Leiden, home of the country’s oldest university, is a charming town located between Amsterdam and The Hague. Visit Leiden for its historic architecture, museums, charming canals, and vibrant streets.
Leiden
Leiden is easily accessible by train from either Amsterdam city or Schiphol airport. Once you arrive, the town is perfect for exploring on foot. Here are some highlights and activities to enjoy during your visit to Leiden.
Explore the Town Center
Our first visit to Leiden was entirely spontaneous, without any planned itinerary. We spent the day wandering through the charming downtown streets, taking in the sights, and enjoying lunch at one of the cafés on the central square by the water.
On sunny days, Leiden’s central streets come alive with people walking, relaxing at outdoor cafés, and taking boat trips along the canals. If you’re arriving by train, begin your exploration with Leiden’s historic city gate – Morspoort. Together with Zijlpoort, Morspoort is one of the only two surviving historical city gates in Leiden.
Head to Beestenmarkt, a square in the heart of the city. Many canal boat trips in Leiden begin here. Besides, Beestenmarkt is a charming spot with a large central fountain and many cafés lining the square.
If you’re not taking a boat tour, start from Beestenmarkt and walk along the De Rijn canal toward the Burcht van Leiden. Along the way, stop by the Leiden Gemeenlandshuis on Breestraat, the oldest government house in the Netherlands. Also, don’t miss the historic Weigh House on Aalmarkt Street, a 17th century building where merchants once gathered to weigh and trade their goods.
When the canal splits into two, keep to the right and continue walking toward the city hall. Leiden City Hall (Leiden Stadhuis), built in the 16th century, now serves as the headquarters for Leiden’s municipality.
Next to the city hall stands Koornbrug, a historic bridge across Nieuwe Rijn. This stone bridge, covered with a roof, once served as a marketplace where various grains, including corn, were traded – giving it the name Koorn (corn) brug (bridge).
Cross the bridge and make your way to Hooglandse Kerk, a 700 year old Gothic church. Though originally built in the 14th century, it has undergone many changes over the centuries.
Windmills – Molen De Valk and Molen De Put
The Netherlands is famous for its iconic windmills, and Leiden has two that are open to visitors.
Molen De Valk is the 18th century windmill, which still has a functional watermill. Now serving as a museum, visitors can take guided tours, explore inside the windmill, and learn about its history and mechanics. Check their website for the opening hours, entrance fees and other info.
Another windmill worth visiting in Leiden’s city center is Molen De Put. This reconstructed, fully functional flour mill is typically open on Saturdays. Visitors can even purchase flour produced at the mill in its shop – a unique souvenir with a local touch.
Burcht van Leiden (Castle of Leiden)
Right in the heart of the city is a hill with the remaining ruins of an 11th century castle – Burcht van Leiden. Pass through the 17th century gates, walk up the hill, and enter the inner area via the 17th century portal. Inside you will find a walkway along the walls with great views of the city.
The entry to the Burcht van Leiden is free, and I would highly recommend going there when visiting Leiden.
After visiting the Burcht van Leiden, take a walk along Oude Vest or Oude Singels, which once marked the northern boundary of the city.
On the way, you will come across Hartebrugkerk – a historic building and Catholic church.
Walking along Oude Vest, make sure to visit Marekerk – an octagonal-shaped 17th century church. Inside, you will find a centuries old organ that was renovated in 2009 and remains fully functional to this day.
Leiden Museums
Leiden has many interesting museums to explore and enjoy. Here are just a few that I recommend:
Museum Volkenkunde – the National Museum of Ethnology with exhibitions from around the globe. Its collection includes artefacts from Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania.
Imagine our surprise when we came to Leiden and one of the first things we saw were Maori canoe and photos of haka performance (haka is a traditional Maori pre-battle dance, now performed mostly as a ceremonial dance on different occasions). Apparently, Museum Volkenkunde has an Oceania exhibit and hosts a New Zealand themed weekend every few years.
National Museum of Antiquities – a national archaeology museum with collections of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman artefacts. It’s a favorite among children – they can see a real sarcophagus, step inside an original Egyptian temple, or even look at a crocodile mummy.
I appreciated learning how Egyptian artefacts ended up in the Netherlands. Leiden University and its scientists helped with excavations and restoration works in Egypt. So, Egypt and few other nations donated many artefacts to Leiden University.
Naturalis Biodiversity Center. A natural history museum that appeals to both adults and children. It has one of the world’s largest natural history collections. Visitors can explore rooms dedicated to the age of dinosaurs, the evolution of life on Earth, huge collection of fossils, rocks, and minerals, and even a room dedicated to death (‘there is no life without death’ they say).
Space Expo – the Museum of the European Space Agency (ESA). Well, Space Expo isn’t located in Leiden, but is very close to it (only 15 min by car or 20 mins by bus from Leiden Central Station). If you’re visiting Leiden, especially with kids, I recommend visiting Space Expo too. Lots of interesting information, including a Soyuz capsule, authentic space suits, a model of the International Space Station, and much more, making it a worthwhile experience.
Beach at Katwijk or Noordwijk
If you’re traveling by car and the weather is pleasant, consider going to a beach after visiting Leiden. Katwijk and Noordwijk are both great options, located just a 15 min drive (or a 20 min bus ride) from Leiden. These beaches are far less crowded than the well-known Scheveningen in The Hague.
Don’t expect it to be too hot at a Dutch beach ;), but they are still perfect for enjoying walks, scenery, fresh breezy air, and a peaceful time away from busy cities.
Read next: Visit Amersfoort – medieval streets, canals and a small town charm.
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Wow Leiden is quite fascinating, I love the art and
the windmills. Architecture is lovely..
We loved walking there exploring Leiden’s streets and architecture.
What a cute place! I think I’ve seen one of the House Hunters International episodes filmed there 🙂
How interesting! Never seen House Hunters International before.
I’m obsessed with the Netherlands and want to make it to Leiden too. It’s no shocker that you saw the Maori canoe in the museum because Abel Tasman, a Dutch captain, “discovers” NZ in 1642. He doesn’t land on it but charts its coast and Capt. Cook later lands on the island in 1760s. Leiden University is also where the first tulip from Turkey was planted that spawned Tulipmania in the Netherlands.
I know about Abel Tasman being the first European to discover New Zealand (we even have ‘Abel Tasman’ national park here in New Zealand) 🙂
I hope you get to Leiden too – it’s a nice city to explore in the Netherlands!
Beautiful place. It looks familiar, as all Dutch towns do, like a place you think you visited. I certainly would like to.
Ps it’s not just kids that like mummies. I think we all do.
True, we all do. But if time is limited I would prefer just a walk in the city, while kids would prefer going to a museum look at mummies 🙂
Nice post! I have never heard of Leiden but it’s on my radar now! I’m actually in Egypt right now as I read your post. And so interesting that some artifacts ended up there!
I think many artefacts from Egypt are scattered around the world. But the best place to see them is Egypt itself of course! 🙂