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    Gouda

    Netherlands

    Gouda

    CityCulture

    Gouda gave its name to the Netherlands' most famous cheese: it is produced in the surrounding area and has been traded here for centuries – every Thursday morning from April to August at the cheese market.

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    7. South Holland
    9. Gouda
    Gouda gave its name to the Netherlands' most famous cheese: it is produced in the surrounding area and has been traded here for centuries – every Thursday morning from April to August at the cheese market. This city in Zuid-Holland is also the home of the Stroopwafel and was long known for candles and clay pipes.In the middle of the market square stands one of the country's oldest Gothic town halls, built between 1448 and 1450. The Sint-Janskerk, at 123 meters, is the longest cruciform church in the Netherlands and famous for its 70 stained-glass windows. Gouda has around 76,000 inhabitants and is located at the confluence of the Gouwe and Hollandse IJssel.
    Gouda is home to around 76,000 residents and is located in the province of Zuid-Holland at the confluence of the Gouwe and Hollandse IJssel, in the rural Groene Hart, between Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht. The center is the market square with the Gothic Town Hall from 1448-1450 and the Weigh House, where cheese used to be weighed. Just behind it stands the Sint-Janskerk with its 16th-century stained-glass windows.

    Sights in Gouda

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    Sint-Janskerk
    Museum

    1Sint-Janskerk

    At 123 meters, the Gothic Sint-Janskerk is the longest cruciform church in the Netherlands. It is known for its approximately 70 stained-glass windows, the 'Goudse Glazen'; 14 of them were created by the Crabeth brothers between 1555 and 1577.
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    Gouda Weighhouse
    Museum

    2Gouda Weighhouse

    Pieter Post built the Weigh House on the market square in 1668; a facade relief depicts cheese weighing. Inside, exhibitions cover cheese making and local crafts, and there's a tasting room.
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    Museum Gouda
    Museum

    3Museum Gouda

    The City Museum features 16th-century sacred art, The Hague School paintings, and 20th-century Gouda ceramics.
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    Kamphuisen Siroopwafel Factory
    Museum

    4Kamphuisen Siroopwafel Factory

    Bakery and demonstration workshop on the Market Square, where you can see Gouda syrup waffles being made.
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    Restaurants in Gouda

    1

    Restaurant Bij Ons

    Restaurant on Koster Gijzensteeg, an alley between Market Square and Sint-Janskerk.
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    2

    Brunch Boutique

    Brunch restaurant in Zeugstraat, a few steps north of the Market Square.
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    Cheese, Waffles and Candles

    The Cheese MarketEvery Thursday morning from April to August, the Cheese Market is held in the market square. Though Gouda cheese is made in the surrounding region, it was traded and weighed in the city. The 1668 Weigh House exhibition reveals how this was done.StroopwafelsThe syrup waffle originates from Gouda. At the Siroopwafelfabriek on the market, you can watch them being made.Gouda bij KaarslichtEvery year in the pre-Christmas period, the city celebrates "Kaarsjesavond," the Candlelight Evening.The Town HallThe carillon on the facade with its mechanical knights on horseback is from 1952.

    Arrival

    Gouda is located in the Green Heart of the Randstad, not far from The Hague, Rotterdam, and Utrecht. Gouda station is connected to these three cities by train; a second stop is Gouda Goverwelle. By car, you can reach the city via the A12.

    Accommodations in Gouda

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    Nearby

    South Holland

    South Holland

    South Holland is the most densely populated province of the Netherlands, uniting two very different major cities: the port city of Rotterdam and the seat of government, The Hague. In between lie the historic centers of Leiden, Delft, Gouda, Dordrecht, and Schiedam.Along the North Sea coast, behind the dunes, are seaside resorts such as Katwijk and Noordwijk. Southeast of Rotterdam stand the windmills of Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage site. In the south of the province, bridges and dams connect the islands of the Rhine Delta.
    Kinderdijk

    Kinderdijk

    In Kinderdijk, about 15 kilometres east of Rotterdam, 19 18th-century windmills stand along the canals – an ensemble that has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997. They were built around 1740 to drain the Alblasserwaard polder.Today, two diesel pumping stations handle most of the work, but some windmills are still operational. The name means “Children's Dike” and refers to a legend from the St. Elizabeth's Flood of 1421: A cradle with a sleeping child is said to have been washed ashore here, kept balanced by a cat.
    Rotterdam

    Rotterdam

    Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands, home to Europe's largest seaport, and the destination for all seeking modern architecture. Because a German air raid on May 14, 1940, almost completely destroyed the city center, the core was rebuilt after the war – with structures like Piet Blom's Cube Houses, the Markthal, and the Erasmus Bridge.The city, with around 671,000 residents, is located in Zuid-Holland province within the Rhine-Meuse Delta. The Nieuwe Maas divides it into northern and southern parts; on the south bank, the former port area Kop van Zuid has grown into a district with skyscrapers, museums, and hotels.
    Leiden

    Leiden

    Leiden is the oldest university city in the Netherlands and Rembrandt's birthplace – a canal city on the Oude Rijn with an unusual density of museums. In the Hortus Botanicus of the university, founded in 1575, the first tulips bloomed on Dutch soil in 1594.The city, with around 130,000 inhabitants, is located approximately 18 kilometers northeast of The Hague and 45 kilometers southwest of Amsterdam. Every year on October 3, it celebrates the end of the Spanish siege of 1574, traditionally with the carrot stew Hutspot.
    Delft

    Delft

    Delft is located between The Hague and Rotterdam and is known for three things: its blue and white Delft Blue pottery, the painter Jan Vermeer, and the history of the House of Orange. William of Orange was assassinated here in 1584; the royal family's burial place is located in the Nieuwe Kerk on the market square.The city has a population of around 110,000 and is home to a Technical University. Its center, with canals, the 1620 City Hall, and the Oude Kerk with its leaning tower, can be easily explored on foot.