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DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260402T100000
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SUMMARY:Gouda Cheese Market 2026 & 2027: Thursday Dates\, Times and How to Visit
DESCRIPTION:The Gouda cheese market takes place every Thursday from 10:00 to 12:30\, from 2 April to 27 August 2026\, on the Markt in front of the 15th-century town hall. Entry is free. There is no market on 14 May 2026 (Ascension Day). Gouda is 50 minutes from Amsterdam Centraal by direct train. \nDates 2026 (confirmed)\nThursday markets\, 10:00–12:30: every Thursday from 2 April to 27 August 2026 — 21 market days. No market on Thursday 14 May 2026 (Hemelvaartsdag / Ascension Day). \nMonthMarket Thursdays 2026April2\, 9\, 16\, 23\, 30May7\, 21\, 28 (not 14 May)June4\, 11\, 18\, 25July2\, 9\, 16\, 23\, 30August6\, 13\, 20\, 27\nSpecial event: the Goudse Kaasspelen (cheese games) close the season on the last market day\, with a normal cheese market in the morning followed by cheese-painting workshops\, historical theatre\, children’s activities and live music into the evening. Check goudakaasstad.nl for the exact programme. \nSource: Gouda Kaasstad / Goudse Kaasmarkt (goudakaasstad.nl)\, checked 9 September 2026. \nDates 2027 (expected — to be confirmed)\nThe market runs from the first Thursday of April to the last Thursday of August. For 2027 expect Thursdays from 1 April to 26 August 2027\, 10:00–12:30\, probably without a market on Ascension Day (6 May 2027). We update this page as soon as Gouda Kaasstad publishes the 2027 schedule. \nWhat happens at the Gouda cheese market\nGouda’s market is the most “Golden Age” of the three: farmers in traditional dress arrive with horse-drawn carts loaded with wheels of Gouda cheese\, buyers taste and tap the cheeses\, and the price is settled with the handjeklap under the arcades of the town hall. The cheeses are then weighed in the Goudse Waag (1668)\, which today houses the Cheese and Crafts Museum. Around the ceremony there is a crafts market\, cheese tasting\, a cheese girl and boy in costume\, and often live music. The whole square is a UNESCO-worthy backdrop; combine it with the Sint-Janskerk’s famous stained-glass windows\, 100 metres away. \nPractical information\nLocation: Markt\, 2801 JG Gouda (town hall square). Waag: Markt 35.Admission: free. The Waag museum and the Cheese Experience charge admission.Timing: the ceremony starts at 10:00 and the busiest\, most photogenic hour is 10:00–11:00. From 11:00 the square is calmer and you can talk to the farmers.Also on Thursday: the regular weekly market with local produce is on the same square\, and shops stay open late (koopavond).Toilets\, food: cafés around the Markt; try a warm stroopwafel at the Kamphuisen factory (Markt).Combine with: Kinderdijk windmills (bus/waterbus via Rotterdam\, 1 h) or the Zaanse Schans is too far — choose Gouda + Kinderdijk as the “south” day and Alkmaar/Edam + Zaanse Schans as the “north” day.\nHow to get to Gouda from Amsterdam\nTrain: direct Intercity Amsterdam Centraal – Gouda\, every 15–30 minutes\, about 50 minutes (also from Amsterdam Zuid). From Gouda station it is a 10-minute walk to the Markt.Car: 55 minutes via the A2/A12; park at Klein Amerika or Bolwerk and walk 5–10 minutes.Tour: few Amsterdam tours include Gouda on Thursday mornings; most visitors go independently by train and book the museums and the Cheese Experience in advance.\nBook this experience\nGouda Cheese and Crafts Museum (De Waag) guided tour (Tiqets) \nKamphuisen Syrup Waffle Factory entry ticket (Tiqets) \nSint-Janskerk Gouda ticket (Tiqets) \nStay nearbyHotels: Gouda \n\nFrequently asked questions\nWhich day is the cheese market in Gouda?Thursday mornings\, 10:00–12:30\, from the first Thursday of April to the last Thursday of August. In 2026: 2 April to 27 August\, except 14 May. \nIs the Gouda cheese market free?Yes\, watching the market is free. Museums\, the Cheese Experience and tastings are paid. \nIs Gouda cheese market better than Alkmaar?They are different. Alkmaar is bigger and more theatrical (cheese carriers\, 30\,000 kg of cheese\, three hours). Gouda is more intimate\, with farmers’ carts and a beautiful town-hall square\, and it fits well with a visit to the Sint-Janskerk and a stroopwafel factory. \nHow do I get from Amsterdam to Gouda cheese market?Direct train from Amsterdam Centraal\, about 50 minutes\, then a 10-minute walk. Leave by 8:45 to be on the square at 10:00. \nCan you buy cheese at the market?Yes — from the stalls around the square\, not from the farmers’ carts\, which are part of the ceremony. \nPlan the rest of your dayGouda travel guideCheese Experience GoudaDutch cheese markets overviewCheeses of HollandKinderdijk windmillsAlkmaar cheese marketEdam cheese market
URL:https://dutchcountryside.com/event/gouda-cheese-market/
LOCATION:Gouda Cheese Market\, Markt 35\, Gouda\, Zuid Holland\, 2801 JG\, Netherlands
CATEGORIES:Cheese
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://dutchcountryside.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/17_Kaasmarkt31-8-047-scaled.jpg
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