Delft, Leiden, Haarlem or The Hague? Which day trip from Amsterdam to choose
· by Robin Lenskens · Updated
If you have one free day from Amsterdam and want the classic small Dutch town, go to Delft. If you want the shortest train ride and a big Saturday market, go to Haarlem. If you want a quiet university town with strong museums, go to Leiden. If you want a major art museum, a royal palace and the beach in the same afternoon, go to The Hague. And if you cannot choose, Delft and The Hague combine into one very good day, as do Leiden and Haarlem.
We run private walking tours in all four towns, and this post compares them (with Utrecht as a fifth option at the end) on the things that decide the day: train time, what you can see in four hours, market days, Sunday and Monday closures, museums, crowds and food. Train times were checked on the NS journey planner on 7 November 2026 for a weekday morning.
How far is each one from Amsterdam Centraal?
Haarlem 15 minutes, Leiden 36 minutes, The Hague 49 minutes, Delft about an hour. All four have direct Intercity trains from Amsterdam Centraal at least twice an hour, and all four stations are within ten minutes’ walk of the historic centre (Den Haag Centraal is five minutes from the Mauritshuis).
| Train from Amsterdam Centraal | Walk from station to centre | Best market day | Main museum closed on | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haarlem | 15 min | 10 min | Saturday (Grote Markt, 08:30 to 17:00), Monday smaller | Monday (Frans Hals, Teylers) |
| Leiden | 36 min | 10 min | Saturday (centre, 08:00 to 17:00), Wednesday organic market | Monday (Lakenhal); Oudheden open daily |
| The Hague | 49 min | 5 min | Weekdays are best for the city itself | Monday until 13:00 (Mauritshuis), Monday all day (Escher) |
| Delft | about 1 h | 10 min | Thursday (Markt), Saturday antiques market April to September | Prinsenhof closed for renovation; churches closed to visitors on Sunday |
Check live times on the NS journey planner before you go.
Delft: the classic canal town
Delft is what most people picture when they say “a small Dutch town”: a large market square with the town hall at one end and the Nieuwe Kerk at the other, canals lined with 17th-century houses, and the Oude Kerk with its visibly leaning tower. It is Vermeer’s town, the burial place of the House of Orange and the home of Delft Blue.
What you see in four hours. The Markt, both churches (both churches €10 for adults, the Nieuwe Kerk tower €7.50, combined ticket €15; open Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 17:00 from February to October, and from November to January 11:00 to 16:00 on weekdays and 10:00 to 17:00 on Saturday; closed to visitors on Sunday), the Oude Delft canal, the Vermeer Centrum on Voldersgracht (daily 10:00 to 17:00, €15 with audio tour) and a coffee on the Beestenmarkt. Royal Delft, which has made Delftware since 1653, is a 20-minute walk south of the centre and its museum opens daily from 09:30 to 17:00.
Market days. Thursday brings the general market to the Markt from 09:00 to 17:00, with the flower market on the Brabantse Turfmarkt the same day. On Saturdays from April to September there is an antiques and curiosities market along the canals around the Oude Kerk, 10:00 to 16:00; the tourist office lists the markets. Thursday is the best day for atmosphere, but the square is then full of stalls, so the classic empty-square photo is a Wednesday or Friday shot.
Closures to know. Museum Prinsenhof, where William of Orange was assassinated, has been closed since January 2025 for renovation and has announced no reopening date; the museum itself looks ahead to spring 2028, so do not plan around it. The churches do not admit visitors on Sunday.
Crowds and food. Busy on summer weekends and during tulip season, otherwise relaxed; the day-trip crowd thins after 16:00. Food is good and reasonable around the Markt, Beestenmarkt and Voldersgracht. Delft suits couples, first-timers, Vermeer fans and anyone who wants the postcard.
We run the private walking tour of Delft in two hours; see also our Delft destination page.
Haarlem: the closest and the easiest
Haarlem is 15 minutes from Amsterdam Centraal and feels like a smaller, calmer Amsterdam: a large Grote Markt dominated by the Grote of Sint-Bavokerk, narrow shopping streets, courtyard almshouses (hofjes) and the Spaarne river with the Molen De Adriaan windmill on its bank.
