4 Things to do in Gouda, Netherlands – The City of Cheese & Stroopwafels

I paid a visit to Gouda, not expecting anything more than some good Gouda (pronounced as Howda) cheese and some stroopwafels but walking through this beautiful town, I absolutely fell in love with this quaint little city in the Netherlands.

1. Visit the Cheese Market

Taking place weekly on Thursdays from April to August, this spectacle, though touristy does take you back a bit, to the old European days.
Fun Fact : The cheese is named after Gouda not because it was produced in the city, but because it was traded there. Gouda acquired market rights on cheese, the sole right to have a market in which the county’s farmers could sell their cheese.

2. Sample and buy Gouda cheese(in various flavours) from any of the Cheese shops

We tried samples from ‘t Kaaswinkeltje and Gouda Cheese House. I went in with no intention of buying, but once I tasted the samples, I was blown away. Gouda with Garlic, Olive Basil, Black truffle, Pepper, Mustard, Red chili, Cumin and Jalapeno to name a few. They were all soooo delicious!! My top 3 picks would be Tomato Basil, Olive Basil and Red Chilli.

3. Go on a Stroopwafel hunt in its birthplace

Stroopwafel is the most famous among Dutch sweets/desserts and Gouda is where it was born. We tried Stroopwafels from 3 of the most famous places in Gouda.

Siroopwafels & Banketbakkerij-Tearoom Van den Berg aka Van Vliet

Hands down my favourite. We ordered 2, then 1 more and then a Jumbo 1 to go – it was sooo good. Made fresh to order, steaming, warm, crumbly, chewy cinnamon-y.

Kamphuisen Siroopwafelfabriek

They tasted really really good, with a more caramel touch and more depths of flavour, in fact better than the Van Vliet Siroopwafels. But they only had packaged ones and hence lacked the warmth & freshness. They were also crispy, more like a thin cookie. It is believed that this bakery is credited with the birth of the 1st stroopwaffel.

Markus Stroopwafels, Agnietenstraat

They tasted exactly the same as Van Vliet, but were already made and kept and hence weren’t warm and fresh.

4. Walk through this beautiful quiet town to see the canals & other hidden gems

This is the rough map of the walking route we took – Walking map of Gouda

Looierspoort : The narrowest lane in Gouda – Jews lived in these houses that are almost falling on each other

Windmills Molen De Roode Leeuw and Molen ’t Slot

Road Signs and Free Books

The City Hall. Loved the Red windows!

Some Other eats

Kruim inside Chocoladefabriek

We had a burger, cheese soup and a Gouda cheese quiche. That onion-y cheesy quiche was sooo good that at the end of the day, we went back again to take take-aways 😀

Pannenkoe Gouda

It is said to be the oldest pancake house in the Netherlands. We had traditional poffertjes and a savoury pancake. They were both just ok.