Day in Delft

Delft is known for a few important things: the hometown and workplace of painter Johannes Vermeer, iconic blue pottery, and one of it's historic church's contains the Dutch Royal Family's vault. Not only that, but it's also a beautiful city. So....with all of that in mind, we took a day trip there yesterday!

We took the train to get down there, which took an hour from Amsterdam. Once we arrived, we were greeted with beautiful canals and brick buildings.

We first made our way over to Nieuwe Kerk (New Church), which is actually not that new. It was built between 1381 and 1496, and this is the church where the Dutch Royal Family’s burial vault is, which is sealed off from the public. However, you can see William the Orange’s (aka William the Silent) mausoleum, which is one of the highlights of the church.

Dutch Royal Family's Vault

William the Orange's mausoleum

William the Orange's mausoleum

You can also climb the tower of Nieuwe Kerk, which is what we did. Once at the top, you get a stunning 360-degree view of the city. I will say, that if you’re either claustrophobic or afraid of heights, climbing up the tower is not for you. There is only one way up and down the tower, and it’s up very narrow and a winding stairwell. So if people are coming down, and you’re going up, you need to squeeze on by and hope that you don’t fall. BUT! You do get a beautiful view!

View of Delft

View of Delft

View of Delft

View of Delft

View of Delft. That church is Oude Kerk

Nieuwe Kerk is also in the main square, or Markt. It’s got all sorts of vendors- fruit, flowers, clothes, and food. After visiting the church, we walked around the square for a little bit, and picked up a snack. I had a stroopwafel, while Adam had some fried fish. Both were very tasty! We continued to walk around, and then decided to get some coffee and apple pie (the Dutch are all about coffee and apple pie) at a nearby cafe.

City Hall

Next was a visit to Oude Kerk (Old Church), which is a few blocks away from the square. Built between 1325 and 1350, it’s claims to fame are it’s iconic leaning tower, and it’s the burial place of Vermeer.

Pieter Heyn's tomb

Marten Harpertzen Tromp's tomb

Vermeer's gravestone

After Oude Kerk, we went to Vermeer Centrum, which is an information center about Vermeer. Although this place doesn’t have a single authentic Vermeer painting and not much is known about the painter’s personal life, it is very informative about Vermeer’s paintings and style.

Next on our agenda was to visit a pottery, since Delft is also well known for it’s ceramics. We popped into De Blauwe Tulp, which is a delftware shop where all the ceramics are hand-painted by local artists. There was even someone painting some pottery while we were in the store!

All hand painted!

Also stumbled across a mural that represents all things Delft

We did a bit more strolling around, admiring the beauty of the city. By 4:30 we were feeling thirsty, so we popped into a pub called Locus Publicus. It took us a good 10 or 15 minutes to choose a beer, because this place sells like 200 different kinds. But eventually we were able to make a decision!

At Locus Publicus

Thus concludes our day in Delft. Delft is truly a beautiful city! It’s got a lot of charm with all sorts of stores and a great market selling anything that you might want. Outside of Amsterdam, Delft is by far my favorite city here in The Netherlands.