If you're staying in Maastricht for the semester, you must make it a priority to visit this fairytale city of the Netherlands. Giethoorn is the perfect day trip from Maastricht and a great way to spend a relaxing day on a boat, drinking wine and enjoying the amazing view. To get to Giethoorn from Maastricht, you must first take a train to Utrecht Central Station, and then another train to Steenwijk Station, followed by a short bus ride to Giethoorn. Although it took about 4 hours to get to Giethoorn, it was worth every minute. As soon as we arrived, we got lunch at one of the several restaurants along the canal. I got a panini with brie, honey, and walnuts which was delicious! We then stopped at the local supermarket, just a five minute walk from the canals and got some wine and cheese to bring with us on our boat. The best thing about Giethoorn, is you can rent a boat and drive it on your own, without any strangers or tour guides to bug you! However, if driving a boat is not your cup of tea- don't worry! There are still organized tour guides that can take you on a bigger boat around the city. To rent a boat was very cheap and they give you a brief lesson on how to operate it. We chose to drive the boat ourselves and, after a bit of a rocky start, we were smooth sailing! There were tons of cheese shops, ice cream stores, pottery and art stores and restaurants along the canals. We first drove around the city by boat for 2 hours and then walked the same route by foot so that we could wander into all of the wonderful shops. The best part about Giethoorn, is that there are almost zero cars. This means the people who live in the village must walk around or use a boat to get places. This was such a change of pace and so fascinating to see the way people live. This was a great getaway for the day and one of my favorite places I've visited so far! Who needs to go all the way to Italy when we have our own little Venice right here in the Netherlands!?
- brookeboes