Delft, Holland’s fairytale city is a cozy, picturesque gem nestled within the heart of South Holland, Netherlands. The city is rich in history, artistic innovation and full of incredible architecture to be admired. I set out to discover Delft’s hidden courtyards, backstreet cafés and canals on foot one crisp, sunny December morning.
Famous for its skinny, tree-lined canals, this extremely popular Netherlands destination is an amazing travel option for your European travel getaway and a perfect day-trip location when visiting Amsterdam.
Join me on a journey of discovery with this authentic Travel Guide to Delft where I explore the best of what Delft’s rich history, and cozy ‘gezellig’ local Dutch culture has to offer. Find the best of what to see, eat and do in Delft.
Delft’s Captivating Beauty
I started my idyllic Holland day trip by travelling to Delft by tram from the city of The Hague. My ambition was to explore the little backstreets while they were still quiet and free from most tourists and catch a glimpse of the early morning sun reflecting the beauty of this amazing city.
Stepping off the tram, I walked towards Delft’s city centre where the historic Stadhuis and Nieuwe Kerk have stood for over 6 centuries. I was in awe as the sunlight painted the 17th-century facades surrounding Delft’s Markt Square, slicing between structures, and washing the brick with a soft yellow.
Stepping through the little cobblestone sidestreets and alleyways, Delft feels as though it could be a living scene in a painting by Vermeer, one of Delft’s most celebrated citizens. Vermeer is famous for his extraordinary landscape ‘View of Delft’, and ‘Girl with the Pearl Earing’, and is best known for his masterful portrayal of light.
What to Expect on a Day-trip to Delft
Expect to be charmed by Delft’s rich history, enchanting architecture and cozy, intimate canal-side restaurants and café terraces. There is plenty to see, eat, drink and explore in this easily walkable city. Leave your map behind and just explore the charming little backstreets and off-the-beaten-path sights most travellers miss when sticking to a tourist guide.
What are the best things to see in Delft?
Seek out Delft’s historic squares and explore the towering churches. Climb to the top of Delft’s 14th century Nieuwe Kerk up its dizzying 400-step circular staircase and you will be rewarded with one of the best views in all of the Netherlands. Visit the elaborate tombs of William of Orange, and the Dutch Royal family in the church below.
The historic centre of Delft is known for its picture-perfect tree-lined canals. The city’s Market Square is surrounded by a wonderful selection of pubs, cafés and restaurants with shaded outdoor terrace seating to soak up the sun and views of the Stadhuis and the towering Nieuwe Kerk (shown above).
Delft’s most famous exports are its exquisite Royal Delft blue handpainted Delftware pottery and the extraordinary 17th-century paintings of Johannes Vermeer. In the Middle Ages, Delft was also known across Europe as a ‘beer brewing town’ and a centre for textile manufacturing. Ironically two industries that were at odds with each other.
A visit to Royal Delft
An engaging and popular tour is a visit to Royal Delft, the 17th-century pottery factory and museum. This is the only remaining Delftware producer of which there were once more than 30.
A short walk from the city centre, you can watch artisans create this highly valuable pottery by hand. Watch the process from the pouring of the molten clay to hand painting the elaborate blue and white pottery, and if you like, purchase your own piece of Delftware to take home. Website | Rotterdamseweg 196, Delft | +31 15 760 0800
Delft’s Popular Street Markets
Street markets are popular throughout the city centre where you will find a wide selection of cheeses, stroopwafels, poffertjes, arts and crafts, vintage vinyl and clothing. Maybe even some Delft Blue Pottery!
Thursday is Market Day in ‘Markt Square’ with up to 150 stalls usually set up in front of the Nieuwe Kerk. On Saturdays, look for Delft’s Antique Market, my personal favourite, running along the city’s canals, selling everything vintage.
Delft is a city of 100,000 and is known as a University city with a young student population, a main contributor to the city’s often lively nightlife. The atmosphere though is much more subdued than Amsterdam. You won’t find a lot of ‘coffee shops’ on every corner selling smokables, however, you will find a lot of cozy backstreet bars and shopping streets on winding pathways to explore.
When is the best time to visit Delft?
Peak season is from May to September. Delft is a prime tourist destination during the spring and summer and can be extremely busy with tourists.
