he reached out to confirm the pickup spot and time. On the morning of the tour, he arrived on time to pick us up for the full day tour of Giethoorn and Hasselt. He’s a perfect gentleman with helping my mom and me in and out of the van, and he provided water bottles for each of us. A bonus on this tour was an extra stop to one of the tulip fields off the side of the highway so that we can take pictures (since I told him I didn’t get a chance to go to Keukenhoff gardens this round). He's a great driver, and we learned so much about the Netherlands and life in this country throughout the day. One of the reasons we took this tour was because the guide would drive the boat in Giethoorn for us, and the one-hour canal cruise around Giethoorn was the highlight of the tour! We didn’t have to go in the larger boat with other groups, nor become instant “captains” and navigate with other people who didn’t know how to drive their boats. We got to explore Giethoorn by boat and on foot. Steve timed everything perfectly as we finished out “boat cruise” before the canals got even more crowded. Following our tour around Giethoorn, Steve took us to Hasselt, a small little town full of history with no other tourists, and this visit was very refreshing. It was nice to dine with him as he showed us what were more common snacks that the Dutch eat. It helps when your guide is a local who can tell you the history, lifestyle, and everything you want to know about the Dutch and the country. He even took us on an orientation walk and described the history buildings and showed us quaint little characteristics of the shops and houses around the main canals. I highly recommend this tour, and highly recommending getting Steve as your guide. We hope to tour with him again next time we visit the Netherlands!
Review provided by Viator
Romenya
Mar 22, 2025
Brilliant!! - This was an amazing trip and well worth it. Steven was wonderful. He picked us up from our Airbnb and took us to Giethoorn and Hasselt. Giethoorn was the first place we visited. It is looks like a postcard. Hasselt is equally as pretty and the Gothic church was so pretty. Steven also took us into a grinding windmill. Very fascinating. It was great to get out of Amsterdam and see the country through a locals eyes in an area where most tourists wouldn't visit. We loved that it was a private tour and that Steven was flexible. He delivered us back to our Airbnb. If you area visiting the Netherlands I would highly recommend you take the tour. 5 stars!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Resort43511019723
Oct 20, 2024
A full day tour - We had a great time. Steven was very informative and a pleasure to explore the sites with. I would definitely recommend it to a friend.
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Peter_m
Oct 10, 2024
Excellent tour - Steven was an excellent guide. His thorough knowledge on Netherlands, Giethoorn, etc. He has a wonderful sense of humour. He has us laughing many times. We were in awe of the beauty of Giethoorn. Enjoyed traditional Dutch treats. Beautiful country scenery. I would recommend this tour. While in Giethoorn, children from a family he had guided the day before ran up to Steven to say hi. This speaks volumes about him. How he interacts with his customers not just his knowledge. If Steven was the guide, We would take the tour!
Review provided by Viator
P6476qekellyh
Aug 28, 2024
Beautiful Day - Steven was a wonderful tour guide and provided a great Giethoorn and Northern Netherlands experience. We highly recommend this experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Eleanorc286
Jul 11, 2024
Very enjoyable tours - Steven Attersol was our guide for 2 days. This Giethoorm and North of the Netherlands tour, and the Windmills and fishing village in another day. Steven is very knowledgeable in the history of the Netherlands. He gave us a glimpse of how people used to live, then and now. We enjoyed listening to all the stories, of what’s happening, etc he told us. He took care to change the timing to avoid the rain as much as possible while we had the open boat ride. He also took us to off the beaten path places to walk around, to have lunch, etc. It was very enjoyable. My sister wanted to buy some cheese for her family. Steven took us to a place with very good cheese. My sister did not eat cheese much before but she said the cheese was very good after she went home. Thank you Steven for the 2 wonderful, well informed tours. Wishing you and your family all the best. Eleanor and Alice
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Sherri_c
Jun 20, 2024
Loved it!!! - Steve was the guide. He was very good and informative. Loved the peaceful ride on the boat in Giethoorn. We recommend making this part of our Netherland experience
Review provided by Viator
Jamieon8872ci
May 28, 2024
Must do Geithoorn canal tour! - This is a must do excursion. The village and canal tour was amazing. Glad we had a local private guide, it made the world of difference. Steve was amazing and we enjoyed chatting with him and getting know the local history and current events! You can't go wrong doing this tour!
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Jamie_o
May 28, 2024
Geithoorn village and canal tour with private guide - Must do experience! Beautiful town. Our driver Steve was the best! Would do other excursions with Steve. He rocks! You miss out on local knowledge with a private guide.
Review provided by Viator
From $154
up to 6 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).