# Gouda The Thursday cheese market from April to August, the Waag, the Kamphuisen stroopwafel factory and the 72 stained-glass windows of the Sint-Jan, by train from Amsterdam. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/the-netherlands/gouda · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Gouda is the city that gives its name to one of the most famous cheeses in the world, but you discover it as a perfectly sized Dutch canal city: an enormous square with the old town hall in the middle, a cheese weigh house of 1668, the longest church in the country with 72 famous stained-glass windows and a centre you can cross on foot in twenty minutes. This is also where the stroopwafel was born, the syrup waffle you will find all over the country, and the Kamphuisen family has been making them since 1810 in a factory you can visit. ## How do I get there from Amsterdam? By train: Gouda is in the middle of the Randstad, between Utrecht, Rotterdam and The Hague, and from Amsterdam Centraal you arrive in a little under an hour, direct or with one change depending on the time. The Intercity station is north of the centre, about ten minutes on foot from the Markt. Pay by tapping a contactless card on the reader. By car, park in a Q-Park in the centre, such as the Bolwerk, under the City Hotel, and walk: the centre is small. ## What is the cheese market like? Every Thursday from April to August, from 10:00 to 12:30, the Markt relives 17th-century trade. Horse-drawn carts loaded with cheeses arrive, stop in front of the Waag, the cheese boys unload them on their shoulders and cheesemakers and merchants close the deal with a clap of hands. The cheeses are weighed on the original scales in the Waag. Around the square there are stalls selling cheese, local produce and crafts. In 2026 it ran from 2 April to 27 August, with no market on Ascension Thursday. It is free; arrive before ten. ## What else is there to see in Gouda? On the same square, the Goudse Waag museum tells the story of the city's trade in the weigh house designed by Pieter Post in 1668, with a tasting of four cheeses if you book it. A few steps away, the Kamphuisen stroopwafel factory shows you in 45 minutes how the waffles are made and gives you a hot one at the end, for €11.50. Behind the square rises the Sint-Janskerk, the longest church in the Netherlands, with 72 stained-glass windows and a free 40-minute audio guide; it is open Monday to Saturday. Right behind it, the Museum Gouda, in a medieval building, holds altarpieces, a model of the city from 1562 and Gouda ceramics, and is also open on Sunday. Finish with the canal walk around the centre. ## Where to eat and sleep? De Zalm, on the Markt opposite the Waag, is open every day from ten. COCO serves lunch from Wednesday to Sunday in the former orphanage, and in the same building LIZZ* has a Michelin star, with a €75 introductory menu. To sleep, the City Hotel Gouda is between the station and the square, with parking underneath; the WSHS is in the former orphanage beside the Sint-Jan, and the Guesthouse has self check-in by phone and an inner courtyard. ## How much time and what to combine it with? Half a day is enough for the square, the church and one museum; a full day if you do the market, the stroopwafel factory and the Waag. Given its location, Gouda combines well with Utrecht, Delft or Rotterdam, all by train. ## When to go? On a Thursday from April to August, for the market. The rest of the year, Gouda still has the Waag, the waffle factory, the church and the museum, with far fewer visitors. Watch the days: the Sint-Janskerk is not open to visitors on Sunday and the Museum Gouda is closed on Mondays. ## Dónde está - Cerca: Kinderdijk (a 14.6 km), Rotterdam (a 18.7 km), Dordrecht (a 22.1 km), Leiden (a 22.2 km) ## Qué hacer - **Gouda Cheese Market, Thursdays from April to August** (2 h 30 · All ages · Free): On spring and summer Thursdays, Gouda's Markt, the great square with the old town hall in the middle, goes back to the 17th century. Horse-drawn carts arrive loaded with cheeses, stop in front of the Waag, the weigh house of 1668, and the cheese carriers unload them by throwing them over their shoulders. Merchants and cheese farmers haggle and seal the deal with a clap of the hands, and the cheeses are weighed on the original scales. All around