Gouda

Gouda is a city in the province South-Holland in The Netherlands. It is a typical Dutch city with many old buildings, canals and pretty sights, and is a popular destination for a day trip. It is also a good base for exploring the rest of the Netherlands, thanks to its great rail- and highway connections. The city is famous for its cheese, its 15th-century town hall and the amazing glass windows in St. Janskerk, but there is a lot more to see and do.

Understand
Gouda has a population of about 71,000. As well as its cheese, Gouda is also famous for its stroopwafels (syrup waffles), candles and its clay pipes. Most of the city is below sea level. The lowest point of the Netherlands can be found a few kilometres outside the city and is marked by a monument.

Gouda is pronounced GHOW-da, with the 'g' pronounced similarly to the 'ch' in 'loch' but voiced in the throat instead of mouth, not with a hard 'g' like how native English speakers pronounce the name of the cheese. The "ou" sound should rhyme with cow or the German haus. Saying the name correctly will win you points with the locals!



History
Gouda is named after the river Gouwe and the Van der Goude family, who built a castle on the Gouwe River in the 11th century. At that time, the area was swampland. Over the next two hundred years peat was collected and the land was developed. In 1225, a canal was built connecting the Gouwe River with the Oude Rijn (part of the Rhine delta). This was used to help ship goods to France and further afield. This provided a safer route than traveling by sea. This resulted in a surge of economic activity around Gouda and the town gained importance. In 1272, it was declared a city by count Floris V. Most of the canals were built around this time.

Over the years, there have been fires (1361, 1438), occupations (1572) and plagues (1574, 1625, 1636, 1673). In 1577, the castle was destroyed. Despite these disasters, Gouda is still a beautiful place to visit.

In 1667 a tax was introduced on the locally produced cheese. This raised a lot of money for the town. In 1668, the Waag (cheese weighing house) was built, to weigh the cheese and collect this tax.

By train
There are two train stations in Gouda:

For the timetable check NS (in English).

Trains have been running between Gouda and Utrecht since 1855; in 1944 the old train station was damaged by Allied bombing.

There are five ways to travel to Gouda by train.
 * Utrecht CS - takes less than 20 minutes. Take a train in the direction of Rotterdam or The Hague. Six trains an hour.
 * The Hague and Rotterdam - takes less than 20 minutes. Take a train towards Utrecht. Gouda is right in the middle of these train lines. Eight trains an hour.
 * Amsterdam - takes 40–60 minutes, depending on where in Amsterdam you are. There is one slow direct train ('Sprinter') per hour. It is also possible to take the intercity train to Utrecht and transfer there, which takes about the same time.
 * Leiden - take the train to Alphen aan den Rijn and from there you can take a train to Gouda. Before and after working hours, there are direct trains running from Leiden to Gouda.

When you arrive at the train station, take the exit called "Centrumzijde" or just "Centrum". There should be a sign pointing you to the city centre. If you can't find it, just go the way most people go and you will be in the city centre very soon.

If you want to take a taxi, there will most likely be drivers waiting for customers. They will pick up you up on the street outside the station. If there aren't any taxis around, you can call them.

By bus
Buses stop at the train station. Most of them are operated by Arriva, some of them by Connexxion.

There are buses connecting Gouda with Rotterdam, Utrecht, Zoetermeer, Leiden, Waddinxveen, Bodegraven, Schoonhoven, Reeuwijk-Brug and some more towns.

Buses are slower and more expensive than trains. If you have the option, choose the train.

By car
Gouda is on the A12 and A20.
 * The Hague - about 20 min. Take the A12 towards Utrecht
 * Rotterdam - about 15 min. Take the A20 towards Utrecht.
 * Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport or Leiden - Take the A4 towards Leiden, then the N11 (via Alphen aan den Rijn). Or (slightly longer, but without leaving the motorway), take the A4 to The Hague and then the A12 to Gouda.

