# Leiden The oldest university city in the country, with an Egyptian temple, a T. rex, a botanical garden from 1590 and canals to tour by boat. Half an hour from Amsterdam. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/the-netherlands/leiden · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Leiden has the oldest university in the Netherlands, founded in 1575, and it shows in everything: students on bikes, bookshops, packed cafés and a collection of museums that is out of proportion to a city of its size. Rembrandt was born here, the first tulips in the country were planted here in the botanical garden and there is a real Egyptian temple inside a museum. The centre is an oval of canals, the prettiest of which is the Rapenburg, and it can be walked in an hour. It is half an hour from Amsterdam and The Hague, and in spring a stone's throw from the flower fields. ## How do I get there from Amsterdam? By train, about 35 minutes from Amsterdam Centraal to Leiden Centraal, with very frequent trains that stop at Schiphol. From the station the centre is ten minutes on foot: you leave by the city side and soon see the De Valk windmill. By car, parking on the street in the centre is only possible with a €30 day ticket: use the Lammermarkt or Morspoort car parks. ## What to see in a day? Start at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, the national museum of antiquities, on the Rapenburg: in its hall is the Temple of Taffeh, an Egyptian temple given by Egypt, and inside, mummies, Greece and Rome. Across the canal is the Hortus botanicus, the oldest botanical garden in the country, with tropical greenhouses; it needs a couple of hours. Eat in the centre: a sandwich at Café Barrera, opposite the university building, or on the floating terrace of Annie's. In the afternoon, climb the Burcht, a castle on an artificial mound with views over the rooftops, and take the canal boat, which leaves from the Blauwpoortsbrug all year. If you like painting, go to De Lakenhal, the city museum; if you are travelling with children, to Naturalis, with its tyrannosaurus. Finish at the De Valk windmill, of 1743, beside the station. ## Leiden with Keukenhof? In spring, yes. Keukenhof, the great tulip park, is open from mid-March to early May, a short distance from Leiden, and the region's flower fields lie in between. Many visitors do it from Haarlem or from here. Outside that season, Leiden combines very well with The Hague, a quarter of an hour by train. ## Is it worth sleeping here? Yes: it is cheaper and quieter than Amsterdam and is half an hour from Amsterdam, The Hague and the airport. The Boutique Hotel d'Oude Morsch occupies the former guardhouse of a barracks of 1817, opposite the Morspoort, and the City Hotel Rembrandt looks onto the De Valk windmill, five minutes from the station. ## When to go? From April to September, with the canal terraces full; in March, April and early May, for the flowers. On 3 October the city celebrates the end of the Spanish siege of 1574 with a festival, a market and herring with white bread: some museums close that day. The Lakenhal and the windmill are closed on Mondays; the RMO is open every day. ## Dónde está - Cerca: The Hague and Scheveningen (a 14.4 km), Delft (a 18.4 km), Gouda (a 22.2 km), Rotterdam (a 26.0 km) ## Qué hacer - **Rijksmuseum van Oudheden and the Temple of Taffeh** (2 h · All ages · €14 adults): The national museum of antiquities of the Netherlands is on the Rapenburg and starts strong: in its great covered hall stands the Temple of Taffeh, a real Egyptian temple that you can walk around and look inside. Then come the Egyptian rooms, with mummies, sarcophagi and stelae, and those of Greece, Rome and the archaeology of the Netherlands itself. If you are short of time, follow the route of its 24 main pieces. Tickets and opening hours Open every day from 10:00 to 17:00 and on Thursdays also in the evening, from 19:00 to 22:00. Closed on 1 January, 27 April, 3 October and 25 December. Adults pay €14. The entrance is at Papengracht 30, around the corner from the Rapenburg. - **Naturalis and the T. rex Trix** (2 h 30 · Families with children from about age 4; teenagers · €18 from age 4 · free up to 3): Naturalis is the national natural history museum and one of the best plans in Leiden with children. Its star is Trix, a real Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, in the dinosaur gallery, but there is much more: the Ice Age in the Netherlands, life on Earth, insects, minerals and rooms for touching. Tickets and how to get there Admission costs €18 from age 4; under-4s do not pay. The Rexperience is closed for the moment because of a technical problem, but Trix is still in her room. It is ten minutes on foot from Leiden Centraal, on the north side of the station. By car, you can only park at the P+R Naturalis, for €25 a day. - **Hortus botanicus, the oldest botanical garden in the country** (2 h · All ages; no dogs): Leiden's Hortus botanicus is the oldest botanical garden in the Netherlands, the university's, and here the botanist Carolus Clusius grew the country's first tulips in the late 16th century. Today it has open-air gardens beside the canal and greenhouses with tropical plants. Practical details Open every day from 10:00 to 17:00; the quietest hours are the first and the last. The visit takes about two hours. Dogs are not allowed, except assistance dogs. You can bring your