Museum De Lakenhal

Top choice in Leiden


Leiden's foremost museum reopened in 2019 following a three-year renovation. Its 1640-built premises (a former cloth warehouse) again displays its exceptional permanent art and history collection. Adjoining it, a striking new building hosts temporary exhibitions. The museum's masterpieces include The Spectacles Pedlar by the city's native son Rembrandt, The Astronomer by Gerrit Dou (Rembrandt's first student), Playing Couple by Jan Steen, and The Last Judgement by Lucas van Leyden,

Hour-long guided tours in English at 2pm on Sundays are free.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Leiden attractions

1. Rijksmuseum Boerhaave

0.12 MILES

Named in honour of physician, botanist, chemist and University of Leiden teacher Herman Boerhaave (1668–1738), this impressive museum of science and…

2. De Valk

0.12 MILES

Leiden's landmark tower windmill – built in 1743 and now a museum – is considered one of the best examples of its kind. Its arms still occasionally rotate…

3. Marekerk

0.14 MILES

The Marekerk dates to 1639 and has a beautiful octagonal wooden interior. Regular concerts and theatre performances take place here; check the agenda…

4. Museum Volkenkunde

0.22 MILES

Cultural achievements by civilisations worldwide are showcased at this splendid museum, which has a collection of more than 300,000 artefacts from across…

5. Morspoort

0.22 MILES

One of two still-standing historic city gates (there were originally eight), the Morspoort was built in 1669 to a design by Willem van der Helm, who also…

6. Latin School

0.31 MILES

Before it became a commercial building, the gabled Latin School, built in 1600, was graced by a pupil named Rembrandt from 1616 to 1620.

7. Rijksmuseum van Oudheden

0.32 MILES

Home to the Rijksmuseum's collection of Greek, Etruscan, Roman and Egyptian artefacts, this museum is best known for its Egyptian halls, which include the…

8. Gravensteen

0.33 MILES

The Gravensteen dates to the 13th century and was once a prison. Judges once watched executions from the gallery facing the plaza, which was known as…