There are many wonderful things that the Netherlands is famous for, but one of the greatest is easily its cheese heritage. The Dutch are passionate about the stuff; their fer-tile land is perfect for dairy cows and the country is firmly established as one of the best nations for cheese in the entire world. Each province has its own speciality with Gouda being the most popular, but a few other tantalising types that any foodie will love include Geitenkaas, Maasdammer and Boerenkaas.
Amsterdam
The best place to learn about Holland’s heritage for the good stuff and to sample different variations is the capital: the centre of the dairy trade in the Netherlands. Amsterdam is also home to the brilliant Cheese Museum and copious traders found throughout the city so if you are a fan of cheese you will feel very at home here.
The Museum
Located just around the corner from Anne Frank’s House, the museum is a great expe-rience where the welcoming staff (who are trained in the art of making cheese) will talk you through the process and history of production. They will also help you to pick out delicious samples from huge wheels whilst wearing traditional Dutch clothing – there are some very special delicacies here to choose from.
Vendors & Stores
This will certainly have your stomach rumbling, so you will want to take a short stroll down to Singel where there is a long line of friendly cheese vendors offering free sam-ples adjacent to the floating flower markets. Other areas to try samples or buy your own include Old Amsterdam (particularly for Gouda), de Jordaan and de Kaaskamer where you can also find French and Belgian specialities.
Eating Out
Another great way to try a range of delicious varieties is to head to one of the many great bars and take a look at the snack menu. One interesting dish to try and one popular with aficionados is Kaasblokjes – bite-sized cubes with a mustard dip, but there will be all kinds of other tasty snacks to choose from. As you would expect, a cheese board is a good option after a meal at a restaurant, especially with a nice glass of wine – perfect!
How To Get There
The best way to reach Amsterdam from the UK is to fly into Schipol Airport; the flight is just over an hour and made frequently by a handful of carriers. You will be around 17km outside of the city so I recommend arranging a pre-booked Amsterdam airport transfer to your hotel which should take about 20 minutes. Schipol Airport can be busy so you may struggle to get a cab, but with a pre-booked Amsterdam airport transfer your driver will be waiting for you when you land.
There is nowhere better for cheese lovers than the beautiful country of Holland and, more specifically, Amsterdam. It is also incredibly easy to reach with a quick flight and a pre-booked Amsterdam airport transfer, so you could be sampling the smelly stuff in no time at all!
Lukas Johannes is a driver for Shuttle Direct, the number one provider of shared and private airport transfers all over Europe and northern Africa. If you’re looking for an affordable pre-booked Amsterdam airport transfer Lukas and his colleagues can make sure that you and your luggage get to and from the airport swiftly and safely.
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