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Leiden

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Netherlands, Leiden, view across canal with Leiden university's Academy Building on the right

Getty Images/Dorling Kindersley

Overview

Vibrant Leiden is one of the Netherlands' great cities. Woven with canals lined by beautiful 17th-century buildings, its cache of museums, all within walking distance of each other, are a major draw, as is wandering the picturesque canals and soaking up the nightlife, fuelled by a 27,000-strong student population.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Rijksmuseum van Oudheden

    Leiden

    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…

  • Museum De Lakenhal

    Leiden

    Leiden's foremost museum reopened in 2019 following a three-year renovation. Its 1640-built premises (a former cloth warehouse) again displays its…

  • Museum Volkenkunde

    Leiden

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

  • Rijksmuseum Boerhaave

    Leiden

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

  • Pieterskerk

    Leiden

    Crowned by its huge steeple, this now deconsecrated church is often under restoration – a good thing, as it has been prone to collapse since it was built…

  • Hortus Botanicus Leiden

    Leiden

    Founded by the University of Leiden in 1590, this is one of Europe's oldest botanical gardens (the oldest was created in Padua, Italy, in 1545). The…

  • Hooglandse Kerk

    Leiden

    Built on the Hoge Land (High Land) of Leiden, this church was consecrated in 1366 as the collegiate church of St Pancras and was extended in stages…

  • Leiden American Pilgrim Museum

    Leiden

    This museum is a fascinating restoration of a one-room house occupied around 1610 by the soon-to-be Pilgrims. The house itself dates from 1365–70 (check…

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