Why Leiden in Winter
Leiden is a compact university city with an unusually high number of museums for its size, most within a 15-minute walk of each other along the canals. That makes it a good choice for a grey winter day: you can move from one warm interior to the next without long journeys, and the centre is quieter than in summer. Leiden Centraal is around 35 minutes by train from Amsterdam and about 15 to 20 minutes from Schiphol, so it also works as a day trip.
Rijksmuseum van Oudheden: Egypt and the Classical World
The National Museum of Antiquities on Rapenburg holds the Netherlands' main collection of Egyptian, Greek, Roman and early Dutch archaeology. Its best-known exhibit is the Temple of Taffeh, a complete small Egyptian temple about 2,000 years old, which was given to the Netherlands in recognition of its help in saving monuments during the construction of the Aswan High Dam. There are also mummies, coffins and Roman finds from the Netherlands itself. Allow two to three hours.
Naturalis: Dinosaurs and Natural History
Naturalis Biodiversity Center, the national natural history museum, reopened in a new building in 2019. Its dinosaur hall includes Trix, a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, and the galleries cover evolution, the Earth, life in the Netherlands and the seasons. It is especially popular with families, so arrive early during school holidays.
De Lakenhal, Boerhaave and More
Museum De Lakenhal, in the former cloth hall, is Leiden's city museum of art and history. Highlights include The Last Judgment, the large triptych by Lucas van Leyden, and early work by Rembrandt and Jan Lievens, both of whom were born and trained in Leiden. The museum was renovated and extended before reopening in 2019.
Rijksmuseum Boerhaave covers the history of science and medicine, with instruments such as microscopes made by Antoni van Leeuwenhoek and pendulum clocks associated with Christiaan Huygens, plus an anatomical theatre reconstruction. It is more engaging than it may sound, even if you are not scientifically minded.
Elsewhere in the centre, the Wereldmuseum Leiden, previously known as Museum Volkenkunde, is one of the oldest ethnographic museums in Europe, with collections from Asia, Africa, Oceania and the Americas. Nearby on Rapenburg, the Japanmuseum SieboldHuis occupies the house where Philipp Franz von Siebold kept the collection he brought back from Japan in the 19th century, including natural history specimens, prints and everyday objects.
Glasshouses and Free Exhibitions
The Hortus botanicus Leiden, founded in 1590, is one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world. In winter its tropical glasshouses are a warm, humid escape, with orchids, carnivorous plants and giant water lilies. In the winter season it is open daily from 10:00 to 17:00, but closes from 25 December to 1 January.
The Leiden University Library on Witte Singel holds several free exhibitions a year in its entrance area, drawing on its special collections of manuscripts, maps, prints and early printed books. Check the library's website for what is currently on display.
The medieval Pieterskerk hosts exhibitions and events and has strong links with the Pilgrim Fathers, who lived in Leiden before sailing to America; their pastor John Robinson is buried here. Opening times vary with events.
Warming Up in a Brown Café
Leiden has plenty of traditional brown cafés, named for their dark wood interiors and walls stained by generations of smoke. Café De