there are cheese stalls, local produce and a crafts market. When and how to see it Every Thursday from April to August, from 10:00 to 12:30. In 2026 it ran from 2 April to 27 August, with no market on Ascension Thursday; the 2027 dates are published at the start of the season. It is free. Arrive before 10:00 to get a spot in front of the Waag, which is where the carts stop. - **Sint-Janskerk and Its 72 Stained-Glass Windows** (1 h · All ages): The Sint-Janskerk is the longest church in the Netherlands, and what has made it famous are its 72 stained-glass windows, known all over the world. Each one tells a story, biblical or from the city. In the morning sun, the nave fills with colour. Visit Open Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 16:00; Sunday is for worship. Entry includes a free audio guide of about 40 minutes that explains the windows one by one. There is a combined ticket with Museum Gouda, which is right behind. On some Saturday afternoons there is an organ concert. - **Kamphuisen Stroopwafel Factory** (45 min · All ages; free up to age 3 · €11.50 per person · family (4) €42 · combined with Gouda Cheese Experience €25): The stroopwafel, two thin wafers stuck together with caramel syrup, was born in Gouda, and the Kamphuisen family has made them here since 1810. Their factory, hidden in the centre, can be visited: they tell you the family's story, you watch the bakers at work, look inside the oven and taste syrups. At the end you are given a freshly made stroopwafel, still warm. Tickets It costs €11.50 per person and lasts about 45 minutes; up to age 3 it is free. The family ticket, €42, is valid for four people with two under-16s. There is a €25 combined ticket with the Gouda Cheese Experience. They can be bought on their website, with a time slot, or at the shop at Markt 69, where they sell stroopwafels in packs and gift boxes. - **Goudse Waag Museum and Cheese Tasting** (1 h · All ages · €8.50 at the ticket office · €7.50 online · with tasting €10 · ages 6 to 14 €3.50): Gouda's Waag is the public weigh house, with a large relief on the façade showing how cheese was weighed. It was designed in 1668 by Pieter Post, the architect of the Leiden Waag and of the Huis ten Bosch palace in The Hague, and all goods over ten pounds were weighed and taxed here. Inside are the original scales and a museum on the history of Gouda, its trade and its products. Tickets and tasting With an audio guide it costs €8.50 at the ticket office and €7.50 if you book online; ages 6 to 14, €3.50. For €10 you can add a mini tasting of four cheeses explained by a guide, and for €13.50, two glasses of Gouda beer. Open daily, from 10:00 to 17:00 from April to October and until 16:00 in winter. On the ground floor are the shop and the tourist office. - **Museum Gouda** (1 h 30 · All ages): The city museum occupies a medieval building right behind the Sint-Janskerk. It holds unique altarpieces, a model of Gouda from 1562, large 17th-century militia paintings, a room of 19th-century landscapes and still lifes and the Gouda ceramics, the city's decorative pottery. For children there is a trail with a tablet and a workshop. Hours Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 to 17:00; closed on Mondays. There is a combined ticket with the Sint-Janskerk. From 14 November to 5 December it becomes the house of Sinterklaas, with a programme for families. - **Walk Around the Markt, Town Hall and Canals of Gouda** (1 h 30 · 3 km · All ages; no problem with a pushchair · Free): The centre of Gouda is small and can be walked without a map. Everything revolves around the Markt, with the old town hall in the middle and the Waag on one side. Go out the back towards the Sint-Janskerk and the museum, and continue along the canals of the centre, with old warehouses, bridges and merchants' façades. How to do it From the station it is about ten minutes' walk to the Markt. At the tourist office, inside the Waag, they have the map and sell tickets. In season boats leave to tour the canals of the centre; ask there for times and prices. ## Dónde comer - **De Zalm** (Café, Gouda, €€). Qué pedir: a lunch on the terrace on a market Thursday, with the Waag in front of you. - **COCO, Casual Lunch at the WSHS** (Café, Gouda, €€). Qué pedir: a midday lunch before the Sint-Jan, which is two minutes