Between March and April is a great time to visit as you can also combine your trip with a visit to the world-famous tulip gardens, the Keukenhof Gardens, an absolute must-see if you are in the Netherlands in the spring. The gardens are only open for 8 weeks a year from mid-March to mid-May. If you intend to visit the Keukenhof you will need to carefully plan the timing of your visit.
My personal preference is to visit Delft and the Netherlands in the off-season times of early Spring or early Fall. I also love Christmas time in the Netherlands.
Delft’s Historic Architecture and Canals
Delft’s incredible appeal is intrinsically rooted in its fascinating history, spanning well over 900 years. The arrangement of Delft’s beautiful narrow canals, incredible church spires, like those of the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) and slender canal houses reflect an earlier age that shaped this remarkable city.
Something obvious from walking around Delft — in contrast to Amsterdam or Utrecht is that the canals in Delft are very narrow and medieval looking in comparison. They were built at street level, flowing around buildings much like in Bruges, Belgium. This is due to Delft’s canals being much older than Amsterdam’s, dating back to the original city plan from 1100 AD. Amsterdam’s canals as we know them today, by contrast, were dug in the mid-17th century.
5 Fascinating Little-Known Facts About Delft
- The Market in Delft’s Market Square has been open in the same spot, at the same time and day of the week for nearly eight hundred years.
- ‘Oude Delft’ is the oldest canal street in the city, originally dug around 1100 AD. It was used for drainage of the surrounding land. ‘Delf’ loosely means ‘to dig’ in Dutch!
- The Vliet Canal connecting Leiden to Delft was dug in 47 AD under the command of the Romans and became an important trade route in the Middle Ages.
- Delft features one of Europe’s finest engineering and technology schools — the Delft University of Technology or ‘TU Delft’, well respected for research and engineering. Much like a Dutch MIT.
- You can find the spot where historians agree Johannes Vermeer painted the famous painting ‘View of Delft’. The triangular harbour at the south end of the city centre is called the “de Kolk”, and itself remains largely untouched from when the painting was made in c. 1660. The skyline of course has changed considerably since then. Here is a Google Maps link to the location so you can easily find it on your walking tour!
Where to Eat and Drink in Delft
Kobus Kuch for a cozy Lunch and incredible Apple Pie. I was looking for a warm and cozy café for some early lunch when I stumbled across Kobus Kuch. Within its intimate interior, the café looked full of locals enjoying their coffee and perusing stacks of Dutch Newspapers. This was the exact vibe I was looking for on this chilly morning.
The first thing I noticed was the apple tart or Dutch apple pie. I had a lovely lunch and fuelled up on a great-tasting latté, and of course, finished off with the towering apple pie with whipped cream. With all of that delicious apple, cream, sugar, and cinnamon, as some say it was a symphony in my mouth! I will definitely be back. $$ | Beestenmarkt 1 Delft, Netherlands | Website | +31 15 212 4280
| Photo ©️ travellifebalance.com
Delftse Brouwers is a great stop for handcrafted pints of beer. Once a city of breweries, this newly established microbrewery in Delft is producing a diverse range of great local beer in what once was a 700-year-old brewery, very close to the Oude Kerk (Old Church).
This lovely brewpub serves 20 of its own beers on tap and has a full menu serving lunch and dinner as well as a ‘Borrel’ menu that is focused on snacks and charcuterie, perfect for enjoying with a beer or two. The food and service were excellent. $$ | Hippolytusbuurt 43 Delft, Netherlands | Website
The home of Vermeer
Walking around the Market Square adjacent to the Nieuwe Kerek you will find Papists’ Corner on Oude Langendijk. Here you will find the spot where Vermeer lived and contained his second painter’s studio in the city.
Conclusion
Delft is without question a must-see place to visit in Holland, or, if you are looking for a great place to day-trip from, a great place to stay and venture out to other Dutch cities during any visit to the Netherlands.
2023’s Vermeer Exhibit: Another reason to visit, in spring 2023 Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum displayed an unprecedented (and unfortunately sold-out) exhibition of 28 of the 37 known works of Vermeer put on display in a never before seen collection. With all of the excitement this year regarding Vermeer, there will be many other interesting celebrations of the great painter not only in Delft but throughout the Netherlands.
If you are looking for another great city in the Netherlands to day-trip from that has incredible rail service and prime local amenities, including an amazing zoo and oceanarium, check out my article on Rotterdam, one of my other favourite locations to stay in the Netherlands when I travel there.
Do you have any other great tips or amazing places in Delft that you’d like to share? Be sure to let me know in the comments below!