A little scrapbook for

Our Grand Tour

Dinard → Lille → Delft → Noordwijk → Zandvoort · 17–23 August 2026

🇫🇷 Lille··· 🌷 The Hague··· 🧡 Delft··· 🏖️ Noordwijk··· 🏁 Zandvoort··· 🎨 Haarlem
Lille —
The Hague —
Noordwijk —
Zandvoort —
Haarlem —

Where We're Going

what to expect from each stop, and why it's worth a wander

FRENCH
FLANDERS

Lille

Night 1–2 · France

Flemish, not ParisianWalkable

A big, confident northern French city with a genuinely Flemish soul — ornate 17th-century merchant-house facades in warm brick, cobbled squares, and estaminets (traditional Flemish taverns) rather than typical Parisian brasseries. Lively and studenty.

It's flipped between French, Flemish, Spanish and Habsburg rule for centuries — which is exactly why it looks closer to Bruges or Ghent than to Paris.

  • Grand Place & the Vieille Bourse courtyard
  • Notre-Dame de la Treille's striking glass facade
  • Palais des Beaux-Arts — 2nd biggest art collection in France
  • Méert, patisserie since 1761 (ask for the vanilla waffle)
Good for: an easy arrival day and a full free day of wandering, shopping and unhurried food.
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SEASIDE
CAPITAL

The Hague & Scheveningen

Night 3 · Netherlands

Beach resortOne museum stop

The Netherlands' seat of government, but its seafront district, Scheveningen, is pure Dutch beach-resort — wide sand, a grand Victorian hotel, a pier with rides.

Scheveningen's been fashionable since the 1800s, when the Kurhaus first opened as a spa hotel for European high society.

  • Scheveningen beach, pier & the Kurhaus
  • Mauritshuis — Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring & View of Delft
Good for: a short, easy breather between Lille and Delft — beach time plus one optional museum.
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BLUE &
WHITE

Delft

Day trip · Netherlands

Postcard HollandVermeer's town

Small, exceptionally pretty, and far quieter than Amsterdam — canals, humpback bridges, gabled houses. This is the town Vermeer painted and never really left.

Delft's wealth came from trade, brewing, and its famous blue-and-white "Delftware" pottery. It's also the House of Orange's traditional burial place, in the Nieuwe Kerk.

  • Markt square — Nieuwe Kerk & Stadhuis
  • Vermeer Centrum & the Royal Delft factory
  • Canal walks — our tile workshop & trail both use the old town as backdrop
Good for: the most "postcard Holland" day of the trip — tiles for Alice & Sarah, a self-guided trail for Charles & Emily.
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OUR
BASE

Noordwijk

Nights 4–6 · Netherlands

Quiet beach townDutch families, not day-trippers

An understated, well-heeled Dutch beach town — long sandy beach, dunes, a low-rise village centre. None of the party-town edge of Zandvoort itself.

Historically a fishing and bulb-growing village, right by the flower-bulb region near Keukenhof — today it's a calm base away from the crowds.

  • The beach, dunes & village centre (Hoofdstraat)
  • Beach clubs for food with sea views
Good for: relaxed mornings & evenings around the GP sessions — this is home base.
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🏁
LAST EVER

Zandvoort

Friday · Circuit day

Car-free race weekendFinal Dutch GP

A small seaside town transformed by ~100,000 Verstappen-orange fans, live music and festival energy around the dune-backed circuit. Completely car-free the whole weekend.

The circuit dates to 1948 and returned to F1 in 2021, largely on Verstappen's popularity. 2026 is confirmed as its very last edition before dropping off the calendar — so expect it emotional.

  • The circuit & its famous banked corners
  • Fan Zone — pit-stop challenge, sims, driver autographs, live music
  • A short walk to the beach if you want sea air between sessions
Good for: Friday only, per our tickets — build in real transport time, it's the last-ever race here.
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HIDDEN
GEM

Haarlem

Sat–Sun · Race-day base

Overlooked vs AmsterdamOur GP gateway

A handsome, historic city that gets overlooked in favour of Amsterdam (just 20 min away) — cobbled Grote Markt, Gothic church, canals, proper lived-in Dutch charm. Also our practical park-and-bus route to Zandvoort all weekend.

Wealthy from the Golden Age linen and beer trade; Frans Hals lived and painted here, and it's home to the WWII Ten Boom family resistance safe house.

