Netherlands Guide
The eastern Netherlands
Giethoorn
GIETHOORN's origins are really rather odd. No one gave much thought to this marshy, infertile chunk of land until the thirteenth century, when the local landowner gifted it to an obscure religious sect. Perhaps to his surprise, the colonists made a go of things, eking out a living from local peat deposits and discovering, during their digs, the horns of hundreds of goats, which are presumed to have been the victims of prehistoric flooding; duly impressed, the residents named the place Geytenhoren ("goats' horns"). Later, the colonists dug canals to transport the peat and the diggings flooded, thus creating the watery network that now attracts herds of day-trippers, the scenic supplement being the village's thatched cottages and dinky, humpbacked footbridges.
Giethoorn is about 3km from north to south and up to 800m wide. Bus #70 travels the length of the N334, pulling in at three stops. Ds. Hylkemaweg, the nearest stop to the old part of the village. Accommodation is very tight between June and August. Giethoorn's smartest hotel is the four-star 
De Harmonie, a modern place by the canal at the north end of the village at Beulakerweg 55 ( 
0521/361 372, 
www.harmonie-giethoorn.nl ; Price: €75-100). An excellent alternative is the nearby Hotel De Jonge ( 0521/361 360, www.dejonge-giethoorn.nl ; Price: €75-100), which occupies several intelligently converted old buildings at Beulakerweg 30. Lake Bovenwijde has no fewer than six campsites on its western shore, including the well-kept Botel Giethoorn, at Binnenpad 49 ( 0521/361 332, www.botel-giethoorn.nl ; April to mid-October).
Water taxis leave from pretty much everywhere and cost about €6 per hour for a trip round the village. Most of the campsites and hotels rent boats, in a variety of shapes and sizes. Prices vary, but reckon on €10–15 per hour for a whisper boat down to €6–8 per hour for a canoe.
Both De Harmonie and the Hotel De Jonge have very competent restaurants, serving a good range of Dutch dishes from €17, but the best-known café hereabouts is the Eetcafé Fanfare, Binnenpad 68, which offers inexpensive food and an interior decorated with old photos of the village.