Delft is a relatively small city in between The Hague and Rotterdam. With just over 100,000 inhabitants, it doesn’t come close to the scale of Rotterdam and Amsterdam. That doesn’t mean Delft isn’t worth a visit. Founded in the 11th century, Delft has a lot of history and old buildings on offer! 2 Weeks ago, Jason and I went to Delft on a warm summer day. Today, we’re sharing what we did while we were there.
We got into the city by Train, which is by far the best way of getting to Delft. The train drops you off in just under 15 minutes from Rotterdam Central Station. When leaving the train station, you’ll basically be walking right into the city center. Let’s get into what Delft has to offer for a quick afternoon trip.
Climb a Church Tower
As you can see in the pictures at the beginning of this blog, Delft has some churches. In fact, Delft has quite a lot of churches. The two most famous churches in Delft are colloquially called ‘Oude- and Nieuwe Kerk’ which translates to ‘Old- and New Church’. Both churches are rather old, but I guess the one came after the other.
The tower of the ‘Nieuwe Kerk’ is the one you can climb. Getting to the highest viewing platform (at 85 meters high) will go completely by 376 stairs. The stairs are rather narrow and have low ceilings, so if you’re claustrophobic this might not be the climb for you.
The views from this tower span all the way to Rotterdam and The Hague, so take it all in!
Tickets for the Tower run at 4.50 EUR, but you might want to consider going for the Combi tickets, which will grant you entry to the ‘Oude Kerk’, the ‘Nieuwe Kerk’ and the Tower.
Get into the Churches
Once you’ve finished your climb, you should take a quick peek into the Church building itself. The churches have beautiful interiors, and are definitely worth exploring. Especially on a warm summer day, because the churches are kept on a pleasantly cold temperature. The ‘Nieuwe Kerk’ also holds the grave tomb of William of Orange, the founding father of The Netherlands as we know it today.
Using your combi ticket, you’ll also be able to get into the ‘Oude Kerk’, which is also worth a visit. If you do decide to get the Combi Ticket, you’ll also get a free coffee or tea at on of 6 selected coffee houses. We love a freebie! 😀
Food!
Delft has quite the selection of pretty restaurants and coffee places. Since we were there for just a few hours, we don’t have any recommendations with regards to restaurants. Just walk around and see what you like. Dutch restaurants normally have a pretty high standard of quality.
A recommendation we can make is ‘Bakkerij de diamanten ring’. This old bakery has been around for a while, and knows how to make quality food. Selling everything from the classic Dutch Stroopwafel cookie to the French Croissant, this place has anything for anyone. As a bonus, both the interior and exterior are pretty picturesque.
We spent the rest of the afternoon chilling on a random ‘Terrasje’ with some cold drinks. We advise you to do the same!
We hope you enjoy Delft! It’s definitely worth a visit!
Happy Travels!
Joël
Sightseeing Students 