Day trips from Delft instead of staying in Amsterdam?

We did Amsterdam a year ago along with Keukenhof Gardens. We saw that prices were high in Amsterdam as well so we stayed in Leiden and LOVED it. Leiden was the perfect size for us, was an easy train ride from our days touring the Riksmuseum, Corrie Ten Boom’s house and sites in Amsterdam…..we also trained from Leiden to Delft to do a day there touring the factory and market square. Our hotel in Leiden was in a lovely neighborhood overlooking a tree-lined canal…..a great place to come home to every day. If you want more info let me know! We also added a trip to Brugge, Belgium……a MUST…….a delightful place to visit.

Delft is 1 hour away from Amsterdam. Haarlem is a lot closer at 15 minutes and more frequent direct trains.

We stayed in Leiden last year before cruise. Loved it so much! We like Haarlem as well.

Have you thought about pre-booking timed tickets for the popular museums in Amsterdam? 1st thing in the morning hours is best! Amsterdam was shown on CBS Sunday Morning as so crowded that the Tourist guides are suggesting visiting sites outside of Town. Maybe Amsterdam won't be so crowded in October. Taking photos at night with lights reflecting in the canal is a cool effect. I actually stayed in a Houseboat BnB, but that was back in the day! Bon Voyage!

Thank you all SO much! This is extremely helpful. Jane, I wonder if you would mind sharing the name of the Leiden hotel you liked so much. I saw that CBS Morning news report and that actually prompted my question. These replies make me feel much better about staying over at the end of the cruise. I do intend to purchase museum tickets in advance. Again, I am very grateful

I agree with the others about Leiden. It's such a charming city and would definitely be closer to Amsterdam than Delft. I liked Leiden a lot better than Haarlem. Of course, that's my personal preference, but I did find it to be less congested. It's much more of a residential city, with lots of trees and walkable canals and just lovely places to visit. It's a real gem.

Here is a trip report from Jane (not Jane above, but "jane" from Oklahoma) and her husband, who spent four days there a year or so ago, that you might find informative: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/one-more-mini-trip-report-four-days-in-leiden-and-one-night-at-a-schiphol-hotel

mkbond……the place we stayed in Leiden was the Steenhof Suites……and the Jane that is mentioned in another poster’s remarks is not me….just another Jane…..I am Jane from Franklin and she is Jane from Oklahoma…just cannot say enough about Steenhof and how nice it was to stay there…..let me add that anyone traveling to the Netherlands need to reminded that the staircases there are very steep and narrow in most places….when we arrived at the Steenhof Suites we saw that our room was on the second floor and we wondered how in the world we would get our luggage up to our room…but Steenhof had someone to carry it for us…thank goodness! Also as we toured the Anne Frank house and the Corrie Ten Boom house the staircases were very narrow and steep….just be aware if this might be a problem! Our room in Leiden at Steenhof was the Van Der Werf Suites, Suite No. 10…….loved it….great breakfast there as well.

I stayed in Amsterdam for 5 nights in October 2024 and I was not bothered by crowds. I was able to walk to the museums and everywhere I went. Yes, it is a big city with lots of people especially on bicycles at rush hour but most of them were not tourists in October. I also stayed in Leiden for 3 nights as a base for day trips to places like Delft and Den Hague, and to enjoy Leiden. I stayed in the Ibis across from the train station in Leiden. It was a very convenient location, a good price, pleasant staff but small basic room with no charm.

I just stayed in Steenhof Suites! Just hopped the bus from the train station to save the legs. Enjoy.

I have lived 9 years in Delft (before moving to Switzerland). Delft is a nice place, but Leiden is a more convenient location if you want to do Amsterdam, Den Haag etc... Remember that the Netherlands has a nationwide mass transit system that would make about any US metropolitan area jealous. So you can easily get everywhere.

From Delft we would even go out in Amsterdam, as trains on the Amsterdam - Leiden - Den Haag - Delft - Rotterdam route run 24/7, and already did that in the 90ies...

