Cheese travel
Cheese Markets and Museums in the Netherlands
Four Dutch towns still hold a traditional cheese market for visitors. Alkmaar trades on Friday mornings from late March to late September, Gouda on Thursdays from April to August, Edam on Wednesdays in July and August, and Woerden on Saturdays from mid-April to late August. Outside market season, visit a farm that makes Gouda boerenkaas in the polders around Gouda, tour the cheese warehouse in Woerden, or stay in Amsterdam for tastings and shops, with the cheese farms at Volendam and the Zaanse Schans under 40 minutes away.
Coming Up
- 26 Mar 2027 to 24 Sep Alkmaar Cheese Market, Every Friday, 10:00 to 13:00 (expected, not yet confirmed)
Cheese Markets
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Alkmaar Cheese Market
Alkmaar, Netherlands
Friday mornings from late March to late September, run by a carriers' guild founded in 1593.
Next: 26 Mar 2027 (expected)
Gouda Cheese Market
Gouda, Netherlands
Thursday mornings from April to August in front of the 17th-century weigh house. Free.
Edam Cheese Market
Edam, Netherlands
Wednesday mornings in July and August, with cheese brought in by boat. Free.
Woerden Farmers' Cheese Market
Woerden, Netherlands
A working market for farmhouse cheese on Saturday mornings, mid-April to late August.
Cheese Museums
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Factories and Dairies to Visit
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Cheese Tastings
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Cheese Tours
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Which Market to See
| Market | Day and time | Season | From Amsterdam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alkmaar | Friday, 10:00 to 13:00 | Last Friday of March to last Friday of September | 35 minutes by direct train |
| Gouda | Thursday, 10:00 to 12:30 | Early April to late August | About 50 minutes by train |
| Edam | Wednesday, 10:30 to 12:30 | July and August | Bus 314 |
| Woerden | Saturday, 11:00 to 13:00 | Mid-April to late August |
Alkmaar puts on the biggest show. Around 2,400 cheeses cover the square, and a guild of carriers dating from 1593 runs them to the weigh house. Gouda has a smaller market in front of its 17th-century weigh house, with music, horse-drawn carts and a museum inside the Waag. Edam is the smallest and only runs in high summer, with cheese arriving by boat. Woerden is a working market for farmhouse cheese, with a short show for visitors.
Seeing More Than One
The markets fall on different days, so in July and August you can see all four in one week: Edam on Wednesday, Gouda on Thursday, Alkmaar on Friday and Woerden on Saturday. Edam only runs in July and August, Gouda and Woerden stop at the end of August, and Alkmaar carries on until the last Friday of September.
Hoorn used to hold a summer cheese market on the Roode Steen, but it has not run since 2020.
The Cheese Regions
Noord-Holland and Waterland
North of Amsterdam are Alkmaar and Edam, and the polders where Beemster cheese is made by the CONO cooperative, whose farmers run more than 20 farm shops. The demonstration farms most visitors see are here too: the Catharina Hoeve at the Zaanse Schans, and the Alida Hoeve and Jacobs Hoeve around Volendam.
The Groene Hart: Gouda Cheese Valley
The polders around Gouda, Bodegraven-Reeuwijk, the Krimpenerwaard and Woerden are where Gouda boerenkaas, farmhouse cheese made from the farm's own raw milk, is still made. Several cheese farms near Gouda sell from the farm and let you walk the yard, and the 60 km KoeKaas cycle route loops from Gouda through Stolwijk and Ouderkerk aan den IJssel. Woerden has the Saturday farmers' cheese market and the Kaaspakhuis, a working cheese warehouse with tours.
Texel
The island is known for sheep. At Wezenspyk near Den Burg you can look into the cheese room and taste sheep, cow and goat cheese in the shop, and Novalishoeve near Den Hoorn sells its own dairy and cheese.
Amsterdam
No market, but free tastings at the Amsterdam Cheese Museum, seated tastings with wine (see cheese tasting in Amsterdam) and the city's best cheese shops, several of which vacuum-pack for the flight home.
