Delft is one of the most delightful small cities in the Netherlands — a perfectly preserved Dutch Golden Age town of tree-lined canals, humpbacked bridges, and gabled merchant houses that is synonymous with three things: Johannes Vermeer, Delft Blue pottery, and being the final resting place of the Dutch royal family. Often described as a smaller, more intimate version of Amsterdam, Delft offers world-class art and history, a vibrant student culture (home to the renowned TU Delft university), and picture-postcard beauty at every turn — all just an hour from Amsterdam and 15 minutes from The Hague.

Quick Facts: Delft, Netherlands

• Best time to visit: April–September for canal-side café culture; April for King’s Day celebrations; Thursday for the weekly market on the Markt square
• Top attractions: Nieuwe Kerk (New Church — final resting place of William of Orange and the Dutch royal family’s burial site), Oude Kerk (Vermeer’s tomb), the Prinsenhof Museum (where William of Orange was assassinated in 1584), and Royal Delft — the last remaining 17th-century Delftware factory
• How to get there: ~1 hour from Amsterdam by train; ~15 minutes from The Hague or Rotterdam by train; Delft’s compact centre is entirely walkable from the station (5 min)

Delft is an attractive city in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam and The Hague and its population is about 95,000. Delft is primarily known for its typical Dutch town center (with canals), its blue tiles “porcelain” and other products, known as Delftware, for the painter Vermeer, Delft University of Technology, and its relationship with the Dutch royal family, the House of Orange-Nassau.

What to see in Delf

• Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) – built in the late 14th century. The tower is about 109 meters high and from the top you can enjoy beautiful views of the city
• Delft’s Oude Kerk (Old Church) – built in 1246. The tower is 75 metres high.
• The Prinsenhof (Princes’ Court), now a museum
• City Hall
• The Oostpoort (Eastern gate), the only remaining gate of the old city walls, built around 1400
• The Gemeenlandshuis or Huyterhuis, houses the regional water authority Delfland since 1645 and was built in 1505
• Windmill (Molen de roos) – the last remaining windmill within the old defensive walls of Delft (originally there were 15 windmills)

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Have you strolled Delft’s canals or discovered the home of Vermeer and Delft Blue? Share your Dutch city discoveries in the comments! 🇳🇱

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