🧀🌷 Gouda Summer Guide: Cheese, Canals & Hidden Courtyards

#summervacay
📍 Why Visit in Summer?
Beyond its famous cheese, this medieval Dutch gem sparkles in summer with Thursday cheese markets, flower-lined canals, and hidden hofjes (almshouses). Bonus: fewer crowds than Amsterdam!

🗓️ One-Day Itinerary: Cheese & Charm

Morning: Cheese & History

9:30 AM: Gouda Cheese Market (Thursdays only, 10 AM-12:30 PM, June-Aug)
Watch cheese porters in traditional dress carry giant wheels.
Try young vs. aged Gouda at the De Goudse Waag weigh house.
11:00 AM: St. John’s Church
Marvel at Europe’s longest stained-glass windows (16th-century biblical scenes).
Midday: Canals & Lunch

12:30 PM: Lunch at Brunel (canal-side dining)
Try Gouda cheese soufflé and stroopwafel ice cream.
2:00 PM: Hidden Hofjes Tour
Peek into Catharina Gasthuis (free museum with a tranquil courtyard).
Afternoon: Summer Activities

3:30 PM: Boat Tour (1hr, €12)
Glide past gabled houses and under willow-draped bridges.
4:30 PM: Syrup Waffle Workshop at Kamphuisen (book ahead!).
Evening: Golden Hour

7:00 PM: Market Square Sunset
The 15th-century Stadhuis glows pink.
8:00 PM: Dinner at Klein Amerika
Local beef croquettes and Gouda beer cheese soup.
🌞 Summer Perks:

✅ Thursday Cheese Ceremony: A 400-year-old tradition with bargaining and sampling.
✅ Secret Gardens: Hofje van Letmaet’s rose-filled courtyard.
✅ Festivals: Gouda by Candlelight (Aug, canals lit by 1,000 candles).

📌 Pro Tips:

Train: 30min from Rotterdam/The Hague (direct Sprinter trains).
Bike: Rent one to explore Reeuwijkse Plassen lakes (15min ride).
Cheese Souvenirs: Boerenkaas (farmhouse Gouda) at De Goudse Kaaswinkel.
"Gouda isn’t just cheese—it’s a golden-hued time capsule of Dutch gezelligheid." Ready to wander? 🚲🧀