Amsterdam to Giethoorn Train: A Step-by-Step Guide

The train from Amsterdam to Giethoorn has two parts, an NS train to Steenwijk and a short bus ride from there. The picture below shows the whole route. No single timetable gives one total time, so we added the legs, and the steps below explain each one.

Step 1: Take the Amsterdam to Giethoorn train as far as Steenwijk

The train part of the trip ends at Steenwijk, because Giethoorn has no train station. Giethoorn.com says the nearest stations are Steenwijk, about 8 km away, and Meppel, about 9.5 km away. Steenwijk is the one the bus lines use.

In the NS journey planner, the ride from Amsterdam Centraal to Steenwijk took 1 h 36 min to 1 h 44 min with one change. One sample route changed at Amersfoort Centraal, then took an Intercity towards Leeuwarden for the last 1 h 08. Trains left about every 30 minutes in the sample. NS is the Dutch national railway.

A single in second class costs €29.00 at the full 2026 fare. NS changes its prices every 1 January. The bus fare and rental boat prices are not published on the pages we could open, so only the train fare is firm. Pick a train that leaves you a few minutes at Amersfoort, because the next one is about half an hour later.

Pro Tip Book your train to Steenwijk, not Giethoorn, because Steenwijk is the last station on the route. The bus is a separate ride.

Reaching Centraal from your hotel is a separate question. The guide to Amsterdam public transport lists the trams and metro lines that end at the station.

Step 2: Change to bus 70 or the Giethoorn Express

From Steenwijk station, bus 70 runs all year to Giethoorn. Giethoorn.com says the Giethoorn Express, line 270, also runs from April to October, about twice an hour, including on public holidays. The tourist board gives the ride from Steenwijk to Giethoorn as about 15 minutes.

The Visit Weerribben-Wieden tourist board says the Giethoorn Express leaves every half hour between 10:00 and 18:00, from late April up to and including October. Bus tickets are sold at the intercity station in Steenwijk, the board adds. Since the timetable change of 14 December 2025, RRReis, the regional bus company, runs line 70 and line 270 so that together a bus leaves every half hour between Steenwijk, Giethoorn and Blauwe Hand. RRReis also lets you check in with a bank card (OVpay).

Get off at Hylkemaweg-Giethoorn Centrum or Hollands Venetië. Giethoorn.com says both are a few minutes' walk from the village centre.

Here is what the pages we could open do not say. They give no bus fare, no first or last bus, and no winter timetable once the Express stops after October. As a day trip, it works on public transport. You spend about four hours on the road in total, so leave early and be back at Steenwijk with time to spare. Look up the bus back in the journey planner before you leave Steenwijk, so you do not get stuck in the village at the end of the day.

Key Takeaway Giethoorn has no train station. You need an NS train to Steenwijk (1 h 36 to 1 h 44) plus a bus of about 15 minutes, so count on about two hours at best.

Step 3: Plan your hours and your boat in Giethoorn

The old village centre is made for boats and walking, and Giethoorn.com says there are no roads for cars there. Visitors mainly use the water or walk. The site lists whisper boats, quiet electric boats for the village centre. Sloops are comfortable electric boats for longer trips. Guided canal cruises with a skipper take about 1 hour on average. A trip in a boat you steer yourself usually takes 1 to 2 hours.

You do not need a boating licence for the rental boats, according to Giethoorn.com's boating page. The same page strongly recommends booking a boat or cruise online in advance, especially at busy times. On official public holidays and in July and August from 11:00 to 17:00, boats wider than 1.80 m may not pass through the village canal between the Volkensvaart and the Molenvaart.

The page also says the water is quietest before 10:00 and after 16:00. That timing is hard to reach by train and bus. With about two hours of travel, you would have to leave Amsterdam very early to be there before 10:00, and the Giethoorn Express only starts at 10:00. The late afternoon is easier, but check the last bus first.

The best time on a small canal is when most of the day visitors are somewhere else.

Step 4: Weigh the train and bus against the car

Driving is the one way to reach the village without a change, but the village itself is largely car-free. Giethoorn.com says there is parking at several places in and around Giethoorn, and that you cannot reserve a space. It does not list parking prices.

Giethoorn Village B.V., a local company that also rents boats, gives 120 km and about 1 hour 25 minutes by road from Amsterdam. The route runs past Almere and Lelystad, with the exit toward Steenwijk at Emmeloord. It says most parking lots are free, and each is at most a 4-minute walk from the village. No official tourist board page gives the drive, so treat the time as a guide and add margin for a busy day.

The train is also the wrong choice if you want to arrive before 10:00 without a very early start. A car is faster, but you still have to find a place to park.

Step 5: Decide between going alone and a guided day trip

Go alone if you like to set your own pace and do not mind a change and a bus. The trip costs €29.00 each way for the train, plus the bus and whatever boat you rent. A guided day trip is worth the money when you want the route done for you. A trip also helps if you would rather not check the bus back. The trade-off is a fixed departure time and a larger group, so you have less say over your hours in the village. The Giethoorn day tour from Amsterdam page lists the guided trips. For more trips like this one, see day tours out of Amsterdam and our guide to day trips from Amsterdam by train.

The Best Travel Destinations' count of GetYourGuide listings for the Amsterdam area in October 2026 found 6 trips to Giethoorn, from €59 to €130 per person, and all of them take a full day.

Three of them suit a reader who is weighing the train:

• The Giethoorn day trip with a guided canal cruise costs from €59 per person for 8 hours. Flagship Tours runs it, and GetYourGuide shows a rating of 4.8 from 310 reviews. The listing includes a coach, a Dutch guide who speaks English, a cheese tasting, a canal cruise and free time in the village, and it describes the Giethoorn Express as the fastest direct route. Lunch is not included. The group can be up to 50 people, and the booking page gives the meeting point.
• The Giethoorn and Zaanse Schans windmills day tour costs from €115 per person for 10 hours. DutchTrips runs it, and the rating is 4.85 from 1,140 reviews. You get a minibus or touring bus, a guide, a canal cruise in Giethoorn, a cheese factory visit, a clog-making demonstration, bottled water and a stroopwafel. The meeting point is De Ruijterkade 153.
• The Zaanse Schans and Giethoorn small-group day trip costs from €109 per person for 10 hours. K7-Travel runs it, and the rating is 4.9 from 110 reviews. The listing offers hotel pickup in select areas of Amsterdam, a 1-hour cruise in Giethoorn and a private option for up to 8 people. A standard group is up to 18. Lunch and boat rental are not included.

All three show free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead, and the booking page shows the rules for your date. Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide. The ratings are guest scores shown on GetYourGuide, not our own.

None of these is right for everyone. If you want a slow, early morning on the water, a day trip arrives when the village is busy. If you want the whole of Giethoorn to yourself, take the train, stay at the quiet hours, and book a rental boat ahead.