Giethoorn is a quintessential Dutch village in the province of Overijssel, where the Dutch love for living on the water — and beside it — is especially vivid. Surrounded by lakes, reed beds, and forests, this picturesque village is filled with neat farmhouses with thatched roofs and charming wooden bridges.
Giethoorn began as a settlement of peat cutters. As peat was excavated, lakes and ponds formed, and the houses began to be built on small islands. Access to them was possible only by bridges or traditional boats called punters — narrow vessels moved with a long pole handled by a punteraar, the boatman.
Fortunately, very little has changed in Giethoorn. The tall wooden bridges still decorate the village, and you can still travel through its canals the same way — by punters, electric boats, or small tour boats. During a one- or two-hour ride, you’ll see magnificent 18th-19th century farmhouses and glide under numerous bridges.