Take it all in—and stop off at Kek.  Kek is one of those restaurants in Delft that everyone loves.  It’s instagrammable, vegan-friendly, healthy, and delicious.  I’m low-key obsessed with their Salted Caramel Latte with real caramel pieces.  I’ve had a lot of different sandwiches/desserts  and the portions are always huge.

Be warned that it’s quite popular on the weekends (especially for lunch), so it’s best to walk by to put your name on the list if there’s a line.

Otherwise, there’s plenty of other good places to eat in Delft, including the ‘t Postkantoor with more traditional Dutch food (tostis, uitsmijters, pancakes, sandwiches).

After a feast, I recommend taking a walk to enjoy the beautiful city center to enjoy the surroundings and burn off that lunch.  (Don’t worry, you’re going to be climbing 350+ stairs!)  As soon as you follow the alleyways, you’ll end up in the middle of Markt, the epicenter of Delft.

On one side, you have the Delft city hall, a stunning building, and the other side, the New Church.  There’s tons of Delftware shops in the square and expect this part of Delft to be crowded in April/summer.

If you’re into old things, you will definitely want to peek into Drogisterij Salamander to see a functional vintage pharmacy.

The New Church, included in your combination ticket, is the reason that many people flock to Delft and it’s definitely one of the best things to do in Delft.  The infamous William of Orange lived in Delft until his murder.  At this point he was buried at the New Church, which is now the resting place for members of the Dutch royal family. More generally, people visit the New Church in Delft for the incredible view over the city.

The tower is 85 meters high with a narrow, winding staircase up the tower.  Once you’re horribly out of breath, you’ll reach the top for stunning views of the city as well as the nearby cities (if you’re lucky).  There are 376 steps each way, so climbing the New Church in Delft is definitely a work out and not for those with bad knees. Be sure to keep your ticket as you need to scan it to get out of the door.   ​

From here, head towards the Beestenmarkt.  This area was first used as a monastery, but with the rise of Protestantism, the monks chose to close the monastery.  Starting in the late 1500s, this area in Delft was used as an animal market up until 1972.  With more centralized markets and the city becoming more urbanized, the market ceased to exist although there’s a cow statue to mark the historical use of the square.  It’s a bit hard to imagine now, however it was revamped in the 1990s into a pleasant square with restaurants and shops. The Beestenmarkt is especially charming at night and you’ll find numerous bars here.

​On the square, I recommend Bij Marlies for Dutch fashion and lifestyle goods.  It’s just kind of a joy to browse and I am still stoked about the 70 euro skirt that I bought for 5 euros on clearance.  ​

Right off the Beestenmarkt, you’ll turn onto another canal and you’ll see one of my favorite places to eat in Delft, another vegan-friendly place, called Hummus.  This Algerian-street food inspired restaurant has really delicious vegetarian food, a good craft beer selection, and massive portions.  Don’t get over ambitious with ordering as you will not finish your food. It’s also incredibly reasonable for a meal out with a large platter enough for one very hungry person that costs under ten euros.

It’s not strictly vegan and for all of you worrying that vegan food isn’t going to be exciting/tasty, I write this as a meat-eater: My dinner at Hummus was one of my most memorable meals in the Netherlands. I’m very fond of Sabich after my time in Israel and they nailed it 100%.

If you’re looking for some other places to eat in Delft, you can head back towards the Beestenmarkt or Markt where you’ll have a ton of great food options to choose from, ranging from Dutch to Eritrean.  In the opposite direction, you can visit The Living for a vegetarian/vegan-friendly buffet.

Whether you’re solo or traveling together with a significant other, I just love walking around the historic part of Delft at night.  Regardless, end your night with a fresh mint tea or a beer.  A fresh mint tea is not what you think it is although I guarantee that it’s minty and non-alcoholic.

End your evening with a pint of beer at the oldest beer cafe in the Delft (supposedly).  De Klomp dates back to 1651 while the building itself is older than the cafe.  The atmosphere instead of the cafe is very Dutch and classic although they have a modern and good beer selection from local Dutch breweries.

Game lovers will love the selection of games sitting in the first room although be warned that most are in Dutch.  Even if you’re not a beer drinker, you can get a fresh mint tea to enjoy the historical atmosphere.  I personally prefer the second room with the hanging Delft plates.  It’s close to the train station.

I’m also partial to locus publicus​, which has an extensive local beer selection, and is located in the Brabantse Turfmarkt.

I didn’t include the Royal Delft Factory (and the tour of the Royal Delft Factory) as it’s a bit outside of the city (about one mile) and you can see A LOT of delftware without going to the factory at the various delft stores around Delft as well as the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

It is cool to see the delftware being painted and to learn about the history, but I ended up cutting it to give you a better glimpse into the less touristy side of Delft that most tourists don’t see while showing you more of the city.  I recently visited a free Delftware factory on the city limits where Delftware is still handmade.  Click to read about visiting this Delftware factory.

This is a lot to pack in a day, however some people are all about a fast pace. Personally, I think the joy of Delft is enjoying the canals at the pace of the water, which is why I recommend staying at least one night in Delft.  There’s nothing like enjoying Markt without the crowds in the morning!

Looking for more inspiration for the Netherlands?   I live here, so browse my site for insider tips for Amsterdam (my home for 2+ years), other beautiful cities in the Netherlands that you won’t want to miss, and Dutch alcohols that you’ll want to try, and my guide to what to do in the Hague.