Cheese tasting in Amsterdam: the complete guide

Dutch cheese: better than you think

Dutch cheese has an image problem. The mild, rubbery young Gouda sold in supermarkets worldwide has convinced much of the planet that Dutch cheese is bland and unremarkable. This impression is completely wrong, and one of the most reliable travel revelations in Amsterdam is the discovery of what properly aged Dutch cheese actually tastes like.

A 24-month-old extra aged Gouda is dense, crumbly, and intensely flavoured with tyrosine crystals that give it a slight crunch. A mature Edam has complex sweetness and depth. A smoked Gouda from a proper Dutch cheesemaker has nothing in common with the orange supermarket variety sold under the same name in other countries. The difference between the cheese you have tried and the cheese you will discover in Amsterdam is large enough to be genuinely surprising.

This guide covers where to do a proper cheese tasting in Amsterdam, what the different Dutch cheese varieties mean, which cheese tours and canal boat experiences are worth the money, and how to take cheese home.

Understanding Dutch cheese varieties

Dutch cheese is dominated by two families: Gouda and Edam. Both are semi-hard to hard cheeses made from cow’s milk, and both are classified by age, which is the most important variable in flavour.

Gouda classifications by age:

• Jong (young): 4–8 weeks. Mild, slightly elastic, minimal flavour development. This is what most people know.
• Jong belegen: 8–16 weeks. More flavour, still mild.
• Belegen (mature): 4–12 months. Noticeably more complex, firmer, beginning to develop the typical Gouda sweetness.
• Extra belegen: 7–12 months. Rich, firm, starting to develop crystals.
• Oud (old): 12–18 months. Dense, crumbly, rich, tyrosine crystals throughout. Excellent.
• Extra oud: 18–24 months. Powerful, almost toffee-like, very intense.
• Overjarig: 2+ years. Extremely concentrated, deep amber colour, for serious enthusiasts.

Edam is similar but smaller in wheel size and traditionally lower in fat; it is named for the town of Edam (a day-trip from Amsterdam, covered in the Volendam and Edam day trip guide).

Regional variations:

• Noord-Hollandse Gouda (PDO): Made in the province, from raw milk, with a protected designation. More complex than factory Gouda.
• Boerenkaas (farmhouse cheese): Made on the farm from raw milk, never from pasteurised factory milk. Significantly more flavourful; identifiable by a green rind foil and farm stamp.
• Rookkaas (smoked cheese): Gouda smoked over natural wood — excellent with dark beer.
• Leidenkaas: Gouda-style cheese from Leiden, flavoured with cumin seeds. A distinctive taste and one of the best Dutch regional cheeses.

The best cheese tasting experiences

Reypenaer Tasting Room (Singel 182): The definitive Amsterdam cheese tasting experience. Reypenaer is a Dutch cheesemaker with a cave in Woerden where their wheels are aged naturally. Their Singel street tasting room offers guided 45-minute sessions covering six to eight cheeses from young to aged extra, with wine or port. The guide explains the ageing process, the crystalline structures, and the regional differences. Bookings required; approximately €20 per person including wine pairing.

Kaaskamer van Amsterdam (Runstraat 7, Nine Streets): The best independent cheese shop in Amsterdam for variety and quality. Over 300 Dutch and international cheeses, with knowledgeable staff who will cut samples on request. The aged boerenkaas selection is outstanding. A good place to buy cheese to take home (see below). No formal tasting programme, but staff at quiet times will explain and sample.

Henri Willig (multiple Amsterdam locations): A reliable chain specifically designed around the tourist tasting experience, with free samples of their range at every store. The staff explain the varieties; the atmosphere is commercial but the cheese is genuinely good. The Henri Willig cheese tasting experience is a structured version of the shop visit with more context and a guided comparison.

Guided cheese tours and experiences

A dedicated cheese tour is a time-efficient way to cover the range of Dutch cheese culture — market, shop, producer, and tasting context — in a single session.

The cheese and wine tasting in Amsterdam is the most complete dedicated option, covering multiple varieties with wine pairing and explanation of Dutch cheese history and production. A good choice for food and wine enthusiasts who want more than a shop visit.

