I recommend - Very complete the excursion. Each place to which more picturesque. Our guide, Leticia, very good with your explanations and with all the historical information of each place. He made it very enjoyable. It's worth this excursion.

Great Tour - The day trip to Giethoorn and Afsluitdijk from Amsterdam was absolutely amazing! Giethoorn was like a fairytale — peaceful canals, charming cottages, and beautiful gardens everywhere. The boat trip through the village was so relaxing and offered incredible views. Visiting Afsluitdijk was equally impressive, a true engineering marvel with stunning sea views. The entire tour was well-organized, and the guide was friendly and informative. It was a perfect day full of beautiful sights and unique experiences. Highly recommend it to anyone wanting to explore more of the Netherlands!

A welcomed gear change. - The leisurely village of Giethoorn is a welcomed gear change and a perfect excursion for those wanting to escape the sometimes fast-paced city of Amsterdam. Sit back and watch the world slowly pass by in an almost fairytale-like setting. TIP: Ensure you retrieve your ticket from the Centraal Station ticket office before approaching the coach.

Giethoorn. - Giethoorn was wonderful! The lovely weather made it even better! The history and canal ride was terrific! The food was so good and the shopping was the awesome. The day was long but the scenery of the countryside was spectacular!!!

Excellent day trip of Giethoorn from Amsterdam - Excellent day trip to Giethoorn from Amsterdam. Fairly easy to get tickets and to reach the platform. Mr G is an excellent and knowledgeable guide. Boatride was good. Would have preferred more time in the Giethoorn instead of going through the Dike. Overall a lifetime experience for the whole family.

Giethoorn was great,... - Giethoorn was great, although we probably would not have needed as much free time there. There was little narration during the long bus ride to Giethoorn or the dike.

Too much free time. The... - Too much free time. The village was worth seeing. The boat ride was nice. We then had over two hours with nothing to do. We had almost no time for the dike which I was most interested in learning about

Rude and unprofessional driver ruined the start of the trip - On June 6th, I joined a tour to Giethoorn. When I arrived at the coach in the morning, I had brought a pancake with me. A staff member from Tours & Tickets politely told me that food wasn’t allowed on the coach, which was completely fine. So I stepped aside and enjoyed the pancake outside the coach. While I was eating, the driver suddenly came over and started yelling at me, saying I couldn’t bring the pancake on board. I was confused, because I was clearly not on the coach. So I told him to be nice. He then replied, “This is my coach. I can say it.” I found this behavior completely unacceptable. I was following the rules and not causing any disturbance. There was absolutely no reason for the driver to speak to me in such a disrespectful and aggressive tone. This kind of attitude is not okay, especially in a customer-facing role. It left a very bad impression at the start of what should have been a pleasant trip.

Giethoorn is a truly... - Giethoorn is a truly beautiful and unique village—definitely worth visiting. We’re glad we discovered this destination, as it offers a peaceful charm, especially if you venture away from the main tourist paths. The tranquil canals, quaint cottages, and natural surroundings create a picturesque and memorable experience. That said, we were very disappointed with the tour organized through Viator, primarily due to the poor quality of the tour guide. Unfortunately, the guide added no value to the trip. He barely spoke, and when he did, he addressed the group more in Spanish than in English—even though we had booked the English-language tour. He spent more time chatting with the bus driver than interacting with the passengers, and we received almost no information about the places we were visiting. For example, when we stopped at the Afsluitdijk, we were simply told to return to the bus in 15 minutes. No historical context or explanation about the dam was provided. We later had to research it ourselves to appreciate its significance. We also encountered a long traffic delay en route, which cut into our time in Giethoorn. This further highlighted how much more efficient and cost-effective it might be to visit Giethoorn independently—taking the train and planning your own day at your own pace. Upon arrival in Giethoorn, the guide handed out yellow bracelets to about half the group, allowing those people to board the boat immediately. The rest had to wait an hour. Fortunately, we were among the first group, giving us time to enjoy lunch, explore the village, and shops after the boat tour. However, those in the second group were at a significant disadvantage, as they had less time to enjoy Giethoorn after their boat ride. It was surprising and disappointing that the tour was so poorly organized—80 people on a bus, but only 40 spots available per boat trip. If this limitation is known in advance, it should be clearly communicated or better managed by scheduling two boats or adjusting the itinerary. Tour guide said you can rent your own boat if you would like or want to wait ( and it is after the tour itself had an hour boat ride included and prepaid in the tour price). The boat ride itself was a highlight. Our boat captain, a university student working a summer job, was friendly, informative, and funny. He provided interesting insights about the village, canals and made the experience enjoyable. He, not the official Viator tour guide, was the one who deserved a tip. The return journey to Amsterdam was again in silence, except for a short thank-you from the guide (and again Spanish version of his talk was much longer than English). Guide asked us for a tip to him while he planned to stand on the platform and say individual Thanks to people exiting the bus. We ended up tipping the only the driver directly, as he did a good job despite the long day. In summary: • Pros: Giethoorn is beautiful and well worth the visit. The boat ride (especially with a guide) is memorable. • Cons: The Viator tour was poorly executed, lacked meaningful guidance, and involved inefficient logistics. • Recommendation: Visit Giethoorn on your own if you can. Take the train, rent a boat, and enjoy the village at your own pace. Can have a picnic on one of the village islands if you plan for it. If you prefer a tour, consider another company that possibly offers better organization and knowledgeable guides. Also, a tip for fellow travelers: the canals are much quieter earlier in the day. By afternoon, boat traffic becomes dense and chaotic—though watching the occasional boat bumper-to-bumper action is entertaining in its own way!

Getting a refund when trip cancelled was dreadful - In February - we booked (at one of their shops) an excursion for 2 adults to Giethoorn and Enclosing Dike Tour at 79 Euros each. The following afternoon (and the day before the trip), we went to check out the meeting place, as the instructions weren't the easiest. On our arrival, we were told that the trip had been cancelled because they didn't have enough bookings. Disappointing, however, we understood. The reason for the one star is that when I asked for the money to be put back on our card - the answer was No! We had to apply for our refund as the UK is outside the EU. A statement I found at odds with my own experience, in that I have had refunds/overpayments returned to a UK card in the EU on a number of occasions since Brexit - and it was done instantly. Instead you had to provide by email, name of account holder; IBAN; Swift code; sort code, bank account, full address and details of Bank and then wait for them to pay you. We did get a refund, but I wouldn't have booked if I had known there was a high chance of the trip not taking place and that the company had such a long winded and complicated refund system.