Exclusive Cheese Walk & Dutch Wine Discovery

Cheese can open Amsterdam. This three-hour walk links the city’s pretty canals, the Jordaan, two cheese shops, and a Dutch wine tasting. I like the smart route through the Nine Little Streets and the personal attention of a group capped at eight. I also like that Michael Carlton teaches you how to buy, store, cut, and pair cheese, not just how to eat it. The main consideration is the price, $126.15 per person, and the final tasting may feel more like a generous cheese-and-wine session than a formal wine class.

This is a good fit if you enjoy food with a sense of place. You will walk for much of the three hours, finish west of Amsterdam Central Station, and sample several cheeses with two glasses of Dutch wine. The itinerary is relaxed, but it is not a sit-down tasting from start to finish, so wear comfortable shoes and arrive ready to stroll.

Key points to know before booking

• Dutch wine is the unusual hook: The tasting takes place at Design & Wijn, a shop devoted to wines from the Netherlands.
• The cheese is bought along the route: You visit two serious cheese shops in the Nine Little Streets before tasting what the guide has selected.
• Michael Carlton is the guide to look for: His background in cheese shops and professional cheese buying gives the walk a practical, hands-on feel.
• The group stays small: A maximum of eight people allows room for questions and personal cheese suggestions.
• The route ends away from the start: You begin at Spui and finish on Haarlemmerdijk, about a 15-minute walk west of Amsterdam Central Station.
• Dietary needs get personal attention: Lactose-free cheese, older pasteurized cheese during pregnancy, and alcohol-free apple juice for children can be arranged.

Why this Amsterdam cheese walk works

I like food tours that let you see how a city eats, rather than simply placing a plate in front of you. This one uses Amsterdam as part of the lesson. You move from the book-filled Spui to the canals of the Nine Little Streets, pass the Anne Frank House, walk through the Jordaan, and finish with cheese and wine on Haarlemmerdijk.

That route gives the afternoon a useful rhythm. You walk, learn, shop, taste, and talk. The food is the main subject, but Amsterdam keeps supplying the backdrop.

The group limit matters. With no more than eight people, Michael can answer questions about a cheese you dislike, suggest a substitute for a dietary need, or explain why a soft cheese behaves differently from a hard one. The personal element is one of the strongest reasons to pay more than you would for a self-guided visit to a cheese shop.

The tour is also more than a Dutch Gouda introduction. You may taste soft cow’s cheese, goat’s cheese, strong or smelly cow’s cheese, hard cheese, blue cheese, and imported specialties such as Brie de Meaux. The point is discovery, not a quick parade of familiar yellow wedges.

Start at Spui and the Friday book market

Meet outside The American Book Centre at Spui 12. The opening talk lasts about 10 minutes and sets up the cheese walk.

If your tour falls on a Friday, arrive early and browse the book market in Spui Square. You may find old and newer books, English-language titles, prints, and maps. The market is not the central feature of the tour, but it gives you a pleasant reason to arrive before the meeting time.

This is also a handy starting point in central Amsterdam. You will not need a special transfer to reach it, and public transportation is nearby. The guide begins with an introduction rather than launching straight into tasting, which helps you understand what to notice during the later stops.

Shopping for cheese in the Nine Little Streets

The route then heads toward the Nine Little Streets, or Negen Straatjes. This compact area is known for small boutiques, canal bridges, and narrow streets that are easy to enjoy at walking pace.

The important part here is the visit to two serious cheese shops. You do not simply receive a preset tasting plate with no context. The cheeses are selected during the walk, and Michael explains what you are buying before the later tasting.

That approach gives the food more meaning. You can connect the finished bite with the shop, the type of cheese, and the advice you received earlier. Michael’s past work owning cheese shops and buying cheese professionally in European cities helps explain why the practical guidance is such a strong part of the outing.

