The Hague, Delft and Rotterdam: Private Day Tour with Lunch

Overview

Discover three completely different sides of the Netherlands on this full-day private tour: The Hague, Delft, and Rotterdam, with transfers included. In The Hague, your guide walks you past the Binnenhof, Noordeinde Palace, and the elegant streets of the political heart of the Netherlands. In Delft, you step into the Dutch Golden Age: canals, churches, and stories of Vermeer, William of Orange, and Antony van Leeuwenhoek. Halfway, you sit down for lunch in one of Delft's historic buildings. In Rotterdam, you explore a city bombed flat in 1940 and rebuilt as a showcase of bold architecture, including a visit inside one of the iconic Cube Houses. Transfers between the cities, a sit-down lunch in Delft, and Cube House entry are all included. You can do the tour in either direction. Pickup and drop-off from other locations, including Amsterdam, can also be arranged. You set the pace, and if you have any special requests or an interest in a certain topic, just let us know.

Itinerary

1. Mauritshuis

   I will meet you here, introduce myself and tell you something about the Mauritshuis and its history. Among others, this museum has the most famous paintings of Johannes Vermeer inside, both made in Delft of course!

   · 10 min

2. Binnenhof & Ridderzaal

   We will briefly walk onto the square within the parliament complex. Here I will tell you about the significance and history of this place.

   · 10 min

3. Het Plein

   We will walk through Het Plein ("The Square") and take a moment to look around and talk about the statue that we see, Willem van Oranje: the father of the fatherland. Our current king is a direct descendant of him. We will see him again today!

   · 10 min

4. Hofvijver

   The Hofvijver pond is situated in front of the parliament building and the prime minister's office (the little tower!). You will learn about the significance of this place and some funny histoy.

   · 10 min

5. Thorbecke Monument

   The statue of Thorbecke next to the Hofvijver is quite interesting. This statue has to do with our constitution! You will hear more about it.

   · 5 min

6. Lange Voorhout

   This is the Champs-Élysées of The Hague. Quite a nice street! We will walk a bit and pass multiple embassies, an art museum, the temporary senate building, a statue gallery of the Dutch heads of states and some more interesting (royal) buildings.

   · 20 min

7. Grote Kerk

   We will see the Grote Kerk ("Big Church") of The Hague. What is that stork doing on top of it? Let's see!

   · 15 min

8. Statue of Johan de Witt

   Another statue! This is the only head of government of the Netherlands that has been eaten by an angry Dutch mob! That sounds a bit weird, but you'll find out what happened.

   · 10 min

9. Oostpoort

   We arrive here by car and we enter the city through its only gate still standing: the Oostpoort ("East Gate"). After a 5 minute walk, we will arrive at our lunch place. on the Beestenmarkt square

   · 30 min

10. Beestenmarkt

    We have arrived at the Beestenmarkt ("Animal Market"). This is the coziest square of the city and the ideal place for us to have a lunch and a drink! There is enough to choose from. In the past, this square had quite a different function though.

    · 1 h

11. Maria van Jessekerk

    Next up, we are passing by the first catholic church that was built in the center of Delft. There is something funny about the two towers... Also, it is standing on the spot where Johannes Vermeer used to live and make his paintings.

    · 10 min

12. Nouvelle Église de Delft

    Now that we are on the Markt ("market") square, we see the second-highest church in the Netherlands: our royal family is buried here. Why in Delft? You'll learn.

    · 10 min

13. On the same square, we can see the old town hall of Delft. It is (partly) one of the oldest historical buildings of the city, dating to the 13th century. Next to being a town hall, the building has also served as a prison for many centuries, with one particularly famous prisoner!

    · 10 min

14. We are now in the old beer brewing quarter of Delft. Where did all the brewers go though? We will also see the Old Church, perhaps the most recognizable building of the city. How old is it exactly and why is it so skewed? Who knows!? Well, I happen to know!

    · 25 min

15. We will have a little peak into the inner court of the former residence of Willem van Oranje, the same place where he was shot! There is another statue of him there, but this one is life-sized. Let's see if you are taller than him!

    · 10 min

16. Close to the Oude Kerk, we will see a heavily decorated facade, that of the Gemeenlandshuis. What is this building and why was it so important? Also, we will "visit" the smallest museum of Delft!

    · 10 min

17. We will walk along the oldest canal of Delft, away from the Oude Kerk. In the south of the city center, we will pass by a large former weapons Armory and the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company (Delft Chamber)! Let's find out more about Delft's role in the golden days of the Dutch Republic. Also around here, we can take a look at the exact spot where Vermeer was standing when he made his famous painting 'View of Delft'.

    · 30 min

18. We will continue our walk back north past a parallel canal. On our way, we will pass by some more interesting places. We end up next to Station Delft, where a private car will take us to Rotterdam.

    · 20 min

19. We arrive on the Coolsingel by car, in the heart of Rotterdam, near the town hall. We will see the outside (and possibly the inside) of the town hall or Rotterdam! After this, we will make our way towards Rotterdam Blaak and then the Old Harbor.

    · 30 min

20. Just next to the modern Market Hall stands a 14th century church. Its tower miraculously survived the bombing of Rotterdam. Today, it is mostly used as an event location. Let's find out more about the church and about Erasmus!

    · 10 min

21. Now we will enter the impressive Markthal ("Market hall"). The two sides of the building contain many apartments and inside you can enjoy different foods from around the world. And don't forget to look up and look at one of the biggest pieces of art on the planet!

    · 15 min

22. We are going to visit one of the funny looking Cubic Houses, a product of the 70's, completed in the early 80's: typical for Rotterdam. Yes, people actually live there! Let's find out how practical that is.

    · 25 min· Admission included

23. Het Witte Huis ("The White House") was the first skyscraper in Europe! It is also one of the few buildings here to survive the bombing of the center of Rotterdam.

    · 10 min

24. We are now in the Oude Haven ("Old Harbor"). This is now a lively recreational area with quite a view, where we can see some old ships that are anchored here. This is where we will end the tour, allowing you to settle down on one of the many terraces/bars in this area, or continue your way to the city center. You could even go to the south bank of the river Maas from here, within 10 minutes. Whatever it is you want to do after the tour, feel free to ask for some recommendations!

    · 5 min

Pickup

Pickup or meet at the departure point.

If you book an option that includes a pick-up and drop-off, you will be picked up from the location you select, up to 1 hour before the tour starts. You are dropped off again afterwards. We will contact you beforehand to coordinate this. If you book an option that does not include a pick-up and a drop-off, you will meet your guide at the meeting point.

How to use your ticket

Meeting and end point

What to know before you go

• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Specialized infant seats are available
• Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

Travelers

Cancellation policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

• From 1 days before : 100% refunded
• From 0 days before : 0% refunded

Reviews

Product code: 399542P5

Activity offered by Discover Delft via Viator.