Vermeer in Delft and The Hague
Delft, Rijswijk, The Hague
This cycle tour centres around Delft, arguably the most charming old town in the western Netherlands. Delft is small, warm and peaceful. What Vermeer thought of it, we’ll never know. None of his personal letters survive – only official records and debt acknowledgements. He died young, at just 43. Of what, no one knows. A big family, little income – perhaps it simply became too much. Vermeer’s best years fell in the Dutch Golden Age. Only after his death did his work begin to gain global recognition. His body of work is small: at most, 37 paintings are attributed to him. Two of those are still debated by experts. Books with new theories on Vermeer appear regularly – he remains one of the most famous, yet most mysterious figures in Dutch art. We know surprisingly little about his personal life. His birth, marriage and death are documented in the city archives, as you’d expect in a well-organised city of a prosperous nation. And prosperous it was – the Dutch Republic in the Golden Age was a naval power, a trading nation and obsessed with record-keeping. That’s why we know Vermeer was born in Delft in October 1632, married Catharina Bolnes in Schipluiden on 20 April 1653, and died in Delft on 13 or 14 December 1675. Vermeer lived his entire life in Delft. Perhaps he trained in Utrecht or Amsterdam – we don’t know. Delft was enough for him: small, yet lively, in the shadow of cities like The Hague, Haarlem and Amsterdam. There’s no sign he was a notable figure. When his mother-in-law Maria Thins had trouble with her violent son Willem, Vermeer stayed out of it. No report, no testimony. He was a member of the Saint Luke’s painters’ guild and the civic guard. Was he popular, brilliant, admired? No records say. It’s best to let Vermeer’s paintings speak. They show refined colour, perfect perspective, extraordinary fabric textures and, above all, a mastery of light that was unique in his time – and still is. Let’s be glad these works survived, even if we sometimes have to cross half the world to see them. For now, we’re lucky that so much of Vermeer’s Delft still exists. But this route doesn’t stop there. Following the Vliet, once a busy shipping route, we ride to The Hague – bigger, louder, more chaotic. Vermeer visited, but he preferred his familiar Delft. There, he painted women in quiet domestic scenes, elegant gatherings with wine, dreamers with letters or instruments, and a few Biblical and mythological works. He also painted two unmatched cityscapes and one mysterious girl – his most famous work. For those, we leave Delft behind and cycle to a museum in The Hague, where two of these masterpieces are on permanent display. Some things you simply have to see with your own eyes. A Vermeer only truly lives when you stand before it. This Premium cycle route was compiled by our editor: Matthijs Termeer.
| Directions | Distance | Total distance | |
|
Start: Houttuinen , 2611 DZ Delft | 29.3 KM | |
|
From
52
to
1
|
1067 M | 1.1 KM | |
| Head southeast on Houttuinen | 240 M | ||
| Keep left onto Houttuinen | 347 M | ||
| Turn left onto Hooikade | 480 M | ||
| You are now at section 1 | 0 M | ||
|
From
1
to
2
|
1940 M | 1.9 KM | |
| Head east on Abtwoudsebrug | 66 M | ||
| Turn left onto Proosdijpad | 262 M | ||
| Continue onto Scheepmakerij | 301 M | ||
| Turn left onto Kanaalweg | 718 M | ||
| Turn left onto Oostpoortbrug | 46 M | ||
| Turn right onto Oostpoort | 106 M | ||
| Turn right onto Catharijnebrug | 13 M | ||
| Turn right onto Oranje Plantage | 4 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Oranje Plantage | 424 M | ||
| You are now at section 2 | 0 M | ||
|
From
2
to
62
|
630 M | 0.6 KM | |
| Head northwest on Oosterstraat | 630 M | ||
| You are now at section 62 | 0 M | ||
|
From
62
to
63
|
1866 M | 1.9 KM | |
| Head northeast on Plantagebrug | 47 M | ||
| Turn right onto Oostsingel | 42 M | ||
| Turn left onto Tweemolentjeskade | 204 M | ||
| Turn left onto Van Miereveltlaan | 38 M | ||
| Turn right onto Aan 't Verlaat | 363 M | ||
| Keep right onto Aan 't Verlaat | 644 M | ||
| Turn left onto Rieten Dakpad | 107 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Rieten Dakpad | 15 M | ||
| Turn right onto Middelweg | 406 M | ||
| You are now at section 63 | 0 M | ||
|
From
63
to
64
|
697 M | 0.7 KM | |
| Head north on Middelweg | 697 M | ||
| You are now at section 64 | 0 M | ||
|
From
64
to
20
|
563 M | 0.6 KM | |
| Head northeast on Nootdorpsepad | 563 M | ||
| You are now at section 20 | 0 M | ||
|
From
20
to
65
|
2162 M | 2.2 KM | |
| Head northwest on Bitterzoetpad | 891 M | ||
| Turn right onto Nootdorpse Landingslaan | 36 M | ||
| Turn left onto Zwaluwsingel | 206 M | ||
| Turn right onto Zomertalinglaan | 238 M | ||
| Turn left onto Van Oudheusdenlaan | 8 M | ||
| Turn right onto Zomertalinglaan | 64 M | ||
| Turn right onto Ypenburgse Boslaan | 14 M | ||
