Gouda travel guide
Thursday cheese market, a free-standing Gothic town hall and Sint-Jan's stained glass
Gouda is a small canal town between Rotterdam and Utrecht with a Gothic town hall, a Thursday cheese market and the longest church in the Netherlands. Come on a Thursday between April and August. One full day covers it. The Netherlands is in Schengen, so many visitors need no visa for 90 days.
Halfway between Rotterdam and Utrecht in South Holland, Gouda is a canal-ringed town that most people visit for a day: for the Thursday cheese market, the free-standing Gothic town hall on the Markt and the longest church in the country. Trains from Utrecht, Rotterdam and The Hague take under 20 minutes, which makes it an easy add-on to a Randstad trip.
The Markt is the centre of everything. The Stadhuis was built in sandstone between 1448 and 1450 and stands alone in the middle of the square. It claims to be the oldest Gothic town hall in the Netherlands, and you can go inside for a small fee. Opposite, the Goudse Waag was designed by Pieter Post in 1668 for weighing cheese and now holds a small cheese museum, open in the afternoons from April to October.
On Thursday mornings from April to August, farmers' cheeses are laid out in front of the Waag and traded the old way, with a handclap to seal the price. Get there early for a spot near the front. Then walk to the Sint-Janskerk behind the Markt, the longest church in the Netherlands, whose 16th-century stained-glass windows are the real reason to linger. Museum Gouda sits next door through a small gate.
Inside the ring of canals most streets are pedestrianised, so everything is a short walk. Kleiweg, the main shopping street, leads into the Markt and is closed to bikes, so walk yours. Small cafes line the north side of the square. For dinner, Sajaki on Nieuwehaven cooks Dutch-Indonesian food and shuts early, around 20:00. Buy stroopwafels freshly made and still warm rather than in a tin from a souvenir shop.
December brings Gouda bij Kaarslicht, when the Markt is lit by candles around a big Christmas tree. Hotels are few, since most visitors leave by evening, so an overnight stay buys you quiet canal-side walks once the day-trippers have gone. The Best Western on Hoge Gouwe is the main central option.
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A Gothic town hall, a cheese weighing house and a church full of stained glass, all within a few minutes of each other.
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Best time to visit Gouda
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
The Thursday market fills the Markt, and the Waag museum keeps afternoon hours until late October.
Gouda bij Kaarslicht lights the Markt with candles in the run-up to Christmas.
Quiet streets and short days, and the tourist office keeps shorter winter hours.
On market Thursdays, arrive early for a front spot, then head to the Sint-Janskerk while the tour groups stay on the square.
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Getting there
Rail junction of the Green Heart
Gouda station sits where the lines from Utrecht, Rotterdam and The Hague meet, which makes the town one of the easiest day trips in the Randstad; take the Centrum exit for the five-minute walk to the Markt. There is no direct train from Schiphol, so change at Utrecht Centraal or Leiden.
- Utrecht Centraal
- Under 20 minutes, about six trains an hour
- Rotterdam or The Hague
- Under 20 minutes, about eight trains an hour
- Amsterdam
- 40 to 60 minutes, one direct Sprinter an hour or change at Utrecht
- Leiden
- Change at Alphen aan den Rijn, with a few direct trains at commuter times
- Use the Centrum exit at Gouda station; the other side leads away from the old town.
Where to stay
Inside the singels, Hoge Gouwe or by the station
Most visitors see Gouda in a day, so hotels are few, though the choice is growing. Anywhere inside the ring of canals, the singels, or along the Hoge Gouwe puts the Markt and the Sint-Janskerk a few minutes away, and rooms by the station suit early trains.
- Inside the canal ring
- Quiet at night, steps from the Markt
- Bolwerk (western corner)
- Best Western City Hotel on Hoge Gouwe, modern with 101 rooms
- Near the station
- Five minutes from the Markt, handy for early trains
- Kampenringweg
- Campanile chain hotel outside the centre, easiest for drivers
Getting around
Kleiweg on foot, the Groene Hart by bike
Walk Gouda's old centre, an oval inside a ring of canals with most streets pedestrianised, and push your bike along Kleiweg, which is closed to cycling. Outside the ring, cycle into the Groene Hart on routes from the VVV in the Waag, including the Reeuwijk lakes. Rederij de IJsel runs canal trips.
- Walking
- Station to Markt in about 5 minutes
- Kleiweg
- Pedestrian only, push your bike
- Cycling
- Ask at the VVV on the Markt for Groene Hart routes
- Canal boat
- Rederij de IJsel tours, tickets at the VVV
Know before you go
What makes Gouda worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The Thursday cheese market, when wheels change hands on the Markt with a handclap.
- Sint-Janskerk's windows, 16th-century stained glass in the longest church in the country.
- The Stadhuis, sandstone Gothic from the 1440s, standing on its own in the square.
- Warm stroopwafels, bought fresh and eaten straight away.
- A canal boat tour, far less crowded than the Amsterdam version.
Good to know
- Say it right: locals say something close to HOW-da with a throaty G, not the hard G of the cheese counter.
- Kleiweg is bike-free, so get off and push.
- Waag hours are short: afternoons only, Tuesday to Sunday, from April to October, with Thursdays from 10:00.