own food and eat it in the garden, not in the greenhouses, or eat at the Hortus Grand Café. The entrance is at Rapenburg 73. - **De Lakenhal Museum** (1 h 30 · Teenagers and adults · €16 adults): De Lakenhal is the city museum, in the 17th-century building where the quality of the woollen cloths that made Leiden rich was checked. Its collection tells the story of the city through its painters, from Lucas van Leyden to Rembrandt, who was born here, and the fine painters of Leiden. Until 29 March 2027 it has an exhibition on the 17th century and flowers, Garden of Delights. Tickets and opening hours Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00; closed on Mondays. Adults pay €16. It is at Oude Singel 32, ten minutes from the station; the nearest car park is the Lammermarkt. - **De Valk windmill, of 1743** (1 h · All ages, with steep stairs · €6 adults · €5 with CJP): De Valk (The Falcon) is a grain windmill of 1743 built on a bastion of the old city walls, and is the first thing you see on leaving the station. Inside it is a museum: you climb steep stairs through the floors where the miller's family lived and where the grain was ground, up to the gallery, from which you see the rooftops of Leiden and the sails pass very close. Practical details Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00; last entry at 16:30. It costs €6. It is five minutes on foot from Leiden Centraal, on the 2e Binnenvestgracht. - **Leiden canal boat with Bootjes en Broodjes** (50 min · All ages; free up to age 2 · €13.50 adults · €12.50 over-65s · €8.50 ages 3 to 12 · free up to 2): Leiden's centre is surrounded and crossed by canals, and from the water you see the warehouses, the courtyards, the drawbridges and the windmills. Bootjes en Broodjes runs a 50-minute trip from the Blauwpoortsbrug, five minutes from the De Valk windmill. In good weather the boat is open; in cold or rain, covered and heated, so it runs all year. Prices Adults pay €13.50; over-65s, €12.50; ages 3 to 12, €8.50, and under-3s do not pay. Tickets are bought online until shortly before departure. If you wish, you can order sandwiches and drinks with the booking and they are ready for you at their shop at Prinsessekade 3, beside the jetty. - **The Burcht, the castle on the mound** (30 min · All ages · Free): In the middle of the city, between the two arms of the Rhine, rises a mound with a circular wall on top: the Burcht, a medieval fortification built on an artificial hill to watch over the confluence of the rivers. You climb a staircase from the Burgsteeg, walk the wall walk and see Leiden from above: rooftops, church towers and the windmill. Practical details It is free and can be seen in half an hour. It is beside the Nieuwe Rijn market, ten minutes on foot from the Blauwpoortsbrug, so it fits before or after the boat. ## Dónde comer - **Annie's** (Restaurant, Leiden, €€). Qué pedir: something from the daily menu on the floating terrace; in winter, book a dome. - **Café Barrera** (Café, Leiden, €). Qué pedir: the Rapenburger, the house sandwich, on the terrace by the canal. ## By plane: Fly to Amsterdam and Train to Leiden Leiden is about 20 minutes by train from Amsterdam Schiphol airport, which has direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and nearly all the major Spanish cities, so it can be your first or last night of the trip. Rotterdam The Hague airport, with flights from Barcelona, Málaga, Alicante, Valencia, Seville and the Canary Islands depending on the season, is also nearby. You don't need a car. ### Dónde dormir if you're flying - **Boutique Hotel d'Oude Morsch** (Small hotel): The place The hotel occupies the guardhouse of the former Morspoort barracks, a building from 1817 on the edge of the centre, and the view from the windows is the best part: a park, a windmill and the Morspoort, one of the two gates left from the city wall. It has 18 rooms, each with its own layout and contemporary décor, and a lobby serving coffee, lunch, high tea and drinks. Why stay here For the calm and the views, ten minutes' walk from the museums and the station. If you come by car, it is one of the easiest hotels in Leiden: the Morspoort car park is right opposite. Getting there From Leiden Centraal it is about ten minutes on foot. Reception is open every day until 21:00: if you arrive later, let them know. - **City Hotel Rembrandt** (Small hotel): The place A small city hotel on the Nieuwe Beestenmarkt, the canalside square where the boats depart, with 19 rooms and four studios. Many windows look out over the De Valk windmill and the Oude Singel. The rooms are modern and bright. Why stay here For the location: the station is five minutes' walk away, the boat jetty is right in front and the museums are a stroll away. It is handy for a night in passing or as a base for Leiden, The Hague and, in spring, Keukenhof. The beaches of Noordwijk and Katwijk are a quarter of an hour away. Getting there From Leiden Centraal, five minutes on foot towards the windmill. When you book you will see whether breakfast is included. ### Servicios - **Leiden Centraal Station**: Trains from Amsterdam Centraal and Schiphol in about 35 and 20 minutes; ten minutes on foot to the centre. Contactless payment. ## Car-free: Leiden by Train and on Foot Leiden is small and pedestrian-friendly: everything is within twenty minutes' walk of the station, and the boat covers the canals. It lies between Amsterdam