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PerplexityOn Thursday mornings, the Markt in Gouda smells of cheese. Farmers drive their cheeses onto the square by horse and cart, cheese traders haggle with the traditional hand-clapping, and the cheese girls hand out samples. The Gouda cheese market is one of the few places where you can still see this tradition. Gouds Glas is on the same square, so we look out over it every week. Here is what you need to know for a visit.
Dates and times 2026
- Season: every Thursday from 02-04-2026 up to and including 27-08-2026
- Time: 10:00 to 12:30
- Exceptions: no cheese market on 14 May (Ascension Day) and 25 June
- Location: the Markt, around the Waag (weigh house) and the town hall
- Admission: free
Check the current calendar at welkomingouda.nl shortly before your visit; in extreme weather an edition may be cancelled.
What happens on the square
The ritual is centuries old. The farmers deliver their cheeses, the traders inspect them and negotiate the price with the classic hand-clapping: every clap is a bid, the last clap seals the deal. The cheeses are then taken to the Waag and weighed on the original scales. Around the spectacle are stalls with regional produce and a crafts market, and in the summer months there is a children's cheese market where children can have a go themselves.
The Waag and the town hall
The Waag from 1668, designed by Pieter Post, is the backdrop for the weighing. Look up at the relief above the entrance: cheese has been weighed here for more than three centuries. In the middle of the square stands the Gothic town hall from 1450, the oldest free-standing town hall in the Netherlands. Together with the cheese market, they form the image that has made Gouda famous around the world.
From 10:00 you can have coffee with us overlooking the cheese market. Book your table for lunch and walk straight in after the hand-clapping.
Book a table →How to plan the morning
- 09:30 Coffee with Gouda pastry on the terrace of Gouds Glas, watching the square fill up.
- 10:00 Delivery and hand-clapping. Stand on the Waag side for the best view of the weighing.
- 11:00 Browse the stalls with regional produce, or join a tour by the Goudse Gidsen Gilde (Gouda guides' guild).
- 11:30 Lunch at Gouds Glas. Afterwards, St John's Church (Sint-Janskerk) with the Gouda Windows (Goudse Glazen) is a five-minute walk away.
- Afternoon A canal cruise or a stroopwafel-baking workshop rounds off the day.
Visiting the cheese market with a group
The cheese market is a natural start to a company outing or family day. Book a group lunch for 10 people or more, or combine the morning with our Cheese & Wine Tasting for groups of 30 or more: four Gouda cheeses and four wines, led by Joost Zekveld. Cheese market Thursdays are popular, so book well in advance via [email protected].
Practical
Come by train and you are on the Markt in five minutes. By car, park on the ring road around the centre or at the P+R at the station; the Nieuwe Markt car park fills up quickly on Thursday mornings. All options are in our parking guide.