away. - **Restaurant LIZZ*** (Restaurant, Gouda, €€€€). Qué pedir: the three-course introductory menu, €75, on Thursday at midday or on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. ## By plane: Fly to Amsterdam or Rotterdam and Take the Train to Gouda Gouda is in the middle of the Randstad, between Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague. The usual route is to fly to Amsterdam Schiphol, with direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and nearly all the major Spanish cities, and continue by train, with a change or two. Gouda can be done as a day trip from Amsterdam or from any of those three cities. ### Dónde dormir if you're flying - **City Hotel Gouda** (Hotel): The place City Hotel Gouda is on the Hoge Gouwe, one of the canals in the centre, in a modern building with rooms and suites in a warm style, The Lounge for a drink and a breakfast with local produce. Below the hotel is the Q-Park Bolwerk car park. Why stay here For the logistics: the station is about ten minutes' walk away and the Markt another ten, and if you arrive by car you leave it below. In market season they have packages with early check-in and a cheese board on arrival. Getting there From Gouda station, about ten minutes' walk towards the centre. By car, enter the Q-Park Bolwerk; the space can be booked at a discount on the hotel website. - **WSHS** (Small hotel): The place WSHS, from weeshuis, orphanage, occupies Gouda's former orphanage, on the Spieringstraat, behind the Sint-Janskerk. It has three types of room: the Luxury rooms, spacious, with beams and open views; the Classic, with painted walls and velvet; and the Tiny & Comfy, small but well looked after. Inside are the COCO lunch bar and the LIZZ* restaurant, with one Michelin star. Why stay here For a special night in Gouda: you sleep in a historic building two minutes from the church and the museum, have breakfast at the hotel and dine in a starred restaurant without getting in the car. It appears on the tourist office's hotel list as Relais & Châteaux. Getting there From the station, about fifteen minutes' walk through the centre. Ask about parking when you book. - **Guesthouse Gouda** (Small hotel): The place Guesthouse is a small hotel on the Geuzenstraat, five minutes' walk from the Markt, in a historic building with a quiet inner courtyard. It works with self-service entry: you receive the key in your phone wallet and open your room with it. In the courtyard and the house café they serve coffee, lunch and high tea. Why stay here Because you are in the very centre without the noise, with the courtyard for breakfast in good weather, and because you can arrive at whatever time you like without depending on a reception desk. Getting there From the station, about fifteen minutes' walk. Ask about parking when you book. ### Servicios - **Gouda Station**: Intercity station with trains to Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam and The Hague, about ten minutes on foot from the Markt; the bus station is next door. ## Car-free: Gouda by Train and on Foot Gouda is a textbook train excursion: ten minutes' walk from the station to the Markt and the whole centre flat and close. The budget per person per day includes sleeping in the centre, food and entry fees. Presupuesto orientativo: 80–160 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir without a car - **City Hotel Gouda** (Hotel): The place City Hotel Gouda is on the Hoge Gouwe, one of the canals in the centre, in a modern building with rooms and suites in a warm style, The Lounge for a drink and a breakfast with local produce. Below the hotel is the Q-Park Bolwerk car park. Why stay here For the logistics: the station is about ten minutes' walk away and the Markt another ten, and if you arrive by car you leave it below. In market season they have packages with early check-in and a cheese board on arrival. Getting there From Gouda station, about ten minutes' walk towards the centre. By car, enter the Q-Park Bolwerk; the space can be booked at a discount on the hotel website. - **WSHS** (Small hotel): The place WSHS, from weeshuis, orphanage, occupies Gouda's former orphanage, on the Spieringstraat, behind the Sint-Janskerk. It has three types of room: the Luxury rooms, spacious, with beams and open views; the Classic, with painted