We just came back from the NL. Based on a suggestion in the RS Amsterdam book, we used Delft as our home base for a 5 day stay. We spent those 5 days congratulating ourselves on that decision. We did a day trip in to the Rijksmusem, and another to Keukenhof. We’d planned to pop over to Rotterdam and The Hague as well, but enjoyed hanging out in Delft so much that we scrapped that plan. Delft has a wonderful vibe, and we were sorry to leave.
The Hotel Arsenal was our home base, another RS suggestion. This serene, well designed hotel near the train station was easily the best value for our money on our trip. Lovely rooms, helpful staff, and a floor to ceiling canal view window in a sitting area outside our room made a quiet hang out spot. The acrobatic rooftop cats across the way were an added entertainment value.
The only hotel that’s ever topped the lavish Arsenal breakfast buffet (included) is one at the 25H Terminus Nord in Paris - and that’s because the 25H has bubbly on ice for mimosas and free newspapers. But the HA has canal views and fresh peonies on the tables, so perhaps it evens out.

We checked in early at HA and not only were we happily accommodated, we were handed glasses of prosecco! (You don’t even want to know what the response was to an early check in at Ibis in Amsterdam. Which was, by the way, more expensive.)
One evening in Delft we had a pizza craving, and the receptionists sent us to the wonderful San Marco, just one street over. I wish we could have tried their pasta too, because the pizza was so good my husband is still talking about it.
We feel no need to return to Bruges, Gent or Amsterdam, but we’d happily go back to Delft.

Based upon the helpful information provided above my husband and I have decided to use Leiden as our home base. We plan to stay at the Steenhof recommended by many on this forum and go into Amsterdam at least two days. I have a variety of additional questions and would appreciate any information you can provide.

Any suggestions on best suite at the Steenhof in terms of convenience and views? Are "ground floor" rooms actually at street level or one story above?
Is it difficult to get from the Viking dock to the central train station?
Will we be rushed attempting to see the Ann Frank house, Van Goh , Rijksmuseum AND take a canal tour over two days?
As I read it the cheese market will not be operating in the fall. Any suggestions for a good place to learn about cheesemaking while we are there.

Sorry for so many questions but thought this might be better than submitting individually.

i am most grateful to those of you who replied earlier and thank you in advance for any information you can provide on the above questions.

We were in the Van Der Werf Suite at the Steenhof and loved it……HUGE room and nice new bath….even a nice long comfy sofa to relax on every afternoon…..we would open the windows when we got home and enjoy the street sounds….there were streets nearby with bakeries, etc to enjoy. The walk from the room to the train station to Amsterdam was a nice walk by the windmill, beside the canals and we loved it. We took a canal tour in Leiden and it was delightful. Our room was on the second floor up a winding staircase….SO glad they had a young man to pull our luggage into our room when we got there…..the staircase was not a problem during the stay…..you just need to carefully watch it as you use it going and coming from your room. Breakfast is made just for you downstairs in a really nice dining room. The Rijksmuseum was unreal……loved it. Anne Franks was so crowded and walking through those tiny rooms with a lot of people and a line snaking through was not easy though to does give you an idea of their life there. I always research and make certain we pass interesting shops on our walks to our museums, etc…..make sure you visit Van Stapele cookies in Amsterdam as you go to the Rijksmuseum……they are DELICIOUS…..and stop at the stroopwaffle stores and get a wafer dipped in chocolate! Leiden is wonderful.

Thank you! That is the one we are looking at. Will book today!

I'm a bit of a contrarian, I guess, in that I think if you want to visit Amsterdam, then staying in Amsterdam is well worth the extra money to be in the core canal area. We've stayed in Amsterdam, Leiden (at the Steenhof - great hotel) and Delft, and liked staying in each of those cities for different reasons.

Amsterdam - from early AM and deep into the evening - is full of things to see and do, and hitting all the things on our list - museums, parks, restaurants, etc., was made so much easier than it would have been if each time, we had to transit in and then out to visit our hotel. Staying in the city has been the right choice - for us - each time we've stayed there, especially for the stuff we were doing in town.

Leiden (in July) and Delft (in May) were also great home bases - but not for us to visit Amsterdam. Amsterdam was our home base for places like Haarlem, Zaanse Schans, Edam/Volendam, and other areas NE of the city (all by bike, so close to home). Leiden was a lovely small city in itself, and was a nice base to branch out a bit more in that area and out west towards the coast. Delft was also a lovely small city which gave us a chance to bounce out to Rotterdam and The Hague as well.

For sure, you will love Leiden. It's on our "visit again" list, and the hotel was quite nice with a great breakfast as well. But knowing how we travel, being close to the heart of Amsterdam worked best for our specific interests for being there - mainly the museums, restaurants, and big city "action". Worth the $$$ being able to experience that walking right out the door of the hotel and to retreat from it back into the hotel in moments as well.