Delft

Delft needs 1 day: the historic center along the canals, with the Nieuwe Kerk and its leaning tower, on one, the Royal Delft factory, the only producer still following the original blue-and-white pottery process since 1653, on the same walk. April-September is best for boating the canals. It's cheaper than Amsterdam, just 15 minutes by train from Rotterdam and The Hague. It's the birthplace of painter Johannes Vermeer -«Girl with a Pearl Earring»- and gives its name to Delftware, the blue-and-white pottery that became a Dutch national symbol.