A fairy-tale town hall, canals lined with geraniums, the aroma of treacle waffles, lots of bikes, convivial outdoor cafés, a mill by the water, surprising shops, cheese and characteristic old facades: Gouda offers a range of images and impressions, and is a typical Dutch town, with a rich history and a lively modern atmosphere.

Highlights

In The Catharina Guesthouse Museum valuable treasures are to be admired. The national Pharmaceutical Museum de Moriaan shows the rich history of the pharmaceutical profession in the Netherlands. In the centre of Gouda many pharmacies from the 18th and 19th century are being shown as well as the current high tech laboratories. The Art & Antiques Tour is a very surprising selection of artistic undertakings! The walking tour wends its way past 27 unique businesses in the city centre: galleries, antique and curiosity shops, artists’ studios, museums and other creative ventures. The Art & Antiques tour can be joined for free at the tourist office by the market.

At 123 metres the St. Jan’s church is the longest church in the Netherlands. The church is world famous for its splendid and unique lead stain-glass windows, having more than 70 of them! An audio tour, suitable for adults and children alike, discloses all the church’s secrets.

Cheese and Crafts Museum

Nowadays part of the Waag has been laid out as Cheese and Crafts Museum. This gives you an all-in-one impression of what Gouda deserves to be proud of in a historical sense. There are frequent, regular demonstrations of various Gouda crafts in the Waag, for instance:

• Gouda cheesemaking

• Gouda candledipping

• Goudaware painting

• Gouda clay pipe manufacturing

• Gouda pottery (ceramics) manufacturing