and The Hague, half an hour from each, and twenty minutes from the airport. The budget per person per day includes accommodation, food and entry fees. Presupuesto orientativo: 90–160 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir without a car - **Boutique Hotel d'Oude Morsch** (Small hotel): The place The hotel occupies the guardhouse of the former Morspoort barracks, a building from 1817 on the edge of the centre, and the view from the windows is the best part: a park, a windmill and the Morspoort, one of the two gates left from the city wall. It has 18 rooms, each with its own layout and contemporary décor, and a lobby serving coffee, lunch, high tea and drinks. Why stay here For the calm and the views, ten minutes' walk from the museums and the station. If you come by car, it is one of the easiest hotels in Leiden: the Morspoort car park is right opposite. Getting there From Leiden Centraal it is about ten minutes on foot. Reception is open every day until 21:00: if you arrive later, let them know. - **City Hotel Rembrandt** (Small hotel): The place A small city hotel on the Nieuwe Beestenmarkt, the canalside square where the boats depart, with 19 rooms and four studios. Many windows look out over the De Valk windmill and the Oude Singel. The rooms are modern and bright. Why stay here For the location: the station is five minutes' walk away, the boat jetty is right in front and the museums are a stroll away. It is handy for a night in passing or as a base for Leiden, The Hague and, in spring, Keukenhof. The beaches of Noordwijk and Katwijk are a quarter of an hour away. Getting there From Leiden Centraal, five minutes on foot towards the windmill. When you book you will see whether breakfast is included. ### Servicios - **Leiden Centraal Station**: Trains from Amsterdam Centraal and Schiphol in about 35 and 20 minutes; ten minutes on foot to the centre. Contactless payment. ## As a family: Leiden with Family For a small city, Leiden has a very full programme for children: a Tyrannosaurus, an Egyptian temple, a windmill to climb, a castle on a hill and a boat that is covered if it rains. ### What works best Naturalis and Trix the T. rex, free up to age 3 The Egyptian temple at the RMO The De Valk windmill The canal boat, €8.50 for ages 3 to 12 ### Where to stay City Hotel Rembrandt, next to the station Boutique Hotel d'Oude Morsch ### Where to eat Café Barrera, sandwiches Annie's ### Good to know The Hortus does not allow dogs The Lakenhal and De Valk close on Mondays ### Qué hacer as a family - Rijksmuseum van Oudheden and the Temple of Taffeh - Naturalis and the T. rex Trix - Hortus botanicus, the oldest botanical garden in the country - De Valk windmill, of 1743 - Leiden canal boat with Bootjes en Broodjes - The Burcht, the castle on the mound ## With young children: Leiden with Young Children With young children, Leiden works on foot and in short stretches: a museum with dinosaurs, the garden, the boat and the Burcht. ### What works best Naturalis, from about age 4 The Hortus botanicus and its greenhouses The canal boat, free up to age 2 The Burcht, short and free ### Where to stay City Hotel Rembrandt ### Where to eat Café Barrera ### Good to know The Burcht and the windmill have stairs: a baby carrier is better than a pushchair ### Qué hacer with young children - Naturalis and the T. rex Trix - Hortus botanicus, the oldest botanical garden in the country - De Valk windmill, of 1743 - Leiden canal boat with Bootjes en Broodjes - The Burcht, the castle on the mound ## With teenagers: Leiden with Teenagers Leiden is a student city, and teenagers notice: bikes, cafés and terraces on the canals. In the museums, the Egyptian temple and the tyrannosaurus beat the paintings. ### What works best The Rijksmuseum van Oudheden and its mummies Naturalis The De Valk windmill and its gallery De Lakenhal, for those who paint ### Where to stay Boutique Hotel d'Oude Morsch ### Where to eat Café Barrera, the students' café Annie's ### Good to know The RMO is open on Thursday evenings ### Qué hacer with teenagers - Rijksmuseum van Oudheden and the Temple of Taffeh - Naturalis and the T. rex Trix - De Lakenhal Museum - De Valk windmill, of 1743 - Leiden canal boat with Bootjes en Broodjes - The Burcht, the castle on the mound ## Consejos ### On Mondays, go to the RMO The antiquities museum and the Hortus are open daily; the Lakenhal and De Valk are not. ### Thursday evenings The RMO is also open from 19:00 to 22:00. ### Park in a garage On the street in the centre, only with a €30 day ticket. ### The boat, all year In winter it is covered and heated. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How long does it take from Amsterdam to Leiden? About 35 minutes by train from Amsterdam Centraal, on trains that stop at Schiphol. ### What can you see in Leiden in a day? The Egyptian temple at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, the Hortus botanicus, the Burcht, the canal boat and the De Valk windmill; with children, Naturalis. ### Can you see an Egyptian temple in Leiden? Yes, the Temple of Taffeh, in the hall of the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, on the Rapenburg. ### Leiden or Haarlem for Keukenhof? Both work as a base in spring; Leiden is also a quarter of an hour from The Hague. ### Are there canal boats in winter? Yes, Bootjes en Broodjes sails all year, with a covered, heated boat if it is cold.