The municipality of Bunschoten also includes the following towns, villages and townships: Eemdijk, Spakenburg, Zevenhuizen.
The village of Bunschoten was first named in 1294. It was located on the border between Utrecht and Guelders, and it suffered a number of times from invasions from Guelders. In 1383, the bishop of Utrecht gave Bunschoten city rights, which allowed the citizens to build an earthen wall around the town. Unfortunately, the fortifications and a part of the town were destroyed about 80 years later in a war against two rival bishops, and were never rebuilt.
The fishing village of Spakenburg lies north of Bunschoten on the IJsselmeer. It is one of the few places left in the Netherlands where the women still wear the local traditional clothes.
In the 20th century, the two villages have grown quickly, and since about 1965 they form one single village, often named Bunschoten-Spakenburg.