Christmas in Delft Escorted Tour by Rail

Travel by Eurostar direct from St Pancras to Rotterdam. On arrival, transfer by coach to Delft (approx. 20 mins) and the Hampshire Delft Centre Hotel. Welcome drink and dinner is included this evening at the hotel.

It isn’t hard to see why Delft is one of the most popular attractions for visitors to the Netherlands – firstly there’s Vermeer, then the town’s famous blue and white ceramics and last but certainly not least the gorgeous centre – a jumble of old tiled houses, tree-lined canals, and lovely little bridges, though it’s the feeling of the place that holds most of the appeal. Wandering the narrow streets is a must, and the Prinsenhof, one of a few fascinating old buildings, has a collection of Golden Age paintings. Home to the birth place of Rembrandt, Leiden is a vibrant and appealing city. Its beautiful and historic old town, crisscrossed by ancient canals and full of lovely antique buildings, is best explored on foot. The Stedelijk Museum de Lakenhal houses some 17th century Dutch paintings. En route back to Delft we will stop for a short visit to Madurodam which showcases the whole of the Netherlands in miniature. At Christmas time it is decorated with thousands of lights, decorations and snowy scenes which should hopefully get everyone into the Christmas spirit.

A relaxed pace of life and lovely historic centre makes Haarlem a delightful town to explore. A former centre of clothmaking, in the 17th century Haarlem became the place to be for a flourishing school of painters, much of whose work is displayed in the excellent Frans Hals Museum. Housed in a former almshouse, where Hals himself lived the last years of his life, the museum’s collection consists of works by Hals and a sample of Dutch paintings from the 15th century to the present day. Return to the hotel mid-afternoon to have some time to get ready for a special Christmas Eve dinner.

Full day free to explore the lovely streets and canals of Delft with festive Christmas Day dinner at the hotel.

The largest city and capital of The Netherlands, Amsterdam started life as a small fishing village and became one of the world’s most important ports during the Dutch Golden Age. Wander the narrow atmospheric lanes and canals lined with 17th century merchant’s houses and view some of the many cultural and historic sights. Fully reopened in 2013 after extensive renovation, the Rijksmuseum is one of the world’s greatest art galleries with a large collection of Dutch works, particularly Rembrandts, several excellent Vermeers and a huge cache of sculptures and applied arts.

Canal-lined Utrecht is a delightful town with a wealth of sights including the picturesque almshouses, 15th century St Catherine’s Convent, Oudegracht canal and – for lovers of modern architecture - the Rietveld Schroder House (limited opening, please check for details). A typical Dutch country town, Gouda is charming, its old buildings surrounded by quiet canals, known for its cheese. Although it is a fairly small town, Gouda’s Markt square is the largest in the Netherlands, an echo of its days at the centre of the medieval cloth trade and you’ll also find some of the world’s best stained glass in St Janskerk.

The Hague is the home of the Dutch government and Parliament and is a pleasant, spacious seaside town. With its multitude of parks, squares and gardens interspersed with elegant boulevards lined with mansions; it is a stately place with an air of being well kept and well moneyed. The Hague has plenty of excellent museums and entrance is included to the Mauritshuis collection which has reopened with a new exhibition space and reception area. The museum retains its intimate atmosphere and has an outstanding collection of Rembrandt, Vermeer, Van Dyck and Rubens.

This morning we will have some free time to spend in Delft before transferring by coach to Rotterdam station for the return Eurostar to St Pancras.