Gouda is the mild cheese we all know and love. Gouda is also the adorable town in the Netherlands that I now know and love. While spending a few days in The Hague, my friend and I took a day trip to Gouda and Delft and were absolutely smitten with the two Dutch towns.
Founded in 1272, Gouda is full of historic buildings, picturesque canals, and — of course — gouda cheese. It’s only 20 minutes away from The Hague by train (or 50 minutes from Amsterdam), making it the perfect day trip.
Delft is equally as historic and almost as charming as Gouda. It was founded in 1246 and is best known for Delft Blue Pottery. It’s about 45 minutes away from Gouda heading back towards The Hague, so we created a nice circle of sightseeing.
Our day seeing two little towns in South Holland are easily one of the highlights of our entire trip to Holland and Berlin. If you’re in Amsterdam or The Hague, it’s a must do!
A Day Trip to Gouda and Delft
DIY Day Trip or Tour?
Heather and I trekked to Gouda and Delft on our own, figuring out train and tram schedules and wandering around each town discovering our own itinerary. It was incredibly easy and relatively stress free. (Unlike our DIY day trip to Champagne from Paris!)
If you prefer someone to do your navigating for you, there are plenty of tours to Delft from Amsterdam and many combine other cities too. Surprisingly I couldn’t find any heading to Gouda, so your best bet is a train pass and a tour once you arrive.
Exploring Gouda
Gouda in Gouda
Gouda, the cheese, is named after Gouda, the city, but not because it was made there, because it was traded and sold there. The soft cow’s milk cheese is one of the world’s most popular cheeses. And, having been created in 1184, gouda is one of the world’s oldest too.
In the Middle Ages, nearby cheesemakers would bring their cheese to Gouda’s market square to sell. That market continues to this day on Thursdays from June to August. If you can’t make a market day, there is still plenty of cheese to be had. Cheese shops sell every kind of gouda imaginable and restaurants all have a cheese dish or two. (We had a delicious gouda grilled cheese sandwich, called a toastie, and a cheese plate at Brasserie Copper.)
Sights to See in Gouda
The cheese market is held in the market square in front of the iconic Old City Hall. The Gothic-style building was built in 1448 and is surrounded by restaurants, shops, and an inn built in 1551. And yes, they are all just as adorable as you’d expect!
A few steps away is the Sint Janskerk, the longest church in the Netherlands famous for its stained glass windows. Built in the 15th Century, the church nestles in between other buildings and canals.
Admittedly there isn’t a ton to do in Gouda, but the scenery was picturesque enough to keep us entertained for a few hours. We stopped for wine and cheese at the square, then hopped back on the train to Delft.
Exploring Delft
Delft Blue Pottery in Delft
Delft is best known for its blue and white pottery made since the 16th Century. The intricately designed pottery is made into everything from dishes to jewelry. It can be found in souvenir shops throughout Holland but especially in Delft. (The city is also known as the birthplace of microbiology, but I doubt you’re traveling there to see that!)
Sights to See in Delft
The Market Square, called Markt, is full of old churches and striking architecture. There’s the Oude Kerk (Old Church), founded in 1246 that leans 6 feet forward. There’s the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church), built in 1396 that holds the House of Orange-Nassau royal crypt. The tower is the second largest in the Netherlands, with 48 bells that chime the time (18 of which date back to 1659!). And there’s the City Hall that’s been a government building since 1618.
The square is as touristy as you’d expect, surrounded by souvenir shops and restaurants. We even spotted a man making wooden shoes by hand. (Even though it was touristy it was so picture-perfect!)
A Glass of Genever, Netherland’s Traditional Liquor
We stopped for a drink of genever and people-watching at the edge of the square. Genever — sometimes called jenever, genievre, or peket — is a juniper-based liquor traditional to the Netherlands and Belgium. Supposedly it’s what gin evolved from, even though to me it tasted nothing like it!
First created in the 1500s, genever is made by distilling malt and adding herbs like juniper for flavor (hence the name). There are three different styles — oude (old), jonge (young), and korenwijn — that have drastically different tastes. Oude genever, made with malt, is smooth, malty, and a little sweet.
Jonge genever is made with more grains than malt and has a more neutral taste (like vodka) with slight juniper and malt wine aromas. The third style, Korenwijn (grain wine), is made like 18th century genever with at least 51% malted wine and matured in oak casks, giving it typical aromas of wood and vanilla like whisky. (Serious Eats has a more complete explanation here.)
Seeing South Holland in a Day
After our glasses of genever, we jumped back on the train to The Hague.
I’m a huge fan of day trips to experience as many different places as possible. Our day trip to Gouda and Delft gave us a completely different experience compared to The Hague and, later, Amsterdam. (And we took a day trip to through North Holland towns from Amsterdam, too!)
Stay tuned for three days in Amsterdam and windmills in Holland. Until then, here’s why you should go to The Hague.
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