Hortus botanicus, the oldest botanical garden in the country

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.