- Dinner starts early in a small town; Sajaki, for one, closes around 20:00 and shuts on Mondays.
Trip fit
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Weather in Gouda, month by month
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Cheese at the Waag, the Gothic Stadhuis and the Sint-Janskerk windows
Gouda makes an easy day trip by train, with the Markt five minutes from the Centrum exit of the station. On a Thursday between April and August, watch the cheese market beside the Waag and visit its small cheese-weighing museum, then cross to the Gothic Stadhuis and finish at the Sint-Janskerk for its stained glass.
Cross to the Stadhuis, open on weekdays with a lunch break and on Saturdays. After lunch, walk to the Sint-Janskerk on Achter de Kerk and give its stained glass a proper hour; the lanes around the church are the oldest and quietest part of town. Museum Gouda is next door if you want more. Finish with a canal boat from Rederij de IJsel or a slow loop of the ring of canals, and pick up stroopwafels before the train home.
Gouda cheese from jong to overjarig, plus warm stroopwafels
Buy Gouda cheese by age. Jong (young) is soft and mild, belegen has had several months to firm up, and oud and overjarig, the old and extra-aged kinds, turn hard and crumbly with crunchy crystals. Stroopwafels are the town's other product, two thin waffles glued together with syrup, best bought freshly pressed.
Ask for boerenkaas, farmhouse cheese made from raw milk, the kind farmers traditionally brought to market here. The cheese shops around the Markt will let you taste before you buy.
Buy them freshly pressed and still warm, when the syrup runs. The north side of the Markt is lined with cafes for lunch, and De Koffiefabriek on Nieuwe Markt is a good stop for coffee, soup and sandwiches. For dinner, Sajaki on Nieuwehaven is the place for Dutch-Indonesian cooking, with takeaway too, but it closes early and on Mondays; New Tandoor on Lange Tiendeweg is a dependable Indian.
Thursday cheese markets from April and candlelight in December
Two events shape Gouda's year. From April to August, the Thursday morning cheese market fills the Markt, with farmers' cheeses in rows before the Waag, carriers with wooden barrows and prices sealed by a handclap. In December, Gouda bij Kaarslicht lights the square with candles for a single evening before Christmas.
The crowd is thickest from mid-morning, so arrive early. The Waag's small cheese museum keeps afternoon hours from April to late October, which means a weekday in spring or early autumn gives you the building without the crowd.
In December comes Gouda bij Kaarslicht, a single evening before Christmas when the square is lit by candles in the windows of the Stadhuis and around a tall Christmas tree. It draws visitors from all over the country, so expect full trains home. The rest of winter is quiet. The tourist office shortens its hours, and the canals belong to locals. Summer evenings are the other good time, once the day visitors have gone and the light lingers over the canal ring.
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How we research our Gouda travel guide
Gouda's market season and train links are checked against the town's official website, Holland.com and NS Dutch Railways, with Wikipedia's Gouda entry for history and the Gouda bij Kaarslicht date confirmed each autumn.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of GoudaHolland.comNS Dutch Railways
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Gouda.
General
April to August, on Thursday mornings. Arrive early if you want a spot near the front.
A day covers the Markt, the Waag, the Stadhuis and the Sint-Janskerk. Stay overnight only if you want the canals to yourself in the evening.
The ou in Dutch rhymes with cow, and the G is a throaty sound like the ch in loch, so the local name sounds nothing like the English cheese counter version.
The church's famous stained-glass windows, most of them from the 16th century. Museum Gouda stands right beside the church if you want to keep going.
At the cheese shops around the Markt, which cut to order. Sajaki on Nieuwehaven is the place for a Dutch-Indonesian dinner afterwards.
A December evening when the Markt is lit by candles around a big Christmas tree and in the Stadhuis windows. Arrive early, as it draws a large crowd.
Yes. Buy tickets at the VVV in the Waag on the Markt.
Cancellations & changes
Both work. One direct Sprinter runs each hour; otherwise take an intercity to Utrecht and change. Allow 40 to 60 minutes.
There is no direct train, and either change works. From Gouda station it is a five-minute walk to the Markt.
Timing & weather
Yes, on weekdays with a midday break and on Saturdays. Built in sandstone between 1448 and 1450, it is the oldest Gothic town hall in the Netherlands.
The best time to visit Gouda is Apr to Aug. The cheese market runs on Thursday mornings and the Waag museum is open.
- Cheese market season: April - August (The Thursday market fills the Markt, and the Waag museum keeps afternoon hours until late October)
- December: December (Gouda bij Kaarslicht lights the Markt with candles in the run-up to Christmas)
- Winter: November - March (Quiet streets and short days, and the tourist office keeps shorter winter hours)
Booking
The Netherlands is in Schengen, so many visitors need no visa for 90 days.
Getting there
Gouda station sits where the lines from Utrecht, Rotterdam and The Hague meet, which makes the town one of the easiest day trips in the Randstad; take the Centrum exit for the five-minute walk to the Markt. There is no direct train from Schiphol, so change at Utrecht Centraal or Leiden.
Visa & documents
Schengen rules govern entry to the Netherlands. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Crime in the Netherlands is low. Bike theft and pickpocketing in busy areas are the main issues; watch out for cyclists.
