Gouda gave its name to one of the world's most recognisable cheeses, and the town itself is worth the trip even if cheese isn't your main draw.
The historic cheese market, held on select mornings in summer, is the obvious highlight — traders in traditional dress, wheels of cheese stacked in the main square, and tastings on every corner. Beyond the market, Gouda's Sint-Janskerk houses some of the largest stained-glass windows in the Netherlands, and the town's canals and gabled houses make for an easy, unhurried wander once the market crowds thin out.
Gouda sits about an hour from Amsterdam and combines well with Rotterdam or Delft for a fuller day exploring the south of the country.
