Delft

Tourist Information and Travel Guide

LEFT: Weekend street market, Delft.

The name Delft is synonymous with porcelain, and this town of 85,000 is justifiably famous for the blue-and-white pottery that Italian immigrant potters began making here in the 1600s. Still, you needn't be a dinnerware fan to enjoy Delft, which flourished as the 17th Century headquarters of the Dutch East India Company and was home to one of Holland's greatest painters, Jan Vermeer.

But the greatest attraction of Delft is the town itself--or at least the historic city center, which is crammed with 17th and 18th Century houses, streets that overlook canals, magnificent public buildings, outdoor markets, and a surprising number of museums for a city that has less population than many American suburbs.

Some of Delft's highlights include:

• Grote Markt, the lively and historic marketplace in the heart of town. Come on a Thursday if you can, when farmers and other vendors sell their goods from 8:30 a.m. until late afternoon.

• Oude Kerk, a Gothic church that was begun in the mid-1200s and completed in the 1500s.

• Nieuwe Kerk, where you can climb the church tower for a great view over Delft.

• Prinsenhof, a former convent where William of Orange was assassinated in 1584. Today, the restored building houses Delft's municipal art museum.

• Stadthuis, the city hall, which was built in 1618-1620 around remnants of the old town hall (including a 13th Century prison tower).

• Waag, once the town weighhouse and now a café.

For a complete guide to Delft's historic attractions, see the "City Tour" at Digital Monuments of Delft. (You'll find a link under "Museums and Sightseeing" on page 3 of this article.)

Getting to Delft

Delft is 54 minutes from Amsterdam by sneltrain; these fast trains leave Amsterdam Central Station at 30-minute intervals through most of the day. The Delft railway station is just southwest of the city center; turn left and head north as you leave the station, then turn right at the first major intesection (Binnen Water Sloot) and walk several blocks east toward the Nieuwe Kerk. The VVV (Tourist Office) is on the market square across from the city hall.

For links to train schedules, maps, and road directions, see page 3.

Next page: Delft hotels, camping, and dining

 

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