Beleef Woerden
Region of the Cheese Valley
Welcome to the Cheese Valley!
Yellow gold. That’s what we call our Gouda cheese in this region. The world-famous, characteristic cheese in the shape of a wheel, weighing up to a magnificent 16 kilos. Gouda cheese is not only very tasty, it also has a rich history. For centuries, these cheeses were traded in the city they were named after: Gouda. But the actual production process took place in the surrounding polders: Cheese Valley. An oasis of calm and space, right among the four largest cities of the Netherlands.
Today still, this very Dutch landscape of grazing cows, ditches and pollard willows is where cheese is made from milk of our own cows. From young cheese to fully mature cheese and herb cheese to truffle cheese. The flavour varies from farm to farm and even from season to season. Come and have a taste of Cheese Valley!
Experience the hotspots - Cheese, cheese and more cheese!
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Cheese experience Woerden
Cheese experience Woerden
Watch, taste and do: you will use all of your senses in the Cheese Experience Center in Woerden. Discover the finesse of cheesemaking, learn how traders store their cheeses. Taste the best cheese and make the most delicious cheese yourself! Take a guided tour through the Cheese Warehouse, make your own cheese during a 'Brew your own cheese' workshop, or book a delicious Farmers cheese tasting. You can also buy fun cheese products and -gifts in the VVV store.
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View- and Cheese Farm Van der Werf
View- and Cheese Farm Van der Werf
Cheese workshops, cheesemaking for children and beer cheesemaking (for men): at View- and Cheese Farm Van der Werf you will need an extra pair of eyes, ears and hands. Be sure to make a reservation beforehand!
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Cheese Museum Bodegraven
Cheese Museum Bodegraven
Authentic tools and materials, photo's and books: in the Cheese Museum in Bodegraven you get a lifelike idea of the famers cheese factory. There are regularly new exhibitions. Your children will certainly like this museum: they get an interactive tour via a cheese tablet.
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The Goudse Waag
The Goudse Waag
In the old days all cheeses were weighed here. Nowadays it is a museum, where you can also enjoy a nice cheese tasing, with wine if desired. On the ground floor you find the museum store with the most original cheese souvenirs. Do not forget to view the embossed façade of the characteristic building designed by Pieter Post.
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Cheese farm Hoogerwaard
Cheese farm Hoogerwaard
Once you've been to Cheese farm Hoogerwaard, you will only want Gouda farmers cheese. A raw milk cheese with a delicous fair taste, without artificial additives!
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Reypenaer Cheese Warehouse
Reypenaer Cheese Warehouse
Reypenaer ripens its cheeses in a historic cheese warehouse in Woerden, dating back to 1906. Due to the special microclimate that arose in the old cheese warehouse in the course of time and because of the natural changes in temperature and humidity, a particularly beautiful taste is created. You can participate in a tour and cheese tasting. On fixed days for individual visitors and for groups on request.
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Cheese farm Jongenhoeve
Cheese farm Jongenhoeve
There is always something to see on a farm. Especially on a cheese farm! At Cheese farm Jongenhoeve you can get a tour. Do not forget to take some of the delicoud homemade farmers cheese with you afterwards... In the cosy shop at the farm you can buy many more regional products: eggs, apples, different types of jam, nuts and more!
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Cheese farm Janmaat
Cheese farm Janmaat
Traditionally, cheese is produced at cheese farm Janmaat in Woerden. The milk of approximately 70 cow's is processed into a variety of farmers cheeses and herb cheeses. The cheese from Janmaat is sold both from the farm and at markets, among which the Regional Market in Woerden. Would you like a tour? Or participate in a cheesemaking workshop? You can! On several days, free tours are organized for visitors. it is also possible to book a visit on request.
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Gouda Cheese Market
Gouda Cheese Market
For centuries farmers from neighbouring villages would bring their homemade cheeses to ‘Ter Gouwe’ to sellt hem. A game of 'handjeklap' (type of negotiating) comes to live every Thursday morning between April and September. Cheese wagons, cheese boys and -girls and ofcourse the cheeses itself are a sight for sore eyes (and your camera). You will taste more of the history on the Crafts Market next to the Cheese Market. The stalls with regional produce are a real treat!
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Farmers Market Woerden
Farmers Market Woerden
Every Saturday morning!
Guided tour: Cheese Valley Holland Bike Tour
The bicycle is the number one means of transport in the Netherlands. Woerden is a beautiful city to cross by bicycle. The surroundings are also spectacular and suitable to explore by bicycle. Start a cycling trip in Woerden and drive right into the Green Heart of Holland. Cycle through the polders, discover the country life and take a look around in one of the picturesque towns in the area. Undertake a cycling trip to Oudewater, Schoonhoven or Utrecht; all nice places to visit and not far from Woerden. VVV Woerden can inform you on the best cycling routes in and around Woerden!Enjoy cycling through Woerden and its surroundings.
Book this tour
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Bodegraven-Reeuwijk
The semi-hard cheeses from Bodegraven-Reeuwijk win prices pretty much every year. And regularly a farm in this famous cheese center wins the 'Boerenkaas Cum Laude trophy'. Bodegraven-Reeuwijk is a must know for cheese lovers!
Special is the tradition that has been honored for decades: the crowning of the Cheese Queen. A fantastic highlight during the Autum Market! -
Krimpenerwaard
Between Rotterdam and Gouda lies the best kept secret of the Netherlands: the Krimpenerwaard. An area with unprecedented charm and individuality. Every spring the cows literally dance and jump into the meadows. A joy to watch! For centuries, farmers have kept the grass as protein rich and tender as possible. And their efforts pays off: all the taste of the milk is in the cheese.
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Woerden
Back in the day, traders brought products from farming companies to the city, which was smart, because they received a good price! But soon the farmer realized that Woerden was an important place for his merchandise and that it was worthwhile to undertake the trip himself. And so he, on a horse and cart, and without a trader, went to the city. And he was not the only one... In 1410, the first Farmers Market was a fact. The very beginning of Farmers Market Town Woerden!
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Gouda
Gouda is a city that breathes cheese. But actually cheese is not produced in Gouda. What is the secret of the city that is known for its cheeses worldwide? The key word is trade: farmers from the region brought their creamy, round cheeses to the weekly market in Gouda, where they were traded as 'Gouda cheese'. These 'Gouda'cheeses quickly became world famous...