| Turn left onto Postenkade | 615 M | ||
| Make a sharp left onto Ringelwikke | 90 M | ||
| You are now at section 65 | 0 M | ||
|
From
65
to
38
|
1287 M | 1.3 KM | |
| Head north | 12 M | ||
| Exit the roundabout onto Meyvlietpad | 1.3 KM | ||
| You are now at section 38 | 0 M | ||
|
From
38
to
69
|
550 M | 0.6 KM | |
| Head northeast on Westvlietweg | 550 M | ||
| You are now at section 69 | 0 M | ||
|
From
69
to
72
|
1613 M | 1.6 KM | |
| Head northwest on Fonteynenburghlaan | 72 M | ||
| Turn right onto Westeinde | 286 M | ||
| Turn right onto Westeinde | 1.3 KM | ||
| You are now at section 72 | 0 M | ||
|
From
72
to
73
|
503 M | 0.5 KM | |
| Head northwest on Prins Albertlaan | 234 M | ||
| Turn right onto Parkweg | 37 M | ||
| Turn left onto Schellinglaan | 232 M | ||
| You are now at section 73 | 0 M | ||
|
From
73
to
56
|
1790 M | 1.8 KM | |
| Head southwest | 39 M | ||
| Continue straight | 90 M | ||
| Turn right | 40 M | ||
| Turn left onto Noteboompark | 8 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Noteboompark | 254 M | ||
| Make a slight right | 15 M | ||
| Continue onto Noteboompark | 420 M | ||
| Continue onto Spinozalaan | 618 M | ||
| Continue onto IJsclubpad | 306 M | ||
| You are now at section 56 | 0 M | ||
|
From
56
to
32
|
1258 M | 1.3 KM | |
| Head northwest on IJsclubpad | 8 M | ||
| Continue onto Carel Reinierszkade | 882 M | ||
| Continue straight | 368 M | ||
| You are now at section 32 | 0 M | ||
|
From
32
to
30
|
2009 M | 2 KM | |
| Head southwest on Kerkpad | 1.3 KM | ||
| Turn left | 130 M | ||
| Turn right onto Zuiderpad | 146 M | ||
| Continue straight | 218 M | ||
| Turn right onto Bezuidenhoutseweg | 240 M | ||
| You are now at section 30 | 0 M | ||
|
From
30
to
29
|
791 M | 0.8 KM | |
| Head southwest | 5 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Bezuidenhoutseweg | 21 M | ||
| Turn right onto Laan van Reagan en Gorbatsjov | 47 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Laan van Reagan en Gorbatsjov | 233 M | ||
| Continue straight | 21 M | ||
| Turn left | 76 M | ||
| Continue onto Korte Voorhout | 245 M | ||
| Turn right onto Lange Voorhout | 143 M | ||
| You are now at section 29 | 0 M | ||
|
From
29
to
31
|
714 M | 0.7 KM | |
| Head southwest on Lange Voorhout | 302 M | ||
| Make a slight right to stay on Lange Voorhout | 26 M | ||
| Continue onto Kneuterdijk | 386 M | ||
| You are now at section 31 | 0 M | ||
|
From
31
to
28
|
296 M | 0.3 KM | |
| Head southeast on Hofweg | 73 M | ||
| Make a slight left to stay on Hofweg | 223 M | ||
| You are now at section 28 | 0 M | ||
|
From
28
to
44
|
3163 M | 3.2 KM | |
| Head southeast on Spui | 238 M | ||
| Make a slight right to stay on Spui | 26 M | ||
| Continue onto Spui | 575 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Oranjelaan | 31 M | ||
| Turn left onto Rijswijkseplein | 85 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Rijswijkseplein | 31 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Rijswijkseweg | 92 M | ||
| Continue straight | 45 M | ||
| Continue onto Rijswijkseweg | 537 M | ||
| Turn left onto Laakweg | 244 M | ||
| Turn right | 35 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Laakkade | 54 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Trekweg | 585 M | ||
| Continue onto Trekweg | 225 M | ||
| Continue onto Cromvlietkade | 360 M | ||
| You are now at section 44 | 0 M | ||
|
From
44
to
68
|
947 M | 0.9 KM | |
| Head southeast on Cromvlietkade | 947 M | ||
| You are now at section 68 | 0 M | ||
|
From
68
to
45
|
1492 M | 1.5 KM | |
| Head southeast on Haagweg | 42 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Haagweg | 62 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Haagweg | 19 M | ||
| Continue onto Huis te Hoornkade | 617 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Huis te Hoornkade | 29 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Huis te Hoornkade | 86 M | ||
| Continue straight | 25 M | ||
| Continue onto Steenplaetsbrug | 41 M | ||
| Turn left onto Jaagpad | 380 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Jaagpad | 191 M | ||
| You are now at section 45 | 0 M | ||
|
From
45
to
50
|
2752 M | 2.8 KM | |
| Head southeast on Jaagpad | 2 KM | ||
| Turn right to stay on Jaagpad | 28 M | ||
| Turn left onto Lange Kleiweg | 21 M | ||
| Continue onto Wateringseweg | 606 M | ||
| Turn left onto Wateringseweg | 120 M | ||
| You are now at section 50 | 0 M | ||
|
From
50
to
51
|
815 M | 0.8 KM | |
| Head southeast on Nieuwe Plantage | 73 M | ||
| Turn right onto Annageer | 241 M | ||
| Turn right onto Kolk | 14 M | ||
| Turn left onto Voorstraat | 487 M | ||
| You are now at section 51 | 0 M | ||
|
From
51
to
52
|
387 M | 0.4 KM | |
| Head southeast on Wijnhaven | 131 M | ||
| Turn right onto Peperstraat | 190 M | ||
| Turn left | 43 M | ||
| Continue onto Bolwerkbrug | 23 M | ||
| You are now at section 52 | 0 M |