Month by Month
- January and February: market season is over. Visit the farms, the Kaaspakhuis, the Amsterdam tasting rooms and the weigh house museums in Gouda and Alkmaar.
- Late March: Alkmaar opens on the last Friday of the month.
- April to June: Gouda (from early April) and Woerden (from mid-April) join Alkmaar.
- July and August: the peak. All four markets run, Edam included, and Alkmaar adds Tuesday evening markets.
- September: only Alkmaar is left, until the last Friday of the month.
- October to December: farm shops, museums and Amsterdam only. The seasonal bus between Volendam and the Zaanse Schans stops in mid-October.
A Four-Day Cheese Route
Plan it for a week in July or August. Wednesday: Edam market in the morning, then Volendam and its cheese farms on bus 316. Thursday: Gouda market, the Waag museum, and in the afternoon a cycle out to a cheese farm in the polder. Friday: Alkmaar, 35 minutes from Amsterdam, for the biggest market. Saturday: Woerden for the farmers' market at 11:00 and a Kaaspakhuis tour afterwards. In spring or September, swap Edam for the Zaanse Schans.
Getting Around
Trains reach Alkmaar, Gouda, Woerden and Zaandijk Zaanse Schans directly or with one change from Amsterdam Centraal. Edam and Volendam have no station; take bus 316 or 314. The farms sit in flat polder country best reached by bike, which you can rent at the larger stations, or by car.
More Farms, Shops and Tastings
| Place | Town | What you can do | When | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaasboerderij Wezenspyk | Den Burg, Texel | See the cheese room and storage, with boards and videos; taste sheep, cow and goat cheese in the shop | Mon to Sat 9:30 to 17:00, Sun and holidays 11:00 to 17:00 | wezenspyk.nl |
| Kaaswinkel Wezenspyk | Weverstraat 42, Den Burg, Texel | Town shop for the farm's cheese and Texel lamb | Mon 9:00 to 17:00, Tue to Sat 10:00 to 17:00 | wezenspyk.nl |
| Novalishoeve | Den Hoorn, Texel | Open farmyard with a shop, day café, bakery and dairy | Mon to Sat 9:30 to 16:30 | novalishoeve.nl |
| CONO Kaaswinkel | Westbeemster | Cheese shop at the Beemster dairy | Check the website | beemsterkaas.nl |
| Kramer Koe en Kaas | Assendelft | Beemster farm shop | Tuesday and Thursday to Saturday | beemsterkaas.nl |
| Kaasboerderij Janmaat | Barwoutswaarder 57, Woerden | Award-nominated boerenkaas sold from the house | Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 8:00 to 18:00; Saturdays at the Woerden market | kaasboerderij-janmaat.nl |
Know your cheeses before you go. Every cheese from Netherlands, what it tastes like and how it's made.
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Questions People Ask
When is cheese market season in the Netherlands?
Spring to late summer. Alkmaar runs from the last Friday of March to the last Friday of September, Gouda and Woerden from April to late August, and Edam only in July and August. None of them run in winter.
Is there a cheese market in Amsterdam?
No. The nearest is Alkmaar, 35 minutes from Amsterdam Centraal by direct train. In the city you can taste Dutch cheese for free at the Amsterdam Cheese Museum.
Which Dutch cheese market is the best?
Alkmaar has the largest market and the full guild of cheese carriers, and it is the easiest to reach from Amsterdam. Gouda is a good second choice if you also want to see the town and the weigh house museum.
Are Dutch cheese markets free?
Yes, watching is free. Gouda and Edam say so on their own sites, and Alkmaar's market is held on a public square with no tickets. The museums in the weigh houses charge entry.
Can you visit a real cheese farm near Gouda?
Yes. Farms such as De Twee Hoeven in Haastrecht and Schep in Bergambacht make Gouda boerenkaas, open their shops most weekdays and Saturdays and let you walk round the farm; Schep also offers tours with the farmer. See cheese farms near Gouda.
What can you do for cheese in the Netherlands in winter?
Visit a farm shop near Gouda, tour the Kaaspakhuis in Woerden (Monday to Saturday), see the weigh house museums in Gouda and Alkmaar, or book a tasting in Amsterdam.