Gouda may be a typical Dutch city, but it’s one of the few with a freestanding Late Gothic city hall. This beautiful building with its red and white shutters stands right in the middle of the central market square. But a visit to City Hall is just the beginning of a tour through the cultural and historic treasures of Gouda. Step into the long nave of the St. John’s Church lined with 70 splendid stained-glass windows. See the unique exhibitions in the weigh house for cheese (Kaaswaag) and Museum Het Catharina Gasthuis. And get an idea of times past by visiting the various workshops where traditional products are still made by hand.

Must See / Do:

Art & Culture
Museum Het Catharina Gasthuis and De Moriaan, Achter de Kerk 14 / Westhaven 29, +31 (0)182 331000
These two museums are filled with treasures to admire. If you love ceramics, don’t miss the huge collection of Gouda pottery in De Moriaan where historic architecture is part of the museum experience.
www.museumgouda.nl

Art and Antiques Route

A delightful collection of artistic establishments! This pedestrian route leads you to 27 very special addresses, all in the city center: galleries, antique and curiosity shops, artists’ studios, museums and other creative entrepreneurs. Pick up a copy of the Art and Antiques Route free at the Tourist Information Office (VVV) on the market square (Markt).

St. John’s Church, Achter de Kerk 16, +31 (0)182 512684
The St. John’s Church (St. Janskerk) is the longest church in the Netherlands (403 feet) and famous throughout the world for its splendid stained glass windows – all seventy of them! An audio tour for adults and children reveals all the secrets of this church.
www.sintjan.com

The traditional crafts of Gouda

Cheese, candles, clay pipes, pottery and those yummy caramel waffle cookies – all handmade products that have put Gouda on the map. And you can still see them being produced at the potteries, the candle maker, the pipe maker and the waffle cookie (stroopwafel) bakers in the middle of the city. Step into P & P Keramiek, a potters’ studio at Naaierstraat 12. Or visit De Vergulde Kaars at Hoge Gouwe 45a where you can buy candles or even learn to make them yourself.

City tours

Get acquainted with the old city center of Gouda and experience the city’s history by making a walking tour. This route features lovely canal side houses, historic buildings such as the 404-foot long St. John’s Church, the Gothic city hall and the weigh house for cheese (Kaaswaag). Around the church, stroll through narrow medieval streets with their charming little old houses and the smallest canal lock in the Netherlands. With more than 300 historic buildings in Gouda, it’s impossible to see them all in one day.

An interesting way to discover Gouda as a cheese city is to buy a Gouda Cheese Tour Ticket. With this ticket, you start off your morning with coffee and a real Gouda caramel waffle cookie (stroopwafel). Watch cheese being traded at the Gouda Cheese Market and visit the Gouda weigh house for cheese (Kaaswaag) that houses the cheese museum. Then enjoy a platter of local cheeses and a glass of Gouda bitters in the Stadsherberg de Burgerhal, an inn in the City Hall itself. Outside on the market square, a guided walking tour that will take you past the old cheese warehouses begins at 2:00 p.m. The Gouda Cheese Tour Ticket is for sale during the summer months at the Tourist Information Office (VVV) in Gouda.

Eat / Drink:

At Tearoom van den Berg, you can see how caramel waffle cookies (stroopwafels) are made if you time your visit before 1:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday. It’s also the perfect place to enjoy one of these delightful cookies with a cup of coffee! Address: Lange Groenendaal 32, +31 (0)182 529975

Restaurant Scheeps, an elegant seafood restaurant located on Westhaven, is known for its regional dishes and seafood specialties. During the summer, you can dine outside in the restaurant’s delightful urban garden. Address: Westhaven 4, +31 (0)182 517572

Hotel De Zalm, originally the oldest hotel of Holland, is now Stadscafé – Restaurant De Zalm, an eating establishment famous for its celebrity clientele. What’s more, the former stables of this old inn are now in use as an eating-house known as the Oud Hollands Eethuijs De Goudse Stal. Address: Markt 34, +31 (0)182 686976

Contact the Local Tourist Board

VVV Gouda
Markt 27
2801 JJ Gouda
Tel +31 (0)182 511300
www.vvvgouda.nl
info@vvvgouda.nl