Many students both foreign and native will be ‘stuck’ in Delft this summer for their studies and internships.
But don’t fret: this is a great opportunity to get to know the city and do some of the fun things you never had time for during the busy academic year. A 3-year veteran of summers in Delft offers a handy survival guide for having a good time in and around Delft this summer.
As the wave of exams retreats and you are left stranded on the sun-scorched banks of Delft’s canals, take a look around, what do you see? No familiar faces, no students on broken-down bicycles, no freezing rain falling from the gray sky. Instead, the Dutch sky is blue and you aren’t dreaming! The city is dressed in green, the water lilies color the canal water white and the streets are chock-a-block with tourists cruising from the New Church to the Porcelain Factory and back again.
An alert Delft summer survivor will notice that being thrown ashore in Delft for the summer isn’t necessary a bad thing: the local summer has its charm and lots to offer. As a veteran who has survived three summer combat tours here and is bracing for his fourth, the following information just might save your summer here!
First of all, there are the museums. The Netherlands has the world’s highest museum density per square meter and Delft certainly has its share. For rainy days (and there will be rainy days) and heat waves, the museums’ solid and chilly walls provide welcome relief.
The most ancient walls belong to the Princenhof, which was used by William I (a.k.a. William the Silent) as his residence during the 80-Year War. He was also murdered there. Next door to the Princenhof is the Nusantara Museum, stuffed with exotica from the Dutch East-Indies. The museum is filled with plundered colonial heritage, effectively avoiding direct confrontation with the brutalities of colonial rule. The brutalities are however extensively displayed in the Army Museum (Korte Geer 1), which this summer hosts an exhibition devoted to 1,000 years of gunpowder.
A more peaceful treat is the Lambert van Meerten museum, where time has stood still for more than a century. And if you miss the TU, the Technology Museum (Ezelveldslaan 61) will happily refresh your knowledge with an exhibition on nano-science.
But really, who will miss the TU when the sun is shining and sandy beaches calling? The splendidly cold North Sea is just 45 minutes away by tram/bus. And one shouldn’t forget the delightful pond in Delftse Hout, where there’s even a nude beach! A bit further away towards Nootdorp lies the less-crowded Dobbeplas, and just north of the city is the Plas Wilhelminapark.
Beach football
When visiting Rotterdam this summer, don’t miss the city-beach, a stretch of sand and boardwalk lined with beach cafes along the bank of the river Maas. This and other parks along Rotterdam’s waterways are great places for having romantic picnics on warm summer nights.
The main summer attraction here is of course the Dutch countryside, which is available at the budget price of a 15-minute bicycle ride from Delft. Here you’ll find an unlimited supply of windmills, cows, goats, small cafes, and even smelly compost heaps (providing a refreshing, authentic countryside smell after a year of inhaling the DSM factory’s stinking yeast clouds).
A free Midden-Delfland cycling map is available from the Tourist Information Point (Hippolytusbuurt 4). Some fine bicycling destinations include ‘Cafe Vlietzicht’ on the Vlaardingervaart canal, teahouse ‘Het Rieten Dak’ on the Tweemolentjesvaart near Delftse Hout, and the pastoral village ‘t Woudt, its 60 inhabitants making it one of the Netherlands’ smallest villages and a place where you can enjoy a coffee in a converted hay storage barn.
A Delft summer survival guide wouldn’t be complete without exploring Delft’s wilder side . its nature. Scattered around the city are isolated spots of wilderness – wild for Dutch standards, but still, some are true green pearls. Next to Delftse Hout is the Arboretum-heempark, which, according to Delft’s official website, “provides wonderful inspiration for improving your own garden”. Delft Botanical Garden’s surprisingly diverse and unique collection of rare plants gives the garden the scientific aura it rightfully deserves. During the summer months, the Botanical Garden also hosts weekly concerts.
Outside the city to the southeast is the Ackerdijkse Plassen reserve, consisting of 135 marshy hectares where some 115 bird species nest throughout the year. The reservation isn’t open to the public, but guided tours are available by appointment, and you can also spend the day bird watching from a watchtower located next to the reserve.