The cheese walking tour covers the cheese-related stops in the Jordaan and Canal Ring on foot, visiting producers and historic shops alongside the tasting stops. This format suits those who prefer the context of walking a neighbourhood to a seated tasting.

For a combination of the canal experience with cheese and wine, the saloon boat cheese and wine canal cruise provides tastings on the water — a genuinely pleasant format for an afternoon when the weather cooperates.

Canal boat cheese experiences

The Amsterdam canal boat cheese and wine format has become one of the city’s most popular tourist experiences for good reason: it combines the canal views with a genuine tasting, and the boat setting feels appropriately Dutch. The quality varies between operators; the key indicators are whether the cheese selection goes beyond basic young Gouda and whether the guide provides real information or just pours wine.

See the best canal cruises guide for context on choosing between the different boat tour formats.

Where to buy cheese to take home

Amsterdam airport (Schiphol) has cheese shops post-security, but the prices are 30–40% higher than city shops and the selection is geared to airport convenience rather than quality. Buy in the city.

Kaaskamer (Runstraat 7): Best selection, honest advice, will vacuum-pack for travel. Henri Willig (Leidsestraat and other locations): Good travel packaging, reliable aged selection. Albert Cuyp Market (De Pijp, daily except Sunday): Several cheese stalls; good prices for a wide range. Cheese shops at the Albert Cuyp Market: The large cheese stalls on the market itself typically sell good aged varieties at fair prices without the tourist-shop markup.

EU travellers: Dutch cheese can be taken freely within the EU. For travel outside the EU (UK, US, Switzerland, etc.), hard aged cheeses are generally permitted, but check your country’s import rules for dairy products.

Cheese in Amsterdam’s broader food context

Dutch cheese is embedded in the food culture in ways that go beyond cheese shops. Brown cafés serve kaassoufflé (fried cheese pastry) and cheese uitsmijter. The rijsttafel at Indonesian restaurants often includes a Dutch cheese plate as a contrast. The cheese market tradition is still alive in Edam and Alkmaar — both reachable on a day trip.

For the Alkmaar cheese market (Friday mornings, April–September), the Amsterdam cheese market day trip covers the logistics. For broader Dutch food context, the Dutch food guide covers cheese alongside herring, stroopwafel, and bitterballen.

Frequently asked questions about cheese tasting in Amsterdam

What is the best Dutch cheese to buy in Amsterdam?

For aged flavour, look for extra belegen (7–12 months) or oud Gouda (12–18 months). For a specifically Dutch character, Noord-Hollandse Gouda PDO or a genuine boerenkaas (farmhouse cheese from raw milk) is the most authentic. For a distinctive regional product, try Leidenkaas with cumin. Ask the cheese shop to compare a young and an aged version — the difference makes the point clearly.

How much does a cheese tasting cost in Amsterdam?

A structured tasting at Reypenaer (Singel 182) costs around €20 per person including wine. Guided cheese walking tours cost €40–60 per person. Canal boat cheese and wine experiences cost €35–65. Henri Willig shop visits are free. The Albert Cuyp Market stalls offer free samples informally.

Can I take Dutch cheese home on the plane?

Yes, for most destinations. EU travellers can take cheese freely in any quantity. US travellers can bring hard, cured cheeses; soft cheeses may be restricted — check USDA import rules. UK travellers post-Brexit can bring personal amounts of hard cheese. Hard aged Dutch cheese (oud Gouda, extra belegen) travels better than soft varieties and is the safer choice for air travel.

Is the cheese tasting canal boat worth doing?

Yes, if the weather is decent. The combination of canal scenery and cheese tasting is genuinely pleasant and more atmospheric than a shop-based experience. The cheese quality and variety depend on the operator; check that the tour includes aged varieties rather than just young Gouda. See the best canal cruises guide for comparison.

Where is the traditional Dutch cheese market?

The traditional weekly kaasmarkt (cheese market) with porters carrying wheels on wooden frames still operates in Alkmaar (Friday mornings, April–September) and Edam (Wednesday mornings, July–August). Both are reachable from Amsterdam by train in under an hour. The Gouda cheese market is on Thursday mornings in summer. The Amsterdam markets guide covers these alongside Amsterdam’s city markets.