What you see in four hours. The Grote Markt and the church, the Frans Hals Museum (Tuesday to Sunday 11:00 to 17:00, adults €18.50), the Teylers Museum, the oldest museum in the country (Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 17:00, adults €18.50), a couple of hofjes, and the windmill for the view. Everything is within a ten-minute walk of the square.
Market days. Saturday is the big one on the Grote Markt from 08:30 to 17:00, spilling into the Grote Houtstraat; there is a smaller Monday market from 09:00 to 16:00. Details on the Haarlem markets page.
Closures to know. Both major museums close on Monday. Sunday is fine.
Crowds and food. Saturdays are busy with locals as much as tourists, which is part of the appeal. Haarlem has the strongest bar and restaurant scene of the four for its size. It suits people with limited time, families, anyone who wants to be back in Amsterdam by 17:00, and travellers who prefer a lively town to a quiet one. Private walking tour of Haarlem, 1.5 hours.
Leiden: museums and calm
Leiden is a university town with the longest stretch of unbroken canal-side beauty of the four (the Rapenburg), a hill fort in the middle of the centre (the Burcht), the Hortus botanicus and a cluster of national museums.
What you see in four hours. The Rapenburg and the Pieterskerk area, the Burcht for the view, the Hooglandse Kerk, and one museum: the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden for antiquities (open daily 10:00 to 17:00, adults €14) or Museum De Lakenhal for Leiden painting (Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 17:00). Rijksmuseum Boerhaave covers science and medicine and is the pick for anyone travelling with teenagers; check its hours on the museum site. For a full day plan, see one day in Leiden.
Market days. Saturday market in the centre from 08:00 to 17:00, and a Wednesday organic market on the Nieuwe Rijn (visitleiden.nl).
Closures to know. The Lakenhal and several other museums close on Monday; the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden is the useful exception because it opens daily.
Crowds and food. Least crowded of the four. Food is good and student-priced. Leiden suits seniors, museum-goers, repeat visitors and people who want to walk without a guidebook in their hand. Private walking tour of Leiden, 1.5 hours.
The Hague: the big-museum day
The Hague is not a small town; it is the seat of government, the home of the royal family and the International Court of Justice, with a grand centre around the Hofvijver and Lange Voorhout, and a beach at Scheveningen at the end of the tram line.
What you see in four hours. The Mauritshuis (adults €21, Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 18:00, Monday from 13:00; Vermeer’s View of Delft is on loan to Madrid until 10 January 2027, so check the visit page before you go), the Binnenhof from the outside, Noordeinde Palace, Escher in the Palace on Lange Voorhout (Tuesday to Sunday 11:00 to 17:00), and the Peace Palace, which you can only enter on a guided tour booked in advance. With more time, tram to Scheveningen.
Market days. Not the reason to come. Pick a weekday for the city itself.
Closures to know. The Binnenhof is closed for renovation; the government expects visitors to walk across it again in summer 2031 (rijksoverheid.nl). The Mauritshuis opens late on Monday and Escher is closed on Monday, so Monday is the wrong day for The Hague.
Crowds and food. The Mauritshuis is busy, but timed tickets keep it manageable. Restaurants are plentiful and better than in the smaller towns. The Hague suits art lovers, families who want the beach, and anyone who has done the small-town thing already. We run the private walking tour of The Hague in two hours.
What about Utrecht?
Utrecht is 27 minutes from Amsterdam Centraal, which makes it the second-closest option after Haarlem. It is a bigger city than any of the four above, with the Dom Tower, the two-level Oudegracht canal with its wharf cellars turned into restaurants, and the liveliest evenings. It is the right choice if you want a city rather than a town, or if you are heading east or south afterwards. It is the wrong choice if you came for the small-canal-town feeling; Delft, Leiden and Haarlem all do that better.
Which two can you combine in one day?
