Explore Leiden place by place
Places in Leiden: museums, history and local favourites
Find the places that suit your day. Every page offers a concise free introduction; members also unlock complete stories, video and route guidance at selected stops.
Historic places
34
De Burcht van Leiden
Discover De Burcht van Leiden, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with origins of the city. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
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Vismarkt
Discover Vismarkt, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with everyday work and food. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
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Koornbrug
Discover Koornbrug, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with grain and trade. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeDe Blauwe Steen
Discover De Blauwe Steen, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with medieval justice. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
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Gravensteen
Discover Gravensteen, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with justice and punishment. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
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Pieterskerk
The Pieterskerk is Leiden's largest and most important medieval church, a late-Gothic building from the fifteenth century at the heart of the Pieterskwartier.
View this placePilgrimswijk & Engelse Poort
Discover Pilgrimswijk & Engelse Poort, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with the pilgrims' eleven years in leiden. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
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Jean Pesijnhofje
Discover Jean Pesijnhofje, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with charity and community. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeBuskruitramp 1807
Discover Buskruitramp 1807, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with a city centre erased in one second. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeWeddesteeg
Discover Weddesteeg, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with origins of a painter. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeLeidens Ontzet
Discover Leidens Ontzet, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with starvation turned into celebration. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
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Cleveringa 1940
Discover Cleveringa 1940, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with one man, one lecture, one decision. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeMolen De Put
Discover Molen De Put, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with city landmarks. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeMorspoort
Discover Morspoort, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with city gates and defence. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeZijlpoort
Discover Zijlpoort, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with city gates and defence. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeHooglandse Kerk
Discover Hooglandse Kerk, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with gothic architecture and faith. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeMarekerk
Discover Marekerk, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with protestant architecture. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeHartebrugkerk
Discover Hartebrugkerk, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with neo-gothic revival. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeStadhuis van Leiden
Discover Stadhuis van Leiden, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with civic power and governance. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeDe Waag
Discover De Waag, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with trade and measurement. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeYoung Rembrandt Studio
The Young Rembrandt Studio is a reconstruction of the workshop where Rembrandt van Rijn learned to paint as a young man under master Jacob van Swanenburgh and later Pieter Lastman.
View this placeOude Sterrewacht
Discover Oude Sterrewacht, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with astronomy and the university. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeBibliotheca Thysiana
Discover Bibliotheca Thysiana, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with books and private scholarship. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeSingelpark
Discover Singelpark, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with green city walks. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placePlantsoen
Discover Plantsoen, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with urban green space. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placePark Matilo
Discover Park Matilo, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with roman leiden. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placePolderpark Cronesteyn
Discover Polderpark Cronesteyn, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with polder landscape. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeSint Annahofje
Discover Sint Annahofje, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with hidden courtyards. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeRapenburg
Discover Rapenburg, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with leiden's grandest canal. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeOude Rijn en Nieuwe Rijn
Discover Oude Rijn en Nieuwe Rijn, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with waterways and trade. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeBeestenmarkt
Discover Beestenmarkt, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with city squares and social life. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeMeelfabriek
Discover Meelfabriek, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with industrial heritage. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeLatijnse School
Discover Latijnse School, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with education and knowledge. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeLeids Weeshuis
Discover Leids Weeshuis, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with social care and poverty. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeMuseums
15
Hortus Botanicus
Discover Hortus Botanicus, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with plants, science and empire. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeMuseum Het Leids Wevershuis
Het Leids Wevershuis is an original seventeenth-century weaver's house on the Middelstegracht. It is one of the few places in the Netherlands where you can see what the textile industry actually looked like in daily life.
View this placeMolen De Valk
Discover Molen De Valk, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with windmills and grain. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placeMuseum De Lakenhal
Museum De Lakenhal is Leiden's city museum, housed in the monumental Laecken-Halle from 1640 on the Oude Singel. After a thorough renovation in 2019 the building combines seventeenth-century grandeur with a clean modern interior.
View this placeRijksmuseum van Oudheden
The Rijksmuseum van Oudheden is the national museum of archaeology, located on the Rapenburg in one of the most beautiful streets in the Netherlands. The collection spans thousands of years of human history.
