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Gouda Holland, the Venice of cheese and much more!
Gouda in the Netherlands is much more than just a famous Dutch cheese. It is a beautiful city full of canals, a mini cheese-making Venice as I call it. It is located about 20 km from Rotterdam and not too far from Amsterdam, 75 km. Visiting its cheese market and discovering the history of the famous Gouda cheese is what we all think we will find in Gouda, but ... Do you know what other interesting things this beautiful Dutch city keeps?
During this summer we have spent almost 3 days in Gouda in a motorhome (staying in their central municipal motorhome area) and visiting Gouda with children, as a family. Therefore, today we explain the best we have experienced and seen in Gouda, Holland.
Gouda what to see, Holland
Gouda, a city in the province of South Holland, has one of the most beautiful old town in the Netherlands, as well as beautiful buildings, centuries-old canals, great gastronomy, cozy terraces and wonderful shops. But not only that, it also has great leisure activities and great adventures to live as a family. Also, it is a good city to travel by motorhome thanks to the Gouda motorhome area, a great municipal area.
Next, we show you through our family travel experience in Gouda, Holland, 10 things you should not miss in Gouda, Holland.
The 10 essentials of Gouda city
1. Stroll through its old town between canals, beautiful buildings, windmills, and craft and fair trade shops
Strolling through the streets of the old town of Gouda city is very pleasant and welcoming. Know them alleys adjacent to the church and along its small gardens it is totally relaxing and peaceful. Also, you should not miss following the narrow canals intertwining throughout the old town. And if you follow them, you can go to two lovely windmills typical Dutch.
Finally, walking through these streets warn you that it is dangerous for your pocket, since you will discover many craft shops super beautiful and when not the street of fair trade shops, which you should not miss. So take a look around Kleiwegstraat and Lange Tiendeweg streets, and don't forget to also visit Lange Groenendaal and Korte Groenendaal streets, the first fair trade street in the Netherlands, packed with gorgeous clothing, fair trade food and vintage furniture.
2. Sint-Janskerk Church
The Sint-Janskerk Church or, translated, St. John the Baptist, is famous for its beautiful stained glass. Without a doubt, it is one of the most emblematic monuments of Gouda. Has a ship of 123 meters which makes it the longest church in the Netherlands, Netherlands.
3. Gouda Town Hall (Stadhuis), Cheese Market and the Waag in Mark Square
Gouda town hall
El gouda icon, without a doubt: its Town Hall, Stadhuis, in Gothic. If you tell a Dutchman Gouda cheese comes to mind and then his town hall. This Town Hall, whose construction dates back to 1450, is beautiful and spectacular. Of him we must highlight the facade chime that offers beautiful music to the visitor. In addition, it has mechanical figures that come to life and offer a beautiful show at two and a half o'clock. You can not lose this.
The cheese market, mark square
Surrounding the town hall of Gouda, we find the cheese market square. In this square you can find a wide variety of restaurants, cafes with great terraces and a very pleasant atmosphere at all hours and every day of the year.
For those who want to see the cheese market, this is only held in Thursday, morning and afternoon in summer, from April to August. Nowadays The market continues to celebrate the Covid but without all the cheese show normal.
The Waag
In this same square is the gouda weight building, the Waag, a place where cheeses were weighed and a point where you can learn a lot about this dairy product so typical of Gouda and Holland.
The magic of candlelight night in Mark Square
Those who travel to Gouda during the month of December should also know that there is the famous Gouda candlelight night, bij Kaarslicht, every December 13. A great celebration in which the City Hall and other historic buildings of the city are lit with thousands of candles in their windows, while numerous Christmas choirs animate the streets. The magic, however, appears just as thousands of little lights are turned on in the market square. Our trip was in summer, but people from Gouda told us about it and we just want to come back for Christmas to experience this festival in Gouda city.
