Delft
Canal Town Of Vermeer And Delft Blue Pottery; The New Church Holds The Tombs Of The House Of Orange · Delft, South Holland
Delft is a small canal town between The Hague and Rotterdam, and for many visitors it is the Netherlands they imagined: tree-lined canals, humpbacked bridges, brick gables and a great market square framed by a Gothic church and a Renaissance town hall. It is the town of Johannes Vermeer, who was born, worked and was buried here and painted its skyline in View of Delft, and of Delft Blue, the blue-and-white pottery still made by hand at Royal Delft (De Porceleyne Fles), the last of the 17th-century factories. The New Church on the Markt holds the tomb of William of Orange, father of the Dutch nation, and the burial vault of the royal House of Orange; the Old Church has a leaning tower and Vermeer's grave. People come for a relaxed day of churches, pottery, canal boats and cafes, and because it is only a quarter of an hour by train from The Hague or Rotterdam. The honest caveats: none of Vermeer's paintings are in Delft, the old town is small, and on summer weekends and market days the Markt is crowded with coach groups.
Delft old town around the Markt, between the New Church and the Town Hall, Delft, South Holland, Netherlands
The old town is open all year and free to walk. The New Church and Old Church open to visitors on most days except Sundays, with shorter winter hours and the tower closed in bad weather - confirm. Royal Delft and the Vermeer Centrum open daily or nearly so. Delft station has frequent trains to The Hague (about 10 minutes) and Rotterdam (about 15 minutes); tram 1 runs from The Hague. Canal boats run roughly April to October. The general market fills the Markt on Thursdays; parking in town is expensive, so use the station or P+R.