The Windmills of Holland

Moving on to our next step of this trip after visiting Rotterdam the day before, it’s the time for a much more relaxing walk around the streets of the little village of Delft and around the world famous UNESCO World Heritage Site listed windmills of Kinderdijk. Definitely very much worthy stops on this trip as we head towards The Hague, our final destination. A perfect weekend you and anyone can plan on the same way as we did and you will be greatly satisfied; but perhaps the main highlight after all to my memory, the windmills. Now gladly to repeat as of the most recent trip in 2019 as part of a weekend in Eindhoven and Antwerp.

These are what we have in our minds when talking about Holland. Canals and windmills, and plains of grass and fields of tulips. Here you have that picture, but this time for real. Built in 1740 as part of the canal system for agriculture, there are lots of them, as many as 19, perfectly restored along a beautiful path and the canals surrounding it all. Overall, one of the key tourist destinations in the country.

As of Delft, it also hosts many canals and a very rich and historic old town. Located only half way between Rotterdam and The Hague, it is therefore very good and easily accessible to each of them by public transport in just a short time. Certainly it is the case you do not need to rent a car for instance.

Not much more to be said about these places on this brief introduction nor much can be said about what to see in them. Being so small you will get to enjoy every street and will come to all historical buildings in no time. But of course in any case, there are certain buildings and sights you cannot miss, described in the next section.

For more information about Delft, visit Wikipedia and Wikitravel sites; for Kinderdijk, those are the Wikipedia and Wikitravel links. The Netherlands currency is the Euro (EUR). Please note that any price reference is true as from when this guide was created, therefore check prices in advance as with the time they change.

What to see and do in Delft

• Old Church (Oude Kerk) Built in 1246 right by one of the canal is then oldest church in the city. When built the tower started to lean to the canal side, so for completion, it had to be finished with a curve for compensation. A ticket for 3 Euros will grant you access to both the Old and New Churches.
• New Church (Nieuwe Kerk) Built in 1496, Prince William of Orange is buried here. You can get to the top of the tower for the best views of the city and beyond, including Rotterdam, the Hague and even Amsterdam on a clear day.
• De Prinsenhof Is was here where Prince of Orange was killed. Now hosting few museums.
• Molen de Roos Is one of the oldest windmills in the city.
• Town Hall (Stadhuis) From 1620 is one of the finest historic buildings in the city. The City Hall square is fully surrounded by medieval building.
• Eastern Gate (Oostpoort) It’s the only remaining city gate dating back to 1400.

What to see and do in Kinderdijk

• The Windmills An UNESCO World Heritage Site. Literally a suburb of Rotterdam, you can even reach here by boat but you will need to change from one route to another. By bus from Rotterdam station will take around 30 minutes.

Transports

There is absolutely no need for talking any public transportation once you are in Delft. The size of it does not even make sense for you as a tourist to take even a bus, furthermore, most if the historical city centre is pedestrianised. In Kinderdijk, there is no other option than to walk beside the canal and admire the windmills.

The only transportation you will need is any of the buses or trams from Rotterdam or The Hague to reach these places, or in a much more convenient and fastest way, getting a rental car. This will save you loads of time permitting you to visit the three places of Kinderdijk, Delft and The Hague perfectly in the same day.

Accommodation

Kinderdijk is an UNESCO site with opening and closing times, therefore you cannot stay here overnight. But being just some 10km from Rotterdam, while Delft around 15km from the centre of Rotterdam, it makes sense you make that your base. Being the second city in the country, there is a good choice for all tastes and pockets. Getting a good deal is not hard in this city, and of course the best you can do is to get somewhere near the centre so you avoid the need of taking public transportation to/from the hotel, meaning you are also able to walk almost everywhere.

Unfortunately I cannot recommend the hotel we stayed over as I lost the reservation email to retrieve these details. Or should you consider make a base in Eindhoven as we did in the most recent there, then check the travel guide to retrieve the review at the hotel we stayed. Nevertheless, a good and reasonable point to start your search is by checking some of our preferred affiliate hotel search engine such as Hotels.com, Booking.com, Expedia, Otel.com, Agoda, Opodo or Ebookers.

Photo Galleries

Album of Delft

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Album of Kinderdijk

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