Gouda
The Cheese Town: The Free Standing Gothic Town Hall, The Summer Thursday Cheese Market And St John'S Church With The Finest Stained Glass In The Country · Gouda, South Holland
Gouda is a compact canal town in South Holland, about 20 minutes by train from Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague, and the name on cheeses all over the world. Its heart is the huge triangular Markt, with the free-standing Gothic Town Hall of the 1450s in the middle, often called one of the oldest in the country, and the Waag, the weigh house of 1668 where cheese was weighed and taxed. On summer Thursday mornings farmers' cheeses are laid out on the square and traded in the old way, with hand-clapping deals. People come for the cheese market, for St John's Church, often described as the longest church in the Netherlands, with some of the finest 16th-century stained glass in Europe, for stroopwafels (Gouda claims them), and in December for Gouda by Candlelight, when the square is lit only by candles. The honest caveat: the cheese market is a demonstration for visitors, it only runs in summer, and outside it the town is quiet.
Gouda Markt with the Gothic Town Hall and the Waag (weigh house), and St John's Church, Gouda, South Holland, Netherlands
A town open all year; the Markt, the canals and the Town Hall exterior are free at any hour. The cheese market is usually held on Thursday mornings, roughly 10:00-12:30, from about April to late August - confirm the season. St John's Church is usually open Monday to Saturday in the daytime and closed to visitors on Sundays - confirm. Museums mostly open Tuesday to Sunday. Gouda station has direct trains from Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht (about 20 minutes each) and Amsterdam (about 50-60 minutes); tap in and out with OVpay. The Markt is about 10 minutes on foot.