4. Visit one of the city's museums
In the city of Gouda, Holland, there are also several interesting museums. We have the Museum Gouda, which houses fascinating objects from the history of Gouda and various, the Stedelijk Museum Het Catharina Gasthuis, which showcases art and crafts from Gouda, and the Stedeljik Museum Of Morian, a tobacco museum that had been a sugar refinery, and later a tobacco shop. Always visiting a museum helps you discover new things, highly recommended.
5. Discover the experience of the siroopwaffels
You can't leave Gouda without trying the siroopwaffels. You should know that Gouda is not only the city of cheese but also of siroopwaffelsand an typical Dutch sweet originating and created here in Gouda.
For this, we set out to discover them well and we did it in a workshop to make our own siroopwaffel and then eat it in style.
We did it at Bergs Bakery. Since 1989, the family business Van den Berg. Van Vliet has been baking true Gouda syrup waffles with craftsmanship for over a hundred years, building on an ancient and secret recipe with its own unique flavor. A wonderful treat for the palate.
Besides syrup waffles, they also sell other combo products, such as syrup wafer liqueur, syrup waffle cakes, chocolate syrup, etc.
Every Thursday at 3pm there is a workshop to make your own translated syrup waffles or waffles with syrup. The workshop costs € 6,50 per person. Apart from seeing their own siroopwaffel factory they will teach you and make your own siroopwaffel. And finally, to enjoy it and eat! A freshly made delight.
We highly recommend it. A great fun and delicious experience
The address to do this workshop or eat a good siroopwaffel (it's a cafeteria too) is:
Lange Groenendal 32
2801 LT Gouda
+31 (0) 182529975
6. Canoe tour and adventure through the Gouda canals
One of the most unique ways to discover Gouda is during a SUP tour through the most amazing canals of this Dutch cheese Venice. From the water you will see everything from another perspective.
You can do two different routes, one of one hour or one of two hours. Both are very well signposted and they also give you a map.
The route, whatever it is, is very fun. It is quite an adventure to go under the tunnels of the channels, sometimes very narrow. In some parts you will laugh a lot when you have to bend down so much that you will look like Amazon Indians hidden in a great adventure.
I think it is the activity that we liked the most of the whole trip through Holland. Gouda's canoeing prospect is totally unusual, beautiful and exciting. We recommend it very very very much!
The two-hour rental of the canoe to do the route for the four is worth € 35.
To reserve call or write to them. The girl who will attend you is charming and will help you in everything.
+31 6 37433715
7. Enjoy the Gouda Cheesse Experience
Although you may or may not pronounce it like a native, Gouda cheese is famous all over the world. It is actually one of the main and most important export products of the Netherlands. Even so, what many do not know is that Gouda cheese is not made in the city of Gouda itself, but in the villages and farms that surround the area, collectively called the Cheese Valley. The name of Gouda cheese dates from the Middle Ages. Today there are still approximately 300 Dutch farmers producing 'boerenkaas' (farmer's cheese) in the region. The Cheese Valley is located between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. We learned all this and much more in this experience that we want to tell you about.
Since 2020, Gouda has one more and very spectacular attraction: the Gouda Cheese Experience. Much more than a museum, a unique, interactive, fun and surprising experience for the whole family. Do not hesitate, do it!
The Gouda Cheese Experience building in the center of Gouda looks like a huge hunk of succulent Gouda cheese. Here you can take a unique and interactive journey through the yellow universe. An authentic milky way! Learn the trade of a master cheesemaker and, finally, since you couldn't expect another way to finish the tour, try the authentic Gouda cheese but in an original way and in a spectacular tasting.
We were surprised by the long tour through various rooms, very enriching and educational for children and adults. With interactive games and a treasure hunt quiz that entertains a lot. Even a super cool movie in 3d!
You will not only milk cows, you will taste good fresh Dutch milk, but you will learn to make different cheeses, you will dress up with Dutch folk clothes, etc etc ... but you will learn that there are many types of Gouda cheese and that there are some that you die how rich they are.
