Cheese Farm Tasting & Gouda Walking Tour

From the pier in Rotterdam, you will begin your journey via bus to the Cheese farm Hoogerwaard. As your drive continues along the IJssel River, you’ll be able to take in the scenic views of a typical Dutch landscape. Upon arrival at Cheese farm Hoogerwaard, a 17th-century farm, you will be able to see a detailed, step-by-step demonstration of making cheese. There, you’ll get to join in on the cheese tasting fun, during which you can enjoy 3 different kinds of cheeses: Jong cheese, Belegen & Oud cheese. Afterwards, you’ll have a bit of free time to walk around the farm and see where the cheese is actually made. Then travel just on the outskirts of Rotterdam to the town of Gouda. Gouda is a picture-perfect version of a little Dutch town. Scenic canals, medieval buildings, a maze of narrow alleys and charming windmills all combined to create the enchanting ambiance. Upon arrival, you’ll travel down Gouda’s narrow cobblestoned streets and make a photo stop at St. John’s Church — famous for its hauntingly beautiful stained-glass windows. Of the 72 windows that display biblical and historical scenes, 61 of them date back to the 16th century. At 403 feet tall, St. John’s is the largest cross-shaped church in the Netherlands. Step off the motor coach and follow your guide to the 15th-century Gothic Town Hall in the spacious Market Square, a lovely reminder of Gouda’s prominence as the center of trade during the Middle Ages. The Hall’s external staircase was added in 1603, and on the east wall is a carillon that chimes every half hour with mechanical puppets to represent the granting of the town's charter by Count Floris V in 1272.