If you want to stay somewhere central in Gouda without dealing with a large chain hotel setup, Short Stay Gouda is a great option. The location was one of the biggest selling points for me because we could walk into the main part of town in less than five minutes, which made everything significantly easier during our stay.
This is not the type of property you book for canal views or luxury hotel amenities everywhere you look. Your view is mostly a parking lot. But the tradeoff is being extremely close to Gouda’s historic center while still having more space and privacy than a standard hotel room.
The overall setup felt more like staying in a modern boutique apartment than a traditional hotel.
If you are planning a larger Netherlands trip, my Where to Stay in the Netherlands (Best Areas to Do in One Trip) guide helps a lot when figuring out how Gouda fits into a multi-city itinerary.
Short Stay Gouda is located inside a historic 1917 Art Nouveau building right in central Gouda. Instead of a full hotel with a lobby, restaurant, elevators, and dozens of rooms, the property only has two private studios.
That smaller setup made the stay feel quieter and more residential compared to larger hotels we stayed at during this Netherlands trip.
The studios have their own entrances and use lockbox key access to get physical room keys. They send instructions before arrival that you’ll need to check to get into the building and room.
It sounds slightly intimidating at first if you are used to normal hotel check-in desks, but the instructions were straightforward once we got everything set up.
The location is probably the biggest reason I would recommend staying here.
We were less than a five minute walk from the main part of Gouda, including the canals, restaurants, shops, and central market area. That made it very easy to explore without constantly moving the car or dealing with parking every few hours.
If you are planning your time in town, my Best Things to Do in Gouda Netherlands guide covers the places we spent the most time during our stay.
Gouda itself is also a good base if you are driving around the Netherlands and visiting smaller nearby towns. We used it as part of a larger tulip season road trip, and the location worked well for that style of travel.
The only thing worth mentioning is that the immediate view from the room is not particularly exciting. Ours overlooked the parking lot. So if you are picturing dramatic canal-front windows and Dutch postcard scenery directly outside your room, this is probably not that type of stay.
But once you walk a few minutes into town, Gouda immediately gets much prettier.
The room itself was much larger and more functional than a standard hotel room.
Our studio included:
Having a kitchen ended up being more useful than I expected during this trip because after days of driving, walking around Dutch towns, and eating approximately our body weight in pastries, it was nice having extra space to spread out a little.
The air conditioning also deserves its own mention because not every stay in Europe fully participates in air conditioning culture the way Americans tend to prefer. I do not thrive in warm hotel rooms, so having full control over the air conditioning made the stay much more comfortable.
The overall design felt clean and modern while still fitting the historic building.
Parking is available directly next to the studios in the Klein Amerika parking lot, which is convenient location-wise.
The confusing part is how the parking pricing works.
When booking, the listing mentioned public parking nearby for around €13 per day, but it was not very clear that overnight parking and daytime parking are charged separately.
So if you stay overnight and also leave your car there the following day while exploring Gouda, you will likely end up paying twice.
This was not a huge issue financially, but I do think it should be explained more clearly during booking because it caught us slightly off guard.
Still, having parking immediately next to the property was very convenient once we understood how it worked.
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One thing I was not expecting was that guests have access to a free gym located on the same floor.
There is also a sauna that can be reserved during your stay at no additional cost, which gives the property a slightly more upscale feel but not a full luxury hotel situation.
Because there are only two studios, the entire atmosphere stays pretty quiet and private.
For most travelers, I think 1–2 nights is the sweet spot.
That gives you enough time to explore Gouda itself while also using it as a base for nearby towns if you have a rental car.
If you are visiting during spring, my 5 Day Netherlands Tulip Itinerary: Keukenhof, Windmills & Tulip Fields and Best Tulip Field Driving Route in the Netherlands guides pair well with staying somewhere central like Gouda.
Gouda is very walkable once you are in the center, so we never felt like we needed an overly long stay to experience the area.
A few practical things worth knowing beforehand:
I think expectations matter a lot here because if you are looking for a traditional luxury hotel with room service, large common spaces, and a staffed front desk, this is not that type of experience.
But if you want a modern, quiet, centrally located stay with more privacy and extra space, it works very well.
Yes, especially for travelers doing a Netherlands road trip or anyone wanting to stay somewhere quieter while still being close to Gouda’s center.
