Are you one of those people who gets all the end-of-summer blues? Or that holds too tightly to warmer days? Secret City Trails’ motto is that there’s no bad weather… only bad clothing choices, especially in Delft! Urban stories, quirky details and charming corners… They’re always there for you and your family, no matter the season. Read about my experience trying Delft’s Discovery Walk with my husband and kids!
Discover Delft: How to describe it?
A self-guided tour. A gamified walk. An outdoor escape room or a treasure hunt. There are many ways to describe it… But, I would say it’s a rich and engaging experience. Mark my words – your kids will love it! 🙂 Adults too – it is GREAT to be (really) present in the moment. And, you will make the best memories!
It’s a Playful Experience
Autumn was already at its full strength, but I didn’t want the cold to stop me from getting outside with my kids. It was time to reconnect with Delft, a city we’ve been calling home for a few years now. Recommended by a couple of friends (with kids!) this day out in the city was just what we needed. We weren’t sure what to expect, but both me, my husband and the kids were thrilled to try it!
We chose the trails Delft: secret alleys & blue ceramics trail – the Discovery Walk is also available in Dutch – which is great! Upon buying the game, we received an email directing us to the starting location – the main hall of Delft Train Station. We pressed ‘Let’s Play’ and our journey to discover Delft began.
9 Reasons to go for a Discovery Walk in Delft
I will put it very simply WHY it will give you the best family day outside:
- You will solve location-based riddles, learn curious local stories and receive recommendations for coffee shops and restaurants.
- The games are created by locals and they indeed take you to places you would never end up in!
- It’s an experience for EVERYONE – for families and friends, as an original date or even as a team-building activity.
- I would dare to say that it’s value for money – the price is per group (of 5), not per person.
- In the end, you can see a leaderboard. This means that it can be played for the fastest time or you can just take your time… Kids love this part 🙂
- No downloads – just open the link on your phone.
- After the purchase, you have up to 6 months to go for the Discovery Walk.
- Secret City Trails actually has Discovery Walks all over the Netherlands and Europe!
- As part of Delft MaMa community, I used the code and got on my purchase – which was a great surprise! It can also be used on all the routes in the Netherlands. And we will, indeed, try more after this one!
Venture Off The Beaten Path for Discovering Delft
The first riddle popped up on the phone – “find the old map of Delft which is about the size of the station”. It took us two attempts, but we solved the puzzle and unlocked a story about The Delft Thunderclap – the explosion of a gunpowder store in 1654. Trust me, the satisfaction of finding the correct answer is priceless (for kids and grown-ups alike!). Tip: Make sure to look at everything a little bit closer, you might just find an answer where you least expect it!
What makes Delft such a charming city? That’s a question we’ve been asking since we moved, and this walk helped us answer it. I am not going to share – I don’t want to spoil you! – because it might be very different for you – but we wouldn’t imagine living in another city elsewhere in the world.
But just to give you an idea we saw blue cows (yes!), a phone-booth turned museum, the impressive New Church of Delft, the beautiful street of Vermeer, charming Dutch canals in all their glory, the picturesque market square and the old city gate. The riddles were diverse, with varying difficulty levels – and we had a blast!
Discover Delft by Unlocking Local Stories & Recommendations
After all the cobbled streets and beautiful canals what we were in need of was a cozy and warm break. And throughout the game, there are a few of them… with amazing local recommendations provided by the creators of the game. We took some time at Stadscafé Barbaar – which had the best atmosphere making it the best place for us to rest on a crisp autumn morning.
Just so you know – the experience is pretty flexible and you can have a break whenever you feel like it. You can even start to discover Delft one day and finish up to 14 days after. Flexible is indeed a good way to describe it!
This fun walk allowed us to feel that rush of excitement coming with each discovery as a family – I bet you know that feeling while traveling and exploring new places? There it was but in our own city. Every quirky sculpture and every hidden side alley sparked our curiosity, whether it was part of the trail or not. And we made one of the best family memories since we moved to Delft. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Pingback: Summer Fun with Your Kids in the Delft Area and at Home | Delft MaMa