Private Walking Tour of Delft: Dive into the Dutch Golden Age

Your guide will welcome you on Delft’s historic Market Square, one of the oldest market squares in the Netherlands, beside the statue of Hugo Grotius. This is both the starting and ending point of the tour. The New Church is the burial place of the Dutch royal family and of Grotius himself, and its tower is the second tallest church tower in the country. During the tour, your guide will place this iconic landmark in its historical and cultural context.

The historic Town Hall of Delft is one of the city’s most significant civic buildings. Your guide will pass by it when leaving the Market Square on the way to the Old Church. Behind its elegant Renaissance façade lies a turbulent history of fires, justice, and city governance, including its role as a former prison.

After leaving the Market Square, your guide will pass the former Butter House, the old Weigh House, and the historic home of Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, before entering Delft’s former beer-brewing quarter. Here stands the Old Church, famous for its strikingly leaning tower. Inside lies the grave of Johannes Vermeer. Your guide will explain why its tower began to lean almost as soon as construction started.

Opposite the Old Church stands the Prinsenhof, a former monastery that later became a residence for William of Orange, known as the Father of the Fatherland. This site played a decisive role in Dutch history, as William of Orange was assassinated here in 1584. Your guide will explain how this event shaped the future of the Netherlands and why Delft became so closely linked to the House of Orange.

While walking along the Oude Delft canal, your guide will point out the oldest surviving house in the city. Since 1645, this richly decorated building has housed the local Water Board. Your guide will explain what a water board is, why it was vital to the survival and prosperity of Delft, and why water management has always been a matter of life and death in the Netherlands.

Continuing south along the Oude Delft canal, your guide will pass some of the city’s most impressive historic residences. In the south of the city, you'll find two powerful reminders of Delft’s Golden Age: the former state weapons armory and the main building of the Delft chamber of the Dutch East India Company. Your guide will explain Delft’s role in the military, maritime, and commercial expansion of the Dutch Republic. Nearby, you will also see the exact location where Johannes Vermeer stood when he painted his famous View of Delft.

Walking north along Delft’s second-oldest canal, once the city’s grain market, your guide will pass the former synagogue of Delft. This building reflects the long presence of a Jewish community in the city.

The tour concludes at the Beestenmarkt, a former animal market located just behind the Market Square where the walk began. Today, this lively and picturesque square is one of Delft’s most popular gathering places, lined with cafés and restaurants. If you want, your guide will be happy to share local tips on where to enjoy a good beer, casual snacks, or a relaxed dinner, so you can make the most of the rest of your stay in Delft.