🧀🌷 Gouda Summer Guide: Cheese, Canals & Hidden Courtyards

#summervacay 📍 Why Visit in Summer? Beyond its famous cheese, this medieval Dutch gem sparkles in summer with Thursday cheese markets, flower-lined canals, and hidden hofjes (almshouses). Bonus: fewer crowds than Amsterdam! 🗓️ One-Day Itinerary: Cheese & Charm Morning: Cheese & History 9:30 AM: Gouda Cheese Market (Thursdays only, 10 AM-12:30 PM, June-Aug) Watch cheese porters in traditional dress carry giant wheels. Try young vs. aged Gouda at the De Goudse Waag weigh house. 11:00 AM: St. John’s Church Marvel at Europe’s longest stained-glass windows (16th-century biblical scenes). Midday: Canals & Lunch 12:30 PM: Lunch at Brunel (canal-side dining) Try Gouda cheese soufflé and stroopwafel ice cream. 2:00 PM: Hidden Hofjes Tour Peek into Catharina Gasthuis (free museum with a tranquil courtyard). Afternoon: Summer Activities 3:30 PM: Boat Tour (1hr, €12) Glide past gabled houses and under willow-draped bridges. 4:30 PM: Syrup Waffle Workshop at Kamphuisen (book ahead!). Evening: Golden Hour 7:00 PM: Market Square Sunset The 15th-century Stadhuis glows pink. 8:00 PM: Dinner at Klein Amerika Local beef croquettes and Gouda beer cheese soup. 🌞 Summer Perks: ✅ Thursday Cheese Ceremony: A 400-year-old tradition with bargaining and sampling. ✅ Secret Gardens: Hofje van Letmaet’s rose-filled courtyard. ✅ Festivals: Gouda by Candlelight (Aug, canals lit by 1,000 candles). 📌 Pro Tips: Train: 30min from Rotterdam/The Hague (direct Sprinter trains). Bike: Rent one to explore Reeuwijkse Plassen lakes (15min ride). Cheese Souvenirs: Boerenkaas (farmhouse Gouda) at De Goudse Kaaswinkel. "Gouda isn’t just cheese—it’s a golden-hued time capsule of Dutch gezelligheid." Ready to wander? 🚲🧀