Delft and The Hague
Cities like Delft and Haarlem are as beautiful and as old as Amsterdam is, but a lot smaller and more relaxed to visit. Delft is near The Hague and Rotterdam so easy to combine. In this tour we visit Delft and The Hague, where we will see the famous painting by Vermeer, but just let me know if you would like to visit something else.
Visit Delft
Delft is one of the oldest cities in Holland and it is famous for its Blue pottery. We will visit the traditional factory where you can see how the pottery is made and still painted by hand. Of course we will make a walk through the oldest parts of the city. I will show you the Old church with the grave of Johannes Vermeer, and the New Church. In 1584, William the Silent was entombed in in a mausoleum in The New Church. Since then members of Royal family have been entombed in the royal crypt. The latest are Queen Juliana and her husband Prince Bernhard in 2004.
At the beautiful marketsquare we will have some time for lunch. Afterwards we drive to The Hague.
The girl with the pearl
The Hague is the political capital of the Netherlands with its many embassies. Among the highlights are a visit to the governmental centre of the Netherlands and The Mauritshouse museum, one of my favorite museums in this country. Here you can see some beautiful famous paintings by Vermeer (view on Delft), Rembrandt (Anatomic lesson), Jan Steen, Paulus Potter (the bull) and Rubens. Highlight of the collection is the girl with the pearl earring by Johannes Vermeer. At the end of the excursion we will drive back to your hotel in Amsterdam.
Madurodam or Rotterdam
If you are very interested in blue pottery, we could visit the Blue Pottery museum as well, or you can even join a workshop. If you have children travelling with you, maybe you would be more interested in Madurodam, a park in The Hague that resembles Holland in miniature size. Buildings, markets, canals, windmills, Schiphol Airport, the Port of Rotterdam, Dam Square, the Delta works and much more is perfectly replicated to the smallest detail. Queen Beatrix was the first mayor in Madurodam.