View this placeRijksmuseum Boerhaave
Rijksmuseum Boerhaave is the national museum for the history of science and medicine, housed in the former sixteenth-century Caecilia Hospital.
View this placeWereldmuseum Leiden
The Wereldmuseum Leiden houses one of the largest ethnographic collections in the world, gathered by Dutch explorers, traders and scientists over four centuries.
View this placeJapanmuseum SieboldHuis
The Japanmuseum SieboldHuis tells the story of the unique bond between Leiden and Japan, a relationship spanning more than two centuries. The museum is housed in the former home of Philipp Franz von Siebold on the Rapenburg.
View this placeNaturalis Biodiversity Center
Naturalis is one of the world's largest natural history museums, with more than 42 million objects in its scientific collection. The building was completely renewed in 2019 and now offers a modern, interactive experience.
View this placeLeiden American Pilgrim Museum
Discover Leiden American Pilgrim Museum, a distinctive place in Leiden connected with pilgrims before the mayflower. This free introduction helps you decide whether to include it in your visit.
View this placePilgrim Museum Leiden
The Leiden American Pilgrim Museum is a small, intimate museum in an authentic fourteenth-century house in the Beschuitsteeg, in the heart of the Pieterskwartier.
View this placeMolenmuseum De Valk
Molenmuseum De Valk is a 1743 stone tower mill, seven storeys tall, right in the centre of Leiden. The mill is fully furnished and shows how a miller's family lived and worked here.
View this placeHortus botanicus Leiden
The Hortus botanicus Leiden was founded in 1590, making it one of the world's oldest botanical gardens. It was laid out by Carolus Clusius, the celebrated botanist who brought the first tulip bulbs to the Netherlands and started the tradition that made Dutch flowers famous around the globe.
View this placeCORPUS
CORPUS is an interactive journey through the human body inside a striking 35-metre-tall building on the edge of Leiden. You literally walk through organs, blood vessels and the brain.
View this placeOude Sterrewacht Leiden
The Oude Sterrewacht is Leiden University's historic observatory, built in 1860 and still in use for research and education today.
View this placeMarkets
6Leidse Woensdagmarkt
Leiden's Wednesday market runs through the historic centre with fruit, vegetables, cheese, flowers, fish and food.
View this placeLeidse Zaterdagmarkt
Leiden's largest regular market with roughly 210 stalls throughout the historic centre.
View this placeNostalgische Leidse Kerstmarkt
A seven-day Christmas market around Hooglandse Kerk, Nieuwstraat and De Burcht with festive stalls.
View this placeFeestelijke Warenmarkt Leidens Ontzet
A huge festive market during Leiden's Relief on 2 and 3 October with stalls, food and fairground.
View this placeOranjemarkt Koningsdag
A special King's Day market in central Leiden as part of the national orange celebration.
View this placeSwan Market Leiden
A creative lifestyle market featuring independent brands and makers.
View this placeLocal favourites
29Tony Vergunst Stroopwafels
Freshly made stroopwafels at Saturday's market. A fixture for generations.
View this placeLeidsche Koek
A floating cookie bakery on the Oude Rijn baking cookies from a 1602 Leiden recipe.
View this placeKaasspeciaalzaak Van Boheemen
An authentic Leiden cheese shop on Lange Mare since 1956, known for traditional Boeren-Leidse cheese.
View this placeOudt Leyden
A classic Leiden pancake restaurant serving traditional Dutch pancakes, ranging from simple syrup pancakes to generous savoury versions. The Leiden mustard soup adds an extra local touch.
View this placePannenkoekenhuis De Schaapsbel
A traditional pancake house on the Beestenmarkt, established here in 1986. Pancakes are prepared in the open kitchen and fresh Dutch poffertjes are cooked on the griddle.
View this placeAnnie's
Annie's sits exactly where the Oude Rijn and Nieuwe Rijn meet and features a large floating terrace. Visitors can eat and drink directly beside Leiden's canals while boats pass by.
View this placeWaag
A restaurant inside Leiden's historic Weigh House on the Aalmarkt. Visitors dine in one of the city centre's most distinctive monuments, with a waterside terrace outside.
