Day trip from Amsterdam Delft
A small canal town between The Hague and Rotterdam, known for Delft Blue pottery and as Vermeer's home, 58 minutes by direct train from Amsterdam Centraal.
Is Delft worth a day trip from Amsterdam?
Half a day, after a long ride.
Go if Delft Blue or Vermeer is the reason; otherwise the ride is long for what you get. The fastest train takes 58 minutes and a single starts at € 17.30, so the return costs about as much as two museum tickets. Only 44 of the 109 daily trains are direct. On site, three to four hours is enough: the Royal Delft Museum costs € 17.50 with an audio tour, opens daily from 9:30 to 17:00 and stops admitting at 16:00. Add the market square and the canals. Staying in The Hague or Rotterdam? Do it from there instead.
The decision sheet
- Travel time
- 58 mindirect trains only; others change · one way · Trainline (NS timetable and fares)
- Transport
- Direct Intercity
- Self-guided cost
- € 52.10Train return (2 x € 17.30) + Royal Delft Museum ticket (€ 17.50) · Royal Delft Museum
- Tour price
- From € 57Civitatis catalogue
- Time needed
- 3–5 hDaytripo editorial
- Closed days
- None (Royal Delft Museum shut 25-26 Dec and 1 Jan)
- Best time
- All year; arrive before 14:00Daytripo editorial
- Verdict
- Worth half a dayDaytripo editorial
What to see and do in Delft
- 01
Nieuwe Kerk and its tower
The church on the Markt holds the tomb of William of Orange and the Dutch royal burial vault. The tower climb is 376 steps to a platform at 85 metres, with views to Rotterdam.
- 02
Oude Kerk
A 13th-century church with a tower that leans about two metres out of line over the canal. Johannes Vermeer is buried here under a plain floor slab. One ticket covers both churches.
- 03
Royal Delft
The last of the 17th-century Delftware factories still working. You watch painters decorate pieces by hand and walk through the production hall. Allow 90 minutes. It is 15-20 minutes on foot from the station.
- 04
Markt and the canals
A long square with the Renaissance town hall facing the church, and narrow canals on every side. A loop along the Oude Delft canal and back by the Oostpoort gate takes an hour.
- 05
Vermeer Centrum
A visitor centre on the site of the old painters' guild, with full-size reproductions of all 37 Vermeer paintings and a floor on his technique. It holds no originals. Allow 45 minutes.
Good forOld towns and villagesArt and museumsChurches and monasteries
How to spend the day
Take a direct train from Amsterdam Centraal around 9:00 and arrive in Delft at about 10:00. Walk 15 to 20 minutes south along the water to the Royal Delft Museum and give it until 12:00. Walk back into the old centre for lunch on the Markt, between the town hall and the Nieuwe Kerk. Spend an hour on the canals around the Oude Kerk. A train around 15:00 gets you to Amsterdam by 16:00.
Delft in summer and in winter
Summer
June to AugustCanal boat tours run, the terraces on the Markt and the Beestenmarkt are full and the churches keep their longer hours of 10:00 to 17:00. Thursday is market day on the Markt, with a flower market along a nearby canal. Delft is small, so three to four hours is plenty, and it pairs well with The Hague.
Winter
December to FebruaryFrom November to January the churches open only from 11:00 to 16:00 on weekdays, and the tower shuts an hour before that. Wind or ice can close the tower altogether. Royal Delft and the Vermeer Centrum stay open daily. The compact centre suits a short day, with everything within ten minutes of the Markt.
How crowded it gets
Busy- Busiest
- Apr-Sep, 11:00-15:00, when coach tours stop on the Markt; Thursdays and Saturdays for the markets
- Quietest
- Before 11:00 and after 16:00; weekdays from November to March
Tour groups come for about two hours around midday and stay on the Markt. Climb the tower when the church opens, and walk the Oude Delft canal while the groups are in the square. By late afternoon the centre is local again.
How do you get to Delft from Amsterdam?
Train
- Travel time
- 58 min
- Frequency
- About 109 trains a day, 44 direct
- Cost
- From € 17.30 each way
- Departs from
- Amsterdam Centraal
Check the planner for a direct train; the rest need a change on the way. Tap in and out with a contactless bank card. From Delft station the old centre is a short walk, and the Royal Delft Museum is 15 to 20 minutes on foot in the other direction.
Organized tour
- Travel time
- 9 hours round trip
- Cost
- From € 57
- Departs from
- De Ruijterkade 34a, Amsterdam Centraal
One coach covers The Hague, Rotterdam and Delft. In Delft you tour a Delft Blue factory and then see the old centre from the vehicle on a one-hour drive, so you barely walk the canals. Take it for three cities in one day, not for Delft itself.
Practical: clothes, food and money
What to wear
Flat shoes with grip for the tower, whose spiral stair is steep and narrow with two-way traffic. Bring a windproof jacket for the platform. The churches are cold in winter, so stay in your coat.
What to eat
The Thursday market on the Markt has cheese, fried fish and stroopwafel stalls. Locals eat on the Beestenmarkt, a square of terraces under plane trees five minutes from the church, which is calmer than the Markt. Cafes along the canals serve the usual Dutch lunch of sandwiches, soup and croquettes.
What you will spend
The train is the largest cost, from € 17.30 each way. The Royal Delft Museum is € 17.50 with the audio tour. The combined ticket for the two churches and the tower climb are smaller extras. Walking the canals and the Markt is free.
How to get the most out of the day
- Both churches are closed to visitors on Sundays. Come from Monday to Saturday if the tomb, the grave or the tower matter to you.
- Vermeer's originals are not in Delft. His View of Delft hangs in the Mauritshuis in The Hague, 15 minutes away by train.
- Tram 1 runs from Delft station through The Hague to Scheveningen beach, which makes a Delft and coast day easy without changing.
- Museum Prinsenhof has been closed for a long renovation. Check its status before you plan the day around the William of Orange story.
How long do you need in Delft?
Plan 3–5 h on site, plus 58 min of travel each way from Amsterdam.
When is Delft closed?
None (Royal Delft Museum shut 25-26 Dec and 1 Jan). Best time: All year; arrive before 14:00.