Hi. We are traveling to the Netherlands at the end of June and I have a booked a cute 2 bedroom apartment for our family of 4 (2 teenage boys) in Delft for 7 nights. But now I have found the Residence Inn by the airport has a place within our budget and needs (prefer a kitchen to keep food expenses down). The Residence Inn isn’t as quaint or walkable as the place in Delft, but I’m wondering if it would be a more convenient location to get around to the places and areas we’d like to visit, which include Amsterdam, Leiden, Delft and maybe the beach one of the days. I’m not sure if we would go to Amsterdam more than one day trip if we stayed in Delft. We don’t really do museums and like to just wander around, probably do a canal tour, see some windmills, maybe a few other tourist sites. Any advice on which would be the better option?
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
8519 posts
Have you worked with Google maps? It looks to me like Delft is more central to Leiden and only and hour to Amsterdam via public transportation. We really enjoyed our time in Delft. I'd stay in Delft over staying by the airport, but I'm not responsible for your budget. Delft is very close to The Hague which is another great place to visit.
Posted by
OP
20 posts
Yes, I saw that Delft is about an hour train ride from Amsterdam. Not bad but wasn’t sure if we would want to be closer to Amsterdam or other places north.
Sounds like I’ll keep our Delft apartment since some of the other places we’re interested in aren’t too far, especially Leiden. I’ll add The Hague to our list. Going to Amsterdam will just be a little bit of a longer day trip.
Thanks!
Posted by
32 posts
We just got back and LOVED staying in Delft. It's a bit of a longer ride to Amsterdam, (which is amazing as well) but it was easy to get to Gouda, Utrecht and a bunch of other smaller towns from Delft. The train station there is close to the old town and very nice and modern with great connections.
Posted by
San Diego, California
7142 posts
Delft would be a great town to let your boys wander on their own. Enjoy!
Posted by
1910 posts
Definitely Delft. The airport hotel could be like any airport in the world. Why not feel like you're in The Netherlands? We have an upcoming stopover flight in Amsterdam, and we're staying in Leiden for the night.
In 2024 we stayed in Delft for two nights as part of a Rick Steves tour. We happened to arrive on King's Day, so what a fun way to experience the city. it's quite small; and on one free afternoon we took the train to Rotterdam to visit the windmills at Kinderdijk. Others went to The Hague.
On our RS tour we visited De Candelaer (est 1975) one of two remaining authentic Delftware factories. (There were 3 until covid) It's a small family run business. From start to finish...making the clay and pottery to entirely painted by hand. Any other places, we learned, are not really Delftware because it's manufactured elsewhere and then they paint a little something on it at the end and call it Delftware; so beware. Support local and authentic. Expensive pieces to charming inexpensive Christmas ornaments.
Posted by
Wisconsin, USA
196 posts
From Delft, there should be good biking possibilities, maybe with a tour, maybe on your own.
For something very different, there's a museum near the Maeslant Barrier - the tours are only on weekends which doesn't fit into our schedule, but I've looked at the website a few times.
https://www.keringhuis.nl/home
Posted by
dallas
14 posts
I spent several nights in Delft and would highly recommend it over an airport hotel. My hotel was on a canal and there's something magical about having your breakfast seeing the boats in the water and watching Dutch bike riders right from your table. Also, I love stepping right onto cobblestone streets nearby a windmill or just 5 minutes to the center with it's great catherdral. Staying right in these old towns is half of what I want to experience on my holiday. That being said, Deft is quite small. I took a day trip to Leiden where I spent a full day and loved it. It is also a place to consider staying as it's a bit closer to Amsterdam and you could take day trips to Delft, Haarlem, or Ams. But either way, I think being in these small towns might be a more memorable experience.
Posted by
Washington
1192 posts
100% Delft! Piling on in a good way, you also have the weekly markets right there. I spent one night in Delft and a full day but wish I'd had more time! On a future trip, perhaps.
Posted by
OP
20 posts
@Steven We love staying in the smaller towns and the place I booked overlooks a canal too. It sounds like I won't want to leave Delft!
Posted by
New England
12157 posts
You are taking an international flight from the USA to Europe. Do not even consider staying in an airport hotel once you arrive there! Stay in Delft!!
Posted by
W. Washington
103 posts
Definitely Delft. Have you looked at the satellite imagery of where the Residence Inn actually is? Besides the plane going right over the building, it doesn't look too convenient for walking anywhere.
Posted by
OP
20 posts
@Wanderbug, Yes, I have looked extensively at Google maps satelitte view and mapped walking distance to food, grocery and train and bus stations. I know it's not near much and would involve hopping on a bus or train to go anywhere, but wasn't sure if it would have been more convenient to be more North than Delft for the other areas to visit. But we are staying with our Delft booking and are looking forward to being so close to charming areas.