  • Grote Markt & Grote Kerk (St. Bavo, famous organ)
  • Teylers Museum — the Netherlands' oldest museum
  • Frans Hals Museum · Corrie ten Boom House
Good for: Saturday & Sunday race viewing plus a proper city to explore between sessions.
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Where We're Eating

Delft is booked — the rest are just ideas floating around, if useful

Mon 17 · Lille
Sit-down

Estaminet La Ch'tite Brigitte 🌷 Map

Flemish estaminet · 13 Rue des Bouchers

Carbonade flamande, Welsh, bottomless frites — the classic Lille night out, properly mid-range. Book ahead, it fills fast.

★★★★★€€
Quick & easy

Ke Tacos 🌷 Map

Neighbourhood taco spot · Av. du Peuple Belge

Small, friendly, no-frills tacos with a cult following — great if anyone's not up for a sit-down after travelling.

★★★★☆€
Tue 18 · Lille
Matcha stop

Hanami Café 🌷 Map

Japanese café & tea school · 13 Rue de la Clef · 4.9★

◷ 15:00–15:45

A genuine Japanese café and tea school rather than a coffee shop with matcha on the menu — reviewers single out the matcha latte. Cosy, with board games and manga downstairs. Closed Mondays; open Tue 10:00–19:00, so the Tuesday slot works.

★★★★★€
Sit-down

Estaminet Au Vieux De La Vieille 🌷 Map

Bistro, French · Rue des Vieux Murs

Classic, cosy bistro fare — a relaxed one for a night when Charles has had a long day on the road.

★★★★☆€€
Quick & easy

Maison Ramen 🌷 Map

Ramen & noodle soup · Rue Solférino

Really good beef noodle soup, fast and comforting — a fuss-free fallback if everyone's tired from the facials/driving day.

★★★★☆€€
Italian night

Come Prima 🌷 Map

Italian, family-run · Bd de la Liberté

Proper family Italian — margherita for the kids-at-heart, mushroom risotto, four-cheese pizza. Reasonably priced, always full, no fuss.

★★★★☆€€
Can't decide, or just fancy wandering? Rue de Gand in Vieux Lille is basically one restaurant after another — estaminets, an oyster bar, Greek, Japanese — genuinely one of the best streets in France to just stroll and pick whatever looks good on the night. 🌷 Map
Wed 19 · The Hague / Scheveningen
Sit-down

The Fat Mermaid 🌷 Map

Beachside restaurant · Strandweg 19

Seating right on the sand, fresh simple fish and burgers, friendly and unpretentious — a proper meal without the fuss.

★★★★☆€€
Quick & easy

Hawaiian Poké Bowl 🌷 Map

Poké & build-your-own bowls · Spui 40

Fresh, healthy, build-your-own bowls in the city centre — quick to order, quick to eat, good if beach dinner isn't the vibe that night.

★★★★☆€€
Thu 20 · Delft
Sit-down

't Postkantoor 🌷 Map

Contemporary Dutch · Hippolytusbuurt 14

✓ Booked · 18:00

Cosy, "living room" interior, a diverse menu from sandwiches to rijsttafel — proper sit-down, easy prices. Table for Mum and Alice at six, so aim to wrap up the tiles and the trail by half five.

★★★★☆€€
Quick & easy

Daily Wok 🌷 Map

Noodle bar · Oude Langendijk

Cheap, generous, fresh noodle bowls — a firm local favourite if everyone just wants to eat fast after a long day of tiles and trails.

★★★★☆€
Fri 21 · Noordwijk
Sit-down

Branding Beach Club 🌷 Map

Dutch, seafood · Kon. Astrid Boulevard 105

Relaxed beachfront dinner, proper family-friendly menu (kids menu too), nowhere near fine-dining territory — just a lovely spot with a view.

★★★★☆€€
Quick & easy

fast & fresh daily cuisine 🌷 Map

Burritos, tacos & wraps · Hoofdstraat 89

Big burritos, fresh tacos, friendly and inexpensive — ideal after a long day of racing if no one wants to sit still for long.

★★★★☆€
Worth the splurge

Papa Ito 🌷 Map

Fusion gastrobar · De Grent 22

Back in by popular demand — small-plate fusion, genuinely excellent, and still gastrobar prices rather than fine-dining ones. A nice way to close out race day if everyone fancies a treat. Book ahead, closed Tue/Wed.

★★★★★€€€
Sat 22 · Haarlem
F1 viewing

Sportcafe Haarlem 🌷 Map

Sports bar · Gedempte Raamgracht 78

Where we're watching Sprint + Qualifying — confirmed F1 on the TVs, bar snacks (tostis, bitterballen), welcoming owner. Covers food and the race in one stop, so no second option needed tonight.

★★★★☆€€
✈️ 🧀 🚲 🏁
made with love (and a lot of googling) for our family trip

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