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    Leiden

    Netherlands

    Leiden

    CityCulture

    Leiden is the oldest university city in the Netherlands and Rembrandt's birthplace – a canal city on the Oude Rijn with an unusual density of museums.

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    9. Leiden
    Leiden is the oldest university city in the Netherlands and Rembrandt's birthplace – a canal city on the Oude Rijn with an unusual density of museums. In the Hortus Botanicus of the university, founded in 1575, the first tulips bloomed on Dutch soil in 1594.The city, with around 130,000 inhabitants, is located approximately 18 kilometers northeast of The Hague and 45 kilometers southwest of Amsterdam. Every year on October 3, it celebrates the end of the Spanish siege of 1574, traditionally with the carrot stew Hutspot.
    Leiden has a population of around 130,000 and is located in the north of the province of Zuid-Holland, about 18 kilometers from Den Haag and 45 kilometers from Amsterdam. The Oude Rijn flows through the city. Its character is shaped by the university founded in 1575, the country's oldest, and by its museums: the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden for archaeology, the Naturalis natural history museum, the municipal museum De Lakenhal, and the Wereldmuseum. Hofjes, residential courtyards endowed between 1600 and 1900, are found everywhere in the old town.

    Sights in Leiden

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    Leiden Fortress
    Historic Landmark

    1Leiden Fortress

    On an artificially raised hill from the 11th or 12th century, the remains of an old fortress stand in the middle of the city. Today, the site is a city park with panoramic views.
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    Hortus Botanicus
    Attraction

    2Hortus Botanicus

    The University Botanical Garden is over 400 years old. Here in 1594, the first tulips bloomed on Dutch soil, planted by botanist Carolus Clusius. The garden includes a tropical greenhouse, a winter garden, and a café.
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    Rijksmuseum van Oudheden
    Museum

    3Rijksmuseum van Oudheden

    The National Archaeology Museum is the most important of its kind in the Netherlands and displays significant collections of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman finds. Its exhibits include an entire temple, which the museum received as a gift in the 1960s.
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    Naturalis
    Museum

    4Naturalis

    The natural history museum is particularly family-friendly: Among the exhibits are a dinosaur skeleton, a giant squid, and a large, rotating globe. The collection includes many extinct animal species.
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    Museum De Lakenhal
    Museum

    5Museum De Lakenhal

    The municipal museum is housed in the 17th-century Cloth Hall. It exhibits paintings from 1600 to 1900, among them works by Rembrandt, as well as modern art, Delft pottery, and pieces on city history.
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    Pieterskerk
    Church

    6Pieterskerk

    Construction of the church began in 1121; most of it dates from the 16th century. Many tombs lie within. The building is no longer used as a church; today, it hosts events, conferences, and trade fairs.
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    Restaurants in Leiden

    1

    Paco Ciao

    Restaurant with breakfast and cocktail bar on Stationsweg, between train station and old town.
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    2

    Floor's

    Breakfast spot on Doezastraat, south of the Old Town.
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    3

    Pavarotti Leiden

    Italian restaurant on the Nieuwe Rijn in the centre.
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    University, Rembrandt and October 3rd

    City of ScienceThe university was founded in 1575. In its botanical garden, Carolus Clusius planted the tulips that first bloomed on Dutch soil in 1594. The painter Rembrandt also hailed from Leiden; his works are displayed at Museum De Lakenhal.Leidens OntzetFrom May 25, 1574, Spanish troops besieged the city, which was liberated on October 3, 1574. Leiden celebrates this day every year; traditionally, the carrot stew Hutspot is served.

    Arrival

    Leiden lies between Amsterdam and The Hague. From the station, you walk along Stationsweg to the old town. During the tulip season, Bus line 854 operates from Leiden to Keukenhof.

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    Nearby

    Lisse & Keukenhof

    Lisse & Keukenhof

    Keukenhof near Lisse is the most famous flower park in the Netherlands: Every spring, 32 hectares bloom with around seven million hand-planted flower bulbs, including 4.5 million tulips in 100 varieties. It is open only eight weeks a year – during this time, around 1.4 million visitors arrive, about 80 percent of them from abroad.The park was established in 1949 as a spring flower show for bulb growers. Its name, 'Küchenhof', dates back to the 15th century, when Jakobäa von Bayern had herbs grown here for the castle kitchen. Lisse is located in the province of Zuid-Holland, in the middle of the flower bulb growing region.
    Den Haag

    Den Haag

    The Hague is the Netherlands' seat of government and parliament, royal residence, and a city by the sea: The seaside resort of Scheveningen, with its historic Kurhaus, is part of the city. Visitors come for the medieval Binnenhof, for Vermeer and Rembrandt in the Mauritshuis, and for the miniature city of Madurodam.The city, with around 566,000 inhabitants, is capital of Zuid-Holland province; its center lies about six kilometers from the North Sea. As seat of the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, and the Permanent Court of Arbitration, The Hague is also a center for international law.
    South Holland

    South Holland

    South Holland is the most densely populated province of the Netherlands, uniting two very different major cities: the port city of Rotterdam and the seat of government, The Hague. In between lie the historic centers of Leiden, Delft, Gouda, Dordrecht, and Schiedam.Along the North Sea coast, behind the dunes, are seaside resorts such as Katwijk and Noordwijk. Southeast of Rotterdam stand the windmills of Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage site. In the south of the province, bridges and dams connect the islands of the Rhine Delta.
    Delft

    Delft

    Delft is located between The Hague and Rotterdam and is known for three things: its blue and white Delft Blue pottery, the painter Jan Vermeer, and the history of the House of Orange. William of Orange was assassinated here in 1584; the royal family's burial place is located in the Nieuwe Kerk on the market square.The city has a population of around 110,000 and is home to a Technical University. Its center, with canals, the 1620 City Hall, and the Oude Kerk with its leaning tower, can be easily explored on foot.
    Gouda

    Gouda

    Gouda gave its name to the Netherlands' most famous cheese: it is produced in the surrounding area and has been traded here for centuries – every Thursday morning from April to August at the cheese market. This city in Zuid-Holland is also the home of the Stroopwafel and was long known for candles and clay pipes.In the middle of the market square stands one of the country's oldest Gothic town halls, built between 1448 and 1450. The Sint-Janskerk, at 123 meters, is the longest cruciform church in the Netherlands and famous for its 70 stained-glass windows. Gouda has around 76,000 inhabitants and is located at the confluence of the Gouwe and Hollandse IJssel.