Trip Log: Low Countries - Part 2: Delft, Leiden
In which I talk about our time in and near Delft
Our next stay was in Delft, still in the Netherlands. The trip was easy - two 20 minute train rides, changing trains in Leiden. Our hotel room wasn’t quite ready when we arrived but we were able to leave out things in the room. Everyone was very happy this place had an elevator up to our room.
Sunday, 27 July - Tour of Delft
We were surprised to learn that Delft was hosting a festival called “Spring into Summer” or similar. All around town, there were GIANT inflatables that kids could play on. We got Lizzy a ticket and she had a great time playing as we wandered around the city, mostly following along the Rick Steves walking tour of town. On the tour, we saw two churches (from the outside, as they’re closed on Sundays to visitors), the office of the person who maintains the town’s canals, and a plaque to the guy who modernized the microscope. Lunch was at a restaurant that offered a variety of Asian street foods which helped my mom discover she doesn’t mind poke, as long as the protein is cooked.
In the afternoon, Matt and I walked over to the Delft Factory which has a small museum on the history of the pottery company and lets you see artisans at work, that day this was two people painting very intricate designs on large vases. We, of course, got a Christmas ornament and a few gifts for friends and family back home.
Monday, 28 July - Day Trip to The Hague
Everyone was super sleepy from the day before so we were slow to leave the apartment. Matt and I went out alone to tour the two churches in town - the New Church and Old Church, though the New church isn’t very new, from the early 14th Century.
Once everyone was ready to go, we hopped on a short train to The Hague to see the two big art museums there - one dedicated to Escher and one housed worked from the Old Masters, mostly Dutch. I’ve always loved Escher so it was really great to finally see some of his original works in person. The Old Masters, eh, not my thing but it was a pretty building to wander around and had The Girl in the Pearl Earring.
We finished the day at a brewery in town and me fighting with some weird foot pain that would bug me off and on for the rest of the week. My guess is that I just wasn’t used to walking so much and my feet had to get used to it.
Tuesday, 29 July - Day Trip to Leiden
Matt, Lizzy, and I went over to tour Leiden, my mom staying back to rest her legs. Did the usual tour of the city before stopping at the museum of the history of science for the area. The museum has one of the oldest operating theaters in the world which was neat to see, along with exhibits about all sorts of science and medical topics. While the museum isn’t super large, it was really well done with interactive displays of all sorts and great explanations of the importance of the various inventions/technologies it showed. We ended the day back in Delft at another brewery where Lizzy and I shared some very yummy fondu.
Where We Stayed
BizStay Delft - 2-bedroom apartment with full kitchen
Where We Went - Delft
Asian street food restaurant - Street Food by Han
Delft Factory (Royal Delft) - pricey but worth a visit if you really like their products
Old Church / New Church in Delft
Delfts Brewhouse (went the first night, can’t find the place we went the second one)
Where We Went - Outside of Delft
Escher in the Palace Museum, The Hague
Old Masters collection at the Haags Historiche, The Hague (closed for renovations as of early October 2025, check back to see when it will re-open)
Italian-style sandwich shop, The Hague - Grastronomia Lusso
Lunch in Leiden, somewhat fancy place with amazing steak - Aan de Rijn
Science history museum in Leiden - Rijksmuseum Boerhaave
Very neat fair trade shop in Leiden with other locations in The Netherlands- Wereldwinkel