Parking is cheapest in one of the large parking lots just outside the city center (about €1.40-1.80 per hour, max €8-10 per day). They are called Klein Amerika, Schouwburgplein and Vossenburchkade and are well indicated. There are two public garages in the city center, called Bolwerk and Nieuwe Markt. These are located closer to the interesting part of the city, but are also a bit more expensive (about €12 a day). It is not advised to park on the streets because that's really expensive.

By plane
The nearest airports are in Amsterdam (Schiphol Airport) and Rotterdam (Rotterdam The Hague Airport).

By boat
There are no ferry or waterbus services to Gouda, but when you own a boat, there are facilities to stay in Gouda. More information can be found at Welkom in Gouda.

Get around
The city centre of Gouda, like many other historic Dutch cities, is surrounded by a circular canal. The city only started to expand beyond this circle in the late 19th century, so most historic sights can be found within it. It is also the main shopping district of the city.

By foot
The centre of Gouda is easy to walk around. Most of the streets are pedestrianized. The main shopping street, Kleiweg, is pedestrianized and bike free. At the centre of Gouda and the end of Kleiweg is the central square of the city, called Markt. The Stadhuis and De Waag are here, and this is where the weekly cheese market takes place.

By bike
If you want to travel outside the centre of Gouda, biking is a good option. At the tourist office, staff can tell you the most interesting routes to cycle, both within the city as well as the immediate surroundings (Groene Hart). Most of the streets in the centre are bike friendly, the main exception being Kleiweg. You can walk along this street with your bike, just don't cycle. As you would expect in a Dutch city, there are lots of bicycle parking opportunities. Make sure you lock it. Bike theft is very common in the Netherlands.

Bikes can be rented from:

See
Gouda is a typical and beautiful Dutch town. It's a great place to walk, checking out the old buildings and canals.



Buy
Most shops are open M-Sa 09:00-17:00, and until later on Thursday evenings. On Sundays, many stores are closed, except stores that sell fresh products. Most restaurants and bars are open on Sundays.

The busiest shopping street is Kleiweg. Here you can find the regular brands you can find in many Dutch cities, such as Hema, V&D, H&M, The Sting, Blokker, et cetera. In streets such as Tiendeweg, Zeugstraat and Lange Groenendaal, you can find small independent shops with more unique products.



Besides the usual shops in Gouda, you will also find many independent shops. Without the intention to be complete, some of them are listed below:

Eat
There are lots of small cafes and bars at the north side of the Markt.

Coffee



Asian cuisine

Dutch/European cuisine

Italian

Tapas

Mexican

Fast food

Sleep
Gouda is a very popular day trip destination. Accommodation options used to be limited, but this has been changing.



Stay safe
Gouda is, in general, a safe city, even at night time. There used to be a lot of car crime, but CCTV cameras have reduced this to normal levels. Just don't leave your valuables in the car.



Go next
Due to its central location, Gouda makes for a good base to explore the region and easily connects to other sights in the Netherlands.
 * Oudewater - this village is 15 km from Gouda, and the route in between makes for a scenic bike ride. Oudewater is famous for its witch weighing house, where they issue certificates proving people aren't witches. It became famous during the 16th century because people accused of witchcraft were offered an honest chance of proving their innocence. In many cities and countries such trials were usually rigged, resulting in the burning or drowning of hundreds of innocent people. No witches ever were found in Oudewater...
 * Rotterdam - the second largest city in the Netherlands, and the second largest port in the world is only 15 min from Gouda. Check out its 20th-century architecture and great shopping.
 * The Hague - home of the Dutch government and the residence of the Dutch Queen, this city is full of history at less than half an hour from Gouda.
 * Utrecht - the city has some great historic architecture and is a transport hub for the Netherlands.
 * Delft - a historic city known for its Delftware pottery, Delft is about 40 min away (by train or car) from Gouda.
 * Leiden - with the second-largest city centre (after Amsterdam) and a lively student population, Leiden is an interesting city to visit.

Cycle route in the Gouda area (in English):
 * Gouda Cycle Route.