You can expect tips on selecting a cheese board, storing cheese, cutting it properly, and pairing it with drinks. These are small lessons, but they are the kind you can use after you leave Amsterdam. I especially like that the walk encourages you to try unfamiliar cheeses rather than stay with the safest choice.

The limitation is simple: the itinerary does not promise a full shopping spree or time to visit every food shop in the district. The two cheese stops are selected for the tasting, and the rest of the area is seen while walking through it.

Passing the Anne Frank House and entering the Jordaan

The group passes the Anne Frank House and the North Church before entering the Jordaan. The listed stop at the Anne Frank House is a passing point, not an interior visit, so do not book this walk expecting admission to the museum.

That distinction matters. You will see the area and hear stories about Amsterdam as you continue, but the tour does not include a ticket or reserved entry to the Anne Frank House. If that museum is part of your plan, arrange it separately.

The walk continues toward the North Church and North Square. On Saturdays, the square is the site of one of Amsterdam’s best cheese markets, adding another useful connection between the route and the city’s food traditions. Market activity can depend on the day and schedule, so treat it as a bonus rather than the main promise of the tour.

A relaxed walk through the Jordaan

The Jordaan is one of the most enjoyable sections of the route. You pass through a district of canals, residential streets, and old Amsterdam character before heading toward the final tasting.

The route takes about 30 minutes through this area. It is not a rapid march between attractions. Michael uses the walk to share stories about Amsterdam, point out things worth seeing, and offer restaurant suggestions. That extra local guidance can make the tour especially useful early in your stay, when you still have time to return to a shop, street, or restaurant recommendation.

Several people who enjoyed the tour returned to places they had noticed along the route. That is a good sign of the walk’s value: it gives you a better sense of where to spend time later, rather than keeping you inside a narrow food-tour bubble.

Still, keep your expectations in check. The Jordaan portion is a guided neighborhood walk with food conversation, not a formal architecture tour. If your main goal is detailed art or building history, this is not the right specialty tour.

Dutch wine and cheese at Design & Wijn

The final stop is Design & Wijn on Haarlemmerdijk, one of Michael’s favorite shopping streets. The tour spends about 90 minutes here, and this is where the cheese is served with two glasses of special Dutch wine.

Dutch wine may surprise you. The Netherlands is not the first country most people name when discussing European wine, which makes this stop different from the usual cheese tasting built around French, Italian, or Spanish bottles. The focus is on discovering what local wine can do with local and international cheeses.

Expect the session to feel social and practical. You can ask about pairings, talk through the flavor of each cheese, and learn how to build a balanced board. One useful pattern from the tasting selections is variety: soft, hard, blue, goat, and stronger cheeses can each change how the wine tastes.

I would not book this expecting a technical sommelier course. One person found the wine portion less like a formal tasting than expected, although the Dutch white wine was a hit. That is a fair warning. The strength here is the combination of food, conversation, and place, not a long lecture on grape varieties or winemaking.

Past versions of the experience have also included beer, a pub setting, or alcohol-free drinks, and the food selection can include snacks such as Basque cheesecake, licorice, and chocolate. The current itinerary specifically describes two glasses of Dutch wine at Design & Wijn, so that is the part I would use when deciding what to expect. If the exact drink lineup matters to you, ask before booking.

What Michael adds to the experience

Michael Carlton is central to the tour’s appeal. His enthusiasm is obvious, but the useful part is how he turns that enthusiasm into clear advice.

You will hear about the everyday decisions that make a cheese board work:

• How to mix soft, hard, blue, goat, and stronger cheeses
• How to choose cheese for different tastes
• How to store cheese at home
• How to cut and serve different styles
• How to pair cheese with wine or beer
• How to move beyond the most familiar Dutch varieties

He also uses personal stories from his time as a cheese monger. That gives the walk warmth and keeps it from feeling like a scripted product demonstration.

I like the fact that the tour can work for mixed groups. Serious cheese fans can try less familiar selections, while cautious eaters can learn how to approach a strong cheese without being pushed into a contest of bravery. Even people who do not usually care much about cheese have found the food more interesting once they understand how it was selected and paired.