View this placeIn Den Bierbengel
A cosy restaurant inside a historic building in Leiden's Pieterskwartier, featuring an old fireplace, maps and other period details. Around Leiden's Relief celebrations, traditional hutspot is served here.
View this placeBrasserie Rumour
A modern brasserie close to Leiden's Burcht, serving lunch, dinner and drinks. During the Leiden Relief celebrations it serves a special hutspot with slow-cooked beef.
View this placeRestaurant Scarlatti Leiden
A centrally located restaurant on the Stille Mare with a spacious terrace and broad lunch and dinner menu. Around 3 October, Scarlatti is one of the city-centre restaurants serving traditional hutspot.
View this placeBrasserie de Poort
A waterside brasserie beside the historic Zijlpoort on the eastern edge of the city centre. The menu focuses on sharing dishes with seafood, meat and vegetarian choices.
View this placeVooraf en Toe
An informal food, drink and art cafe on the Botermarkt with seating on a terrace boat. It works well for breakfast, coffee, lunch and, later in the week, a relaxed evening beside the canal.
View this placeEinstein Leiden
A Leiden cafe-restaurant on the Nieuwe Rijn that has been a familiar city venue since 1995. Its sunny canal-side terrace is the main attraction for visitors.
View this placeDapp Frietwinkel Leiden
A small fries shop on the Aalmarkt where potatoes are cut and fried fresh in-store every day. The menu also includes Dutch snack-bar classics such as croquettes, bitterballen and frikandellen.
View this placeCafe De Bonte Koe
A genuine historic Leiden brown cafe with a remarkably preserved old interior. Decorative tiles, woodwork and intimate rooms create an atmosphere that modern bars simply cannot reproduce.
View this placeCafe De Vergulde Kruik
A historic brown cafe and bistro inside a listed building on Haarlemmerstraat. The old bar, Dutch tiles and stained glass make the interior an attraction in its own right.
View this placeCafe Barrera
A well-known Leiden cafe directly opposite Leiden University's Academy Building. Its waterside terrace on the historic Rapenburg captures the atmosphere of Leiden as a university city.
View this placeNorth End English Pub
An English pub at the corner of the Rapenburg serving British beer, whisky and pub food. In good weather, guests can enjoy a pint on its canal-side lounge boat.
View this placeVlot Grand Cafe
A floating grand cafe inside a glass boat on Prinsessekade, surrounded by several terraces. It offers views across the Galgewater towards historic Leiden.
View this placeBikini Bikini
A restaurant-cafe in a historic warehouse beside Leiden's harbour, with a nautical atmosphere and large waterside terrace. It works from breakfast through late-night drinks.
View this placeCafe De Uyl van Hoogland
A typical Leiden cafe in Nieuwstraat with a terrace close to Hooglandse Kerk. It is a good place for coffee, local beer or evening drinks among locals and students.
View this placeHet Stadsbrouwhuis
A craft beer bar on Aalmarkt with its own working microbrewery. With dozens of draught beers and a large bottle and can selection, it is one of Leiden's strongest destinations for beer lovers.
View this placeLemmy's Beer and Whiskycafe
A classic beer and whisky cafe on Morsstraat with a huge selection of speciality beers and dozens of whiskies. Its intimate atmosphere is aimed firmly at genuine drinks enthusiasts.
View this placeProeflokaal 1574
A wine bar and restaurant on Apothekersdijk offering a large wine selection and organised tastings. Wine knowledge and food pairing are central to the concept.
View this placeRabaja
An Italian wine bar and kitchen on Morsstraat where wine is central to the experience. Italian and Mediterranean cooking is combined with specialist wine knowledge.
View this placeOttovino wines & bites
A new wine bar at Leiden's harbour offering dozens of wines by the glass and views towards the historic Zijlpoort. Wine is paired with small bites.
View this placeCafe Frank
A cocktail bar beside the Pieterskerk serving cocktails, wine, beer and shared comfort food. Its terrace looks directly onto the historic Pieterskerk square.
View this placeTabu
A colourful Latin American restaurant and cocktail bar with a sunny terrace, extensive cocktail menu and tropical atmosphere.
View this placeDe Twee Spieghels
An intimate jazz and wine cafe near Hooglandse Kerk with regular live performances and jam sessions. Musicians perform only a short distance from the audience.
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