Car rental vs train? Amsterdam to Delft and The Hague

“ We want to see the dikes in Delft--which I'm thinking would not be easy to get to without a car. ”

I’m sorry but I don’t understand what you mean. There are no dikes in Delft. Or in The Hague. What is it that you want to see?

I was waiting for someone actually from the Netherlands to answer, as I too was mystified by "the dikes of Delft".

I'd plan on using the train to see these towns from Amsterdam.

I’m usually pretty good at figuring out what people mean, for instance when they totally misspell a difficult Dutch name, but this one has left me puzzled and very much intrigued!

I've lived in Delft for 9 years, and do not remember the dikes (yes there are dikes, as there are everywhere) to be a special tourist attraction.
Just take the train. Between Delft and Den Haag you can also take the tram if you want something different. But all public transit is very frequent. Trains in the Randstad are more frequent than on most US subways...

Thank you all for your responses—and sorry for the confusion!
I was basing my question off of watching the Rick Steves episode on The Netherlands…and I thought showed us some really interesting dikes somewhere around Delft. The dikes looked like giant sails in the water that opened and shut depending on need. I’m not an engineer but I am interested in seeing just how the creative Dutch have been able to keep the ocean at bay!
We are definitely going to use the public transportation instead of renting a car…and maybe we can figure out where it is he was referring to in the show. And THEN figure out how to get there.
Again, thank you! and if, based on this explanation you have any ideas, please share them.

I’ve watched that video the OP is referring to and I’m wondering if it might not be the Maeslant Storm Surge Barrier that they are interested in seeing? It was featured in the Netherlands: Beyond Amsterdam episode. Or possibly a windmill (sails?) that was also featured.

There's a tour for that!

Rotterdam Architecture and Maeslant Storm Surge Barrier:

https://www.thedutchtraveladvisor.com/project/rotterdam-architecture-and-maeslant-storm-surge-barrier/

From what you describe it indeed seems to be the Maeslant Storm Surge barrier. However that isn’t a dike and it isn’t in Delft. A storm surge barrier is something completely different and technology-wise much more complicated than a simple dike. See here for the technical facts about the Maeslant barrier;

https://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/en/about-us/gems-of-rijkswaterstaat/maeslant-barrier#:~:text=The%20Maeslant%20Barrier%20is%20a,the%20province%20of%20Zuid%2DHolland.

Also, the Maeslant barrier isn’t located in Delft nor The Hague, but all the way out in the harbor area of Rotterdam. Due to its remote location, public transport doesn’t go there. The nearest public transport stop is 4 km’s away from the Maeslant barrier. So it’s difficult to reach unless you have a car, but a car is a nuisance if you also wish to see Delft and The Hague. Another option would be to take a taxi or you can take a tour.

I guess you need to decide what it is you wish to see; the cities of The Hague and Delft or the Maeslant barrier. Combining all three together isn’t easy and will take a lot of time.

At the site of the Maeslant Barrier is a visitor centre and much worth are the guided tours. However the English tours have limited time slots and maybe not at a convienient time for you. If needed contact the centre and hopefully they have a solution. https://www.maeslantkering.nl/english List of timeslots see "Book guided tour".

You will see dikes there too and there is a man made hill for a nice panoramic view of the barrier and surrounding area. As said before this barrier is part of the Delta Works, there is a thread about this (including the Eastern Scheldt Storm Surge Barrier) on the Dutch section of this forum a week ago.

I really want to visit this technology when we're there next spring , but we will be using public transportation. Thanks for all this great, practical info.
Any idea how much the taxi would be from the station? Thx again.

No idea but the visitor centre must be able to help you with this. For contact see e-Mail address at the page bottom of the link above.

When is this going to be? A nice way to do this may be to just rent bikes (eg. from Delft), and cycle there. Cycling is a nice way to discover the Dutch landscape.

Next April, thx Wengen . I have not yet adjusted to the idea of using bikes for functional transport. Thx, I need a mental realignment.

Thank you everyone! I think what was described by several of you (Maeslant Storm Surge Barrier) is what I want to see! I’ll start figuring out how to make it happen.
Love this community!

and you really truly do not want a car in Delft, the Hague or Amsterdam. Or Rotterdam.

I have to drive because of my wife and she has a disabled parking permit, but even with that it is difficult. Experience speaking. A normal driver? Don't forget the fleets of trams and squadrons of bicycles and broms. Really don't...