Delft and The Hague. The easiest pair. The train between Delft and Den Haag Centraal takes 12 to 15 minutes, and HTM tram 1 runs from Delft station through the centre of The Hague to Scheveningen, so you can go Amsterdam to Delft by train, Delft to The Hague by tram, and back to Amsterdam from Den Haag Centraal in 49 minutes. Delft in the morning, the Mauritshuis after lunch. This is the route of our private tour of The Hague and Delft, where the guide travels with you between the two towns.
Leiden and Haarlem. Also easy: Leiden to Haarlem is 19 to 23 minutes by direct train, and Haarlem to Amsterdam 15 minutes, so the return is short. Leiden first (the museums), Haarlem second (the market and the bars). Our private tour of Leiden and Haarlem does both with the train ride included.
Pairs to avoid. Delft and Haarlem work by train (42 minutes direct), but it is the longest hop of the pairs and leaves the least time in each town. Any three cities in one day is too many: you will see stations, not towns.
The verdict
| You want | Go to |
|---|---|
| The classic small canal town, Vermeer, Delft Blue | Delft |
| The shortest train ride, a big Saturday market, good bars | Haarlem |
| Quiet canals, strong museums, a slower pace | Leiden |
| A world-class art museum, royal palaces, the beach | The Hague |
| A lively bigger city, the Dom Tower, canal-side dining | Utrecht |
| Two towns in one day | Delft + The Hague, or Leiden + Haarlem |
| It is Monday | Delft or Utrecht (Haarlem and Leiden museums are closed, the Mauritshuis opens at 13:00) |
| It is Sunday | Haarlem, Leiden or The Hague (Delft’s churches are closed to visitors) |
| It is Thursday or Saturday | Delft (Thursday market, Saturday antiques market in season) or Haarlem (Saturday market) |
For the wider list including Zaanse Schans and Keukenhof, see the five best day trips from Amsterdam.
Frequently asked questions
Is Delft worth a day trip from Amsterdam?
Yes, and it is the day trip we recommend first to anyone who wants the classic small Dutch town. The train takes about an hour each way, so it is a full day rather than a half day. Go on a Thursday for the market or a Saturday from April to September for the antiques market, and avoid Sunday if the churches matter to you.
Haarlem or Delft?
Haarlem if time is short or you want to be back in Amsterdam early; it is 15 minutes away and has the better market and bar scene. Delft if you want canals, the Vermeer story and Delft Blue, and can give it a full day. Haarlem feels like a small Amsterdam; Delft feels like a different town.
Can I do Delft and The Hague in one day?
Yes, comfortably. Delft in the morning, the 12 to 15-minute train or tram 1 to The Hague after lunch, the Mauritshuis in the afternoon, and the direct 49-minute train back to Amsterdam. Do not add Rotterdam to this day unless you are prepared to skip the museum.
Which day trip is best on a Monday?
Delft or Utrecht. On Monday the Frans Hals and Teylers museums in Haarlem are closed, the Lakenhal in Leiden is closed, Escher in The Hague is closed and the Mauritshuis opens only at 13:00. Delft’s churches and the Vermeer Centrum are open on Monday.
Which is best for older travellers?
Leiden or Delft. Both are flat, compact, quiet and walkable from the station in ten minutes, and both have plenty of benches and cafes. Our guides adjust the pace and route for limited mobility on request; mention it in the booking comment.
Do I need to book museum tickets in advance?
For the Mauritshuis, book a time slot online, as the museum itself recommends. For the Frans Hals, Teylers, Lakenhal and the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, buying online saves queue time but is rarely essential outside high season. Peace Palace tours must be booked ahead.
Book a private walk in one town, or two in one day
If you want a guide in one town, the private walking tours of Delft and The Hague take two hours and those of Leiden and Haarlem an hour and a half, each €199 per group of up to 20; for two towns in one day, The Hague and Delft and Leiden and Haarlem take four and a half hours from €312.50 (€300 plus €12.50 per person), with your guide travelling with you between the towns. Every tour is private and priced per group, the start time fits your train, the tour runs in English, Dutch, German, French, Italian or Spanish, and you tell us your interests in the booking comment so the guide can plan the route around them.