Throughout the summer, Delft will host various small and large festivals, events and concerts, ranging from a Chamber Music Festival to a Beach Football Tournament. Don’t hesitate to play the tourist and drop by Delft’s Tourist Information Point, where you’ll find all the information you need to discover that being ‘stuck’ in Delft for the summer ain’t so bad after all.
www.recreatiegebied-midden-delfland.nl
As the wave of exams retreats and you are left stranded on the sun-scorched banks of Delft’s canals, take a look around, what do you see? No familiar faces, no students on broken-down bicycles, no freezing rain falling from the gray sky. Instead, the Dutch sky is blue and you aren’t dreaming! The city is dressed in green, the water lilies color the canal water white and the streets are chock-a-block with tourists cruising from the New Church to the Porcelain Factory and back again.
An alert Delft summer survivor will notice that being thrown ashore in Delft for the summer isn’t necessary a bad thing: the local summer has its charm and lots to offer. As a veteran who has survived three summer combat tours here and is bracing for his fourth, the following information just might save your summer here!
First of all, there are the museums. The Netherlands has the world’s highest museum density per square meter and Delft certainly has its share. For rainy days (and there will be rainy days) and heat waves, the museums’ solid and chilly walls provide welcome relief.
The most ancient walls belong to the Princenhof, which was used by William I (a.k.a. William the Silent) as his residence during the 80-Year War. He was also murdered there. Next door to the Princenhof is the Nusantara Museum, stuffed with exotica from the Dutch East-Indies. The museum is filled with plundered colonial heritage, effectively avoiding direct confrontation with the brutalities of colonial rule. The brutalities are however extensively displayed in the Army Museum (Korte Geer 1), which this summer hosts an exhibition devoted to 1,000 years of gunpowder.
A more peaceful treat is the Lambert van Meerten museum, where time has stood still for more than a century. And if you miss the TU, the Technology Museum (Ezelveldslaan 61) will happily refresh your knowledge with an exhibition on nano-science.
But really, who will miss the TU when the sun is shining and sandy beaches calling? The splendidly cold North Sea is just 45 minutes away by tram/bus. And one shouldn’t forget the delightful pond in Delftse Hout, where there’s even a nude beach! A bit further away towards Nootdorp lies the less-crowded Dobbeplas, and just north of the city is the Plas Wilhelminapark.
Beach football
When visiting Rotterdam this summer, don’t miss the city-beach, a stretch of sand and boardwalk lined with beach cafes along the bank of the river Maas. This and other parks along Rotterdam’s waterways are great places for having romantic picnics on warm summer nights.
The main summer attraction here is of course the Dutch countryside, which is available at the budget price of a 15-minute bicycle ride from Delft. Here you’ll find an unlimited supply of windmills, cows, goats, small cafes, and even smelly compost heaps (providing a refreshing, authentic countryside smell after a year of inhaling the DSM factory’s stinking yeast clouds).
A free Midden-Delfland cycling map is available from the Tourist Information Point (Hippolytusbuurt 4). Some fine bicycling destinations include ‘Cafe Vlietzicht’ on the Vlaardingervaart canal, teahouse ‘Het Rieten Dak’ on the Tweemolentjesvaart near Delftse Hout, and the pastoral village ‘t Woudt, its 60 inhabitants making it one of the Netherlands’ smallest villages and a place where you can enjoy a coffee in a converted hay storage barn.
A Delft summer survival guide wouldn’t be complete without exploring Delft’s wilder side . its nature. Scattered around the city are isolated spots of wilderness – wild for Dutch standards, but still, some are true green pearls. Next to Delftse Hout is the Arboretum-heempark, which, according to Delft’s official website, “provides wonderful inspiration for improving your own garden”. Delft Botanical Garden’s surprisingly diverse and unique collection of rare plants gives the garden the scientific aura it rightfully deserves. During the summer months, the Botanical Garden also hosts weekly concerts.
Outside the city to the southeast is the Ackerdijkse Plassen reserve, consisting of 135 marshy hectares where some 115 bird species nest throughout the year. The reservation isn’t open to the public, but guided tours are available by appointment, and you can also spend the day bird watching from a watchtower located next to the reserve.
Throughout the summer, Delft will host various small and large festivals, events and concerts, ranging from a Chamber Music Festival to a Beach Football Tournament. Don’t hesitate to play the tourist and drop by Delft’s Tourist Information Point, where you’ll find all the information you need to discover that being ‘stuck’ in Delft for the summer ain’t so bad after all.
www.recreatiegebied-midden-delfland.nl
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