walls and velvet; and the Tiny & Comfy, small but well looked after. Inside are the COCO lunch bar and the LIZZ* restaurant, with one Michelin star. Why stay here For a special night in Gouda: you sleep in a historic building two minutes from the church and the museum, have breakfast at the hotel and dine in a starred restaurant without getting in the car. It appears on the tourist office's hotel list as Relais & Châteaux. Getting there From the station, about fifteen minutes' walk through the centre. Ask about parking when you book. - **Guesthouse Gouda** (Small hotel): The place Guesthouse is a small hotel on the Geuzenstraat, five minutes' walk from the Markt, in a historic building with a quiet inner courtyard. It works with self-service entry: you receive the key in your phone wallet and open your room with it. In the courtyard and the house café they serve coffee, lunch and high tea. Why stay here Because you are in the very centre without the noise, with the courtyard for breakfast in good weather, and because you can arrive at whatever time you like without depending on a reception desk. Getting there From the station, about fifteen minutes' walk. Ask about parking when you book. ### Servicios - **Gouda Station**: Intercity station with trains to Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam and The Hague, about ten minutes on foot from the Markt; the bus station is next door. ## As a family: Gouda with Family Gouda can be enjoyed at any age: cheeses arriving by horse-drawn cart, a factory of warm waffles and a church with coloured stained glass. Everything is a few minutes' walk away. ### What works best The Thursday cheese market, free The stroopwafel factory, €42 family ticket The Waag museum, €3.50 for ages 6 to 14 The tablet trail at Museum Gouda ### Where to stay City Hotel Gouda, with parking below ### Where to eat De Zalm, opposite the Waag, every day COCO, for a quiet lunch ### Good to know The Sint-Janskerk is not open to visitors on Sundays Museum Gouda closes on Mondays ### Qué hacer as a family - Gouda Cheese Market, Thursdays from April to August - Sint-Janskerk and Its 72 Stained-Glass Windows - Kamphuisen Stroopwafel Factory - Goudse Waag Museum and Cheese Tasting - Museum Gouda - Walk Around the Markt, Town Hall and Canals of Gouda ## With young children: Gouda with Young Children With young children, the perfect day in Gouda is a Thursday: horse-drawn carts and cheeses in the morning, and a freshly made stroopwafel afterwards. The streets of the centre are flat and pushchair-friendly. ### What works best The cheese market, with the carts and horses The stroopwafel factory, free up to age 3 A walk around the Markt and the canals ### Where to stay City Hotel Gouda, near the station ### Where to eat De Zalm, with a terrace on the square ### Good to know The market gets crowded: stand at the side if you have a pushchair The factory runs on time slots: book ### Qué hacer with young children - Gouda Cheese Market, Thursdays from April to August - Kamphuisen Stroopwafel Factory - Museum Gouda - Walk Around the Markt, Town Hall and Canals of Gouda ## Consejos ### Come on a Thursday The cheese market is on Thursdays from April to August, from 10:00 to 12:30. ### Book the Waag and the factory online Both run on time slots; at the Waag, online is a euro cheaper. ### Sunday without the church The Sint-Janskerk is only open to visitors from Monday to Saturday; on Sunday, go to the Museum Gouda. ### Buy stroopwafels at Markt 69 The Kamphuisen shop sells them in packs and gift boxes. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### When is the Gouda cheese market? On Thursdays from April to August, from 10:00 to 12:30. In 2026, from 2 April to 27 August. ### How do you get from Amsterdam to Gouda? By train, in a little under an hour, direct or with one change. The station is ten minutes on foot from the Markt. ### Can you see how stroopwafels are made? Yes, at the Kamphuisen factory, with a 45-minute visit for €11.50. ### Which day is best avoided? On Monday the Museum Gouda is closed, and on Sunday the Sint-Janskerk is not open to visitors. ### Is it worth going outside the market season? Yes, for the Sint-Jan, the Waag, the stroopwafel factory and the museum. ### Where can you eat on the square? De Zalm, opposite the Waag, is open every day.