The location made exploring incredibly easy, the room felt spacious and updated, and having things like air conditioning, a kitchen, and nearby parking made the stay more comfortable than many standard European hotel rooms we experienced during this trip.
I would stay here again for a short Gouda visit without hesitation.
Just go into it knowing you are booking the location and apartment-style setup more than scenic views from the room itself. Once you step outside and walk into central Gouda though, the scenery improves pretty quickly.
If you end up booking anything for your trip, using my affiliate links helps support my blog at no extra cost to you. I spend a lot of time researching and writing these guides, so I really appreciate the support.
10 stops. One very full day. Zero regrets. Amsterdam has one of the best food scenes I’ve experienced anywhere in Europe, but the honest caveat is that some of the viral spots come with lines that will genuinely test your character. I skipped a few. I regret nothing.
Here’s what actually made the cut on my self-guided Amsterdam food tour:
Fresh stroopwafels at Hans Egstorf: made right in front of you, warm caramel, no line. This one won.
Lourens cookie croissant: flaky outside, gooey chocolate inside. Did not share.
Café Winkel 43 apple pie: one of the rare viral places that fully lives up to the hype.
Davie’s Amsterdam for the Lelie sandwich: pastrami, pickles, marbled bread. Deceptively simple. Absolutely excellent.
De Kaaskamer to end the day: 400+ cheeses, grilled cheese with what they call ketchup (it’s not ketchup, and it’s better), and bunker cheese aged in underground military bunkers.
The full route covers 10 stops through Jordaan, the 9 Streets, the canal district, and the flower market area with a Google Map included so you can just follow along.
Full guide with every stop, tips for beating the lines, and what I’d skip vs. do again | link in bio.
#amsterdam #visitamsterdam #netherlands #travel #visitnetherlands #traveleurope
There’s a version of Gatlinburg that’s all fudge shops and tourist crowds, and then there’s the version that actually makes you want to come back.
Here’s everything worth doing downtown, in the order I’d do it: 🏔️
✨ Start at @gatlinburgskypark before the crowds hit
✨ Walk the strip mid-morning when it’s still manageable
✨ @googooclusters stop (see my post from Tuesday: don’t skip it)
✨ Dinner at one of the local spots off the main drag
✨ Wander back out at night when the lights are on and it gets actually pretty
This isn’t your overscheduled Smoky Mountain itinerary. It’s more of a “here’s what I’d actually do if I had one solid day” kind of list.
Full downtown Gatlinburg guide linked in bio. 🔗
If someone told me I’d spend five hours at SkyPark, I would not have believed them. And yet. 😅
Gatlinburg SkyPark sits above the strip and it’s one of those places that looks like a quick stop on paper and turns into most of your afternoon. The SkyBridge alone is worth it — longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America, and yes, you will look down.
✨ SkyBridge (longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America)
✨ SkyLift ride up with views of the Smokies
✨ Walking trails with mountain views in every direction
✨ Way less crowded than downtown
Fair warning: if heights genuinely freak you out, the bridge might not be your thing. The rest of the park is still 100% worth it. Full guide with tickets, tips, and what to skip linked in bio. 🔗
I walked into Goo Goo Cluster in downtown Gatlinburg thinking I’d spend five minutes and leave with a small piece of candy. I was wrong on both counts. 😅
You build your own chocolate cluster at a kiosk: caramel, sea salt, pretzels, cocoa pebbles, you name it, and then watch them make it right in front of you. The whole thing takes about 15 minutes and costs $15.
The caveat? This is not a snack. This is a full-size brick of chocolate that I was still eating two days later.
If you’re already walking the Gatlinburg strip, this is an easy yes. Especially if you have absolutely no self-control around caramel. (Asking for a friend.) Full experience breakdown linked in bio. 🔗
Your Knoxville Airport survival guide, from someone who’s flown through TYS 100+ times is now up on my blog🛫
Parking, TSA wait times, where to grab food before your flight, rental cars, all of it, from someone who actually knows this airport. No guessing, no googling at the last minute.
TYS is small, easy to navigate, and honestly one of the less stressful airports I’ve been through. You just need to know a few things going in.
Full guide linked in bio. 🔗
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