Price, pace, and practical value

At $126.15 per person, this is not a cheap way to get a snack and two drinks. You are paying for the guide, the cheese shopping, the tastings, the small group, and roughly three hours of walking and conversation.

The value improves if you use the lessons beyond the afternoon. Michael does not just hand you samples. He explains how to shop for cheese, create a board, and make better pairings at home. You also receive a neighborhood orientation that can help you plan the rest of your Amsterdam stay.

The price may feel high if you mainly want a formal wine tasting, a large meal, or a quick visit to a cheese store. It makes more sense if you value personal instruction and want an experience that joins food with the city itself.

Plan for a one-way route. You begin at Spui 12 and finish at Haarlemmerdijk 129, about a 15-minute walk west of Amsterdam Central Station. That ending point is useful for continuing into the Jordaan or reaching the station, but it is not convenient if you have left luggage near Spui.

Wear shoes suited to several hours on Amsterdam streets. The schedule includes about 10 minutes at Spui, 40 minutes in the Nine Little Streets, 10 minutes near the Anne Frank House, 30 minutes in the Jordaan, and about 90 minutes at the wine shop. Most people can participate, and public transportation is close to the meeting point.

The tour is offered in English and uses a mobile ticket. It is usually booked well ahead, on average about 41 days in advance, so I would not leave it until the last day of a short Amsterdam visit.

Dietary needs, children, and alcohol

The guide makes several thoughtful adjustments. If you are lactose intolerant, Michael can select naturally lactose-free cheeses. If you are pregnant, he can choose older pasteurized cheeses for you.

Children under 18 do not receive alcohol. They are served apple juice instead. That makes the outing possible for a family group, although the adult-focused wine tasting may still appeal more to parents than to young children.

The small group and advance dietary conversation are helpful here. Tell the provider what you need before the tour so the selections can be planned properly.

Free cancellation is available if you cancel at least 24 hours before the local start time. A cancellation inside that window is not refunded, and changes made less than 24 hours before the start are not accepted.

Who should book this cheese and wine walk?

I would choose this tour if you want:

• A food experience tied to real Amsterdam neighborhoods
• A small group rather than a large tasting crowd
• Practical advice you can use at home
• A chance to try unfamiliar cheeses
• A relaxed route through Spui, the Nine Little Streets, and the Jordaan
• A Dutch wine tasting with a guide who is clearly passionate about cheese

I would choose something else if you want a full meal, a dedicated Anne Frank House visit, or a formal wine course. The walk is also less suitable if you dislike moderate walking or prefer a fixed tasting menu with no neighborhood stops.

Should you book it?

Yes, if cheese is part of the reason you travel. The strongest feature is the blend of shopping, walking, and tasting. Michael’s advice gives the food a practical edge, while the route introduces you to Amsterdam streets you might otherwise pass by.

Book it early in your stay if possible. You can return to the shops, markets, or Jordaan streets afterward, and his restaurant suggestions may help shape the rest of your visit. At $126.15, it is a considered purchase, but the small group, generous teaching, and unusual Dutch wine focus make it good value for curious food lovers.

FAQ

Where does the cheese and wine walk begin?

It begins outside The American Book Centre at Spui 12, 1012 XA Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Where does the tour end?

It ends at Haarlemmerdijk 129, 1013 KE Amsterdam, about a 15-minute walk west of Amsterdam Central Station.

How long does the experience last?

The experience lasts approximately three hours.

How many people can join the tour?

The maximum group size is eight people.

Are children allowed on the experience?

Children under 18 can join, but they are served alcohol-free apple juice instead of wine.

Can the tour accommodate lactose intolerance or pregnancy?

Yes. Michael can choose naturally lactose-free cheeses for someone with lactose intolerance and older pasteurized cheeses for someone who is pregnant.