By rail
Delft station, ~1 h from Amsterdam
Europe · Netherlands
Delft, Netherlands
Vermeer's city of blue pottery
Getting there
By air
Rotterdam The Hague (RTM), ~15 km
Best time to visit
April to September — mild
Don't miss
The Markt
The Nieuwe Kerk
The Oude Kerk
The Royal Delft pottery
Things to do
Canal walks
Delftware workshops
The Nieuwe Kerk tower
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: W. Bulach · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Layers
A quieter corner
The Hague's Mauritshuis, a short tram ride away
Questions travellers ask
How do I reach Delft?
Delft station is about 1 hour from Amsterdam, and Rotterdam The Hague (RTM) airport is about 15 km away.
What should I do in Delft?
Wander the Markt, climb the Nieuwe Kerk tower and see the Oude Kerk. This is Vermeer's city of blue pottery, so visit the Royal Delft pottery or try a Delftware workshop.
What's worth a short trip from Delft?
The Hague's Mauritshuis, a short tram ride away.
When's the nicest time to visit Delft?
April to September, when it's mild. Snack on stroopwafels and Dutch pancakes between canal walks.
About Delft
- Inland
Where it is
Delft is a canal city in the province of South Holland, Netherlands, between Rotterdam to the south-east and The Hague to the north-west, a few kilometres inland from the North Sea coast.
History
Delft grew up beside a canal, the Delf, named from the Dutch word for digging, and received its city charter in 1246. William of Orange led the Dutch Revolt from the Prinsenhof here until he was assassinated in 1584, a gunpowder explosion known as the Delft Thunderclap destroyed much of the city in 1654, and in the 17th century Delft became famous for its blue-and-white pottery and for the painter Johannes Vermeer.
People
Delftenaren speak Dutch, and TU Delft, founded in 1842 as an academy for civil engineering, fills the city with students. Painters at Royal Delft still decorate pottery by hand in the blue-and-white style first inspired by Chinese porcelain, and markets fill the Markt square.
Known for
- Delftware (Delft Blue) and Royal Delft
- The Nieuwe Kerk, burial church of the royal family
- Vermeer's city and the Vermeer Centre
- The Markt and the City Hall
- Delft University of Technology
Did you know?
Since William of Orange was buried in the Nieuwe Kerk in 1584, it has been the burial place of the Dutch royal House of Orange-Nassau.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.