My adventure to find the mecca for cheese lovers did not start out as planned. I was staying in Utrecht in the Netherlands when I saw that there was a city named after one of my favorite cheeses, Gouda (yes, I know the city came first, but I like to think it was the other way around). By train, Gouda was only about 20 minutes away from Utrecht. So why did it take me nearly two hours to get there?

If you’ve been on the road long enough, every traveler will at some point have the experience of realizing they’ve gotten onto the wrong train. You will know the sinking feeling of reading the list of upcoming stops on the train monitor only to realize the city you need is not on that list.  But it takes a truly confident and slightly cocky traveler to jump on the wrong train two times in a row. Yep – that was me.

Train ticket to Gouda –  the hand written note at the bottom from the train conductor to confirm I’d gotten on the wrong train. Sigh.

While I was on the right train platform, I kept mistaking which track, or which section of the train track I should be getting on, so it took me three…yep THREE tries to finally find myself on the way to Gouda [Note to Americans: the name of the city and the cheese is pronounced “HOW-duh”with the first letter sounding like a guttural cross between a G and an H].

The lonely train station where I waited for 30 mins to head back in the right direction.

But once there, the town did not disappoint and I thought it was the perfect place for a day or even overnight trip. Gouda is small and easily walkable from the main train station. As I wandered around the back streets I came across many small canals, boutique shops and cafes. In the center of the city you’ll find a rather large main square which is dominated by a gothic, red shingled town hall and ringed by lively restaurants and food stands.

Canals along the side streets in Gouda

Canal-side cafe’s where you can grab a nice lunch

The Gothic City Hall building in Gouda’s main square

Some shop owners put out these colorful pillows so you can sit and relax in the sun

But let’s get to the real draw (at least for me)…the cheese!  The city is definitely proud of their main export and you can find large yellow rounds of cheese in nearly every restaurant, cafe and corner store.

OK – some of the cheese promotion is a bit kitschy, but the product is still good.

A little further promotion along the canal

Unfortunately I was not in the city on a Thursday when they have the weekly outdoor cheese market, but there were still plenty of places where I could find, taste and purchase different varieties of Gouda.  I ended up at one of the more famous cheese shops helping myself to all the samples they had laid out.  My favorites were the basic aged goudas, the basil gouda and my favorite, heaven on a cracker….Truffel flavored Gouda.  Mmmmm!

The main cheese shop where I loaded up on the good stuff

I loaded up on a few wedges to take back to my friend in Utrecht and then had a few wedges vacuum sealed in plastic to take back to the U.S.  I was told that by sealing it, the cheese would stay good for months even unrefrigerated, and that customs would not have a problem either. Sadly, I think my money may have go
ne to waste because the cheese does not look like its doing too well in my suitcase. I’m still planning on bringing it home but I am not terribly confident I’ll be able to consume it (tragic).

But even if you don’t like cheese (gasp! horror!) or if you are lactose intolerant, you can still enjoy a relaxing day in the city of Gouda. The main plaza is ringed with all kinds of cafes and restaurants where you can enjoy a meal or a pint of beer under the sun.  Or rent a bike and ride along the canals just off the main plaza or out into the country side for an hour or two.  Just make sure you get yourself on the right train otherwise the better part of your day will be spent at a lonely train station.