Adult admission is € 13,50 with the tasting included. For us it was worth the thought and we really enjoyed it.
https://www.goudacheese-experience.com/
Address: Agnietenstraat 21
8. Make yourself a gastronomic tribute with a good Gouda fondue or any other dish
In Gouda you will find many places to eat, where there will be no shortage of French fries, fried, or the typical croquettes there, kroketten or Gouda cheese. We highly recommend trying its gastronomy. We were very surprised.
You can't make a good fondue anywhere and here we enjoy a good one that we want to recommend.
The only place where you can enjoy regional meat and cheese dishes in a unique interior is Koeien en Kaas. Koeien en Kaas, which is located behind the Goudse Waag, was born out of pride for Gouda cheese and passion for meat. The various fondues and cheese dishes are widely known in this place. Fondue is its star dish and I am not surprised.
Address:
Achter de Waag 20
2801 JA Gouda
9. If you go with children, you cannot miss the Dino Experience Park and Golf
Who dares to come face to face with more than 70 dinosaurs that have come to life in Gouda after 100 million years? On the outskirts of Gouda, at the entrance, you will find the new Dino Experience Park. A park where you can fully immerse yourself in the world of dinosaurs.
In this park you will find two parks in one. The super fun 18-hole dinosaur mini golf park between dinosaurs and the park where you can search and find 70 dinosaurs through a treasure hunt with a little book that they give you and that at the end of everything has a prize !. And if all this is not enough, at the Dino Experience Park, you can pedal to Turtle Island, jump on the inflatables or join the Dino Gym.
Really a great plan to do with children in Gouda.
Jurassic Golf can be done separately or in combination with the rest of the park and is suitable for all ages. The Dino Experience Park is aimed at children up to 12 years old.
If you go by motorhome, we advise you to park before the entrance of the parking lot, there are some parking lots right on the road next to a factory and a bus stop. And in two minutes on foot you are. There is also the bike path from the city center if you prefer.
https://dinoexperiencepark.nl/
10 Taking a bath in Gouda is possible
Gouda is not known for its beach, but you can still lounge on the GoudAsfalt urban beach, on the banks of the Hollandsche IJssel river. It used to be an industrial area, but today it is one of the most modern and fun places in the city. Events are held regularly there and the Rederij de Vrijheid Beach Bar is the perfect place for lunch or dinner. the beach in Gouda is possible
Gouderaksedijk 36, 2808 NG Gouda Nederland
And of course, Gouda also has a beautiful spa. Tucked away on a pleasant shopping street is Spa Gouda, an oasis of tranquility right in the center. Spa Gouda is housed within a monumental spa from 1920. In 2012, the spa was completely restored to its former glory. Spa Gouda is small but beautiful. Relax in different saunas and steam baths at Lange Groenendaal 79 Gouda.
What do you think now? Do you still think that Gouda is just a cheese?
Gouda in camper van
Gouda is great to go by motorhome, just two minutes from the historical center of the city you will find the Gouda municipal motorhome area. It is in the same parking lot in the historic center but even though it is an asphalt parking lot, the area is excellent. Both for its location and for its services that includes electricity at the same price. Gouda in a motorhome you cannot miss it if you are going to make a trip through the Netherlands in a motorhome.
The cost of this area is € 8 for 24 hours.
GPS coordinates: N 52 ° 0'39.8304 ”E 4 ° 43'1.6608000000001” 52.011064,4.717128
Gouda with children
As you will have seen in our 10 recommendations of essential things to do in Gouda, there are some that are especially amazing to visit Gouda with kids. To our children I must say that in the first place what they liked the most was the canoe ride through the canals of GoudaIt was really a very fun adventure for them. And in second and third place what they liked the most was the Dinosaur Experience Park and Cheese Experience with your final cheese tasting and fun interactive activities. Even though make your own siroopwafels and eat the fondue it was also very successful. And it is that my little ones are always ready to eat.
Photos of Gouda in motorhome and with children
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Good afternoon, I hope your post serves as a guide to enjoy those lands, since I am going to travel there shortly, it is very interesting, thank you.
Regards!
When you get back, you tell us Toni, I hope so, although things always change, so when you get back you tell us 🙂