Rotterdam & Delft: Private Tour with Cube House and Transfer





Description
Discover two completely different sides of the Netherlands on this half-day private tour: historic Delft and modern Rotterdam. This activity includes 2 private walking tours of about 2 hours each, and a transfer from one city to the other. In Delft, your guide takes you through the Dutch Golden Age: canals, churches, and the stories of Vermeer, William of Orange, and Antony van Leeuwenhoek. In Rotterdam, you explore a city bombed flat in 1940 and rebuilt as a showcase of bold architecture, including a visit inside one of the iconic Cube Houses. You can do the tour in either direction, starting in Delft or Rotterdam. Pickup and drop-off from other locations, including Amsterdam, can also be arranged. This is a private tour. You set the pace, and if you have a special requests or an interest in a certain topic, just let us know.
Tour Options
Itinerary
As we make our way into the city, we walk through the Prinsenhof. This place has played a deciding role in Dutch history. Let's find out more about it.
We are now in the old beer brewing quarter of Delft. Where did the brewers go? We will also see the Old Church, perhaps the most recognizable building of the city. How old is it exactly and why is it so skewed? Who knows!? Well, I happen to know!
Close to the Oude Kerk, we will see a heavily decorated facade, that of the Gemeenlandshuis. What is this building and why was it so important?
The old town hall of Delft is (partly) one of the oldest historical buildings of the city, dating to the 13th century. We will walk by it as we enter the Grote Markt square on our way to the New Church. What is so interesting about the town hall? I'll tell you!
This is the second-highest church in the Netherlands and the royal family is buried here. Why in Delft actually? If desired, I can buy you tickets to go up the church tower as well. Be warned, it is quite a climb!
We will walk along the oldest canal of Delft, away from the Grote Markt square. In the south of the city centre, we will pass by a large former weapons Armory of the V.O.C. Let's find out more about Delft's role in the golden days of the Dutch Republic. Also around here, we can take a look at the exact spot where Vermeer was standing when he made his famous painting 'View of Delft'.
Going back north, we are passing by the first catholic church that was built in the centre of Delft. There is something funny about the two towers... It is also standing on the spot where Vermeer used to live and make his paintings.
Finally, we pass by the Beestenmarkt in Delft. This is the coziest square of the city, ideal for a lunch or a beer. In the past, this square had a different function.
We will walk towards the station to take the train to Rotterdam Blaak. This is only 18 minutes away and costs €4.10, which is included in the price of this activity. On the way there, we pass by some farmlands and the city of Schiedam. Enjoy the best public transport system of Europe (and third worldwide, after Singapore and Hong Kong)!
When we get off the train in Rotterdam, we will immediately see a peculiar set of apartments. The Cubic Houses (by Piet Blom) are a product of the 70's and represent a typical way of building a 'village inside a city'. We will view one of the apartments from the inside! The price is included in the tour price.
After we made our way through the Cubic Houses, we enter the Oude Haven (Old Harbour). This is now a lively recreational area with multiple terraces. See some more Piet Blom architecture and enjoy the old ships that are anchored here for restauration.
The most prominent building next to the Old Harbour is definitely the White House (Het Witte Huis). This is the oldest skyscraper of Europe, dating from 1898, and one of the few buildings to have survived the bombing of Rotterdam
After walking back towards Blaak, we will enter the impressive Market Hall (Markthal). The two sides of the building contain many apartments and inside you can enjoy different foods from around the world. And don't forget to look up and look at one of the biggest pieces of art on the planet!
Just next to the modern Market Hall stands a 14th century church. Its tower miraculously survived the bombing of Rotterdam. Today, it is mostly used as an event location.
We will end the tour around Blaak again, the place where the original dam over the Rotte was built (yes, Rotterdam). On Tuesdays and Saturdays there is a big outside market here. If you want, you can explore Rotterdam further from here, or take a train home.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
If you book an option that includes a pick-up and drop-off, you will be picked up from the location you select, up to 1 hour before the tour starts. You are dropped off again afterwards. We will contact you beforehand to coordinate this. If you book an option that does not include a pick-up and a drop-off, you will meet your guide at the meeting point.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(13)
This tour was great. We were looking forward to Delft a lot and didn’t quite know what to expect from Rotterdam. In the end both cities were amazing. Our guide was also fabulous and very knowledgeable. She picked us up at our hotel and dropped us back off again afterwards. Thanks for this beautiful sunny day.
Thank you so much, Michaela! We're thrilled Rotterdam surprised you and that Delft lived up to expectations. We'll pass your kind words on to your guide. Glad the sun cooperated too. Hope to welcome you back on another tour soon! Best, Robin – Discover Delft
We loved our guide and had a great time with him. He couldn't have been nicer. However, we assumed by the description it was a driven tour, and since it was raining, it was somewhat disappointing. My husband has a bad foot, and the reason I paid for a personal tour was so that we weren't made to walk long distances or keep up with people. Please specify that the tour isn't driving in the description.
Thank you for your kind words about our guide! We'll pass that along. We're also sorry for the misunderstanding about the tour format, especially given the rainy weather and your husband’s foot. Our tours are designed as walking tours, but I understand how this may not have been clear enough from the description. We’ll make sure to adjust our wording so that there can be no doubt for future guests. We really appreciate you taking the time to point this out. Should you ever return, please don’t hesitate to let us know your preferences in advance. We’ll always do our best to adapt.
We had a fantastic walking tour of Rotterdam and Delft. Our guide Valentin was friendly and very informative about the sites and history of both Rotterdam and Delft. The tour of the Cube House was fun and unique. The train between Rotterdam and Delft was fast and easy.
Thank you for your kind review. We will let Valentin know! Maybe see you again next time you visit.
Remy is an EXCELLENT tour guide. A high school history teacher, he has a GREAT grasp of the Netherland story, and he tells ii VERY well. If you are looking to learn more about Rotterdam and Delft this is a TERRIFIC tour!
Thank you for your kind review! I'll tell him. Maybe see you next time.
My husband and I loved this tour! Robin was a fantastic guide and has a wealth of knowledge about Rotterdam and Delft. I highly recommend this tour.
Thanks for your good review. We are happy that you have enjoyed the tour. See you next time!
Our guide, Alberto, met us at our hotel and was very knowledgeable about both Rotterdam and Delft. He pointed out many historic sites and statues and gave us their background. He really enjoys doing this and he made our experience in both places very memorable.
We had a wonderful walking tour with Robin. He was very knowledgeable, informative & friendly. We saw a lot more than we expected.
Our guide, Tristan, was prompt, courteous, knowledgeable, and informative! We were welcomed warmly and he catered to our interests and needs, was very easily understood, and exceedingly helpful! We could not have had a better experience in Delft and Rotterdam! We’d love to have Tristan as our guide in the future!
My mom and I took this tour through Rotterdam and Delft and it was so much fun. Our guide (Robin) had a lot of insight into the histories of both cities, and even had suggestions for what to do after the tour. As we walked along he was happy to answer all our questions and even let us take a bit of a detour to see another part we really wanted to visit! Overall it was a really great day and the charm of delft and the modernness of Rotterdam made it special.
Excellent tour! Learned history, new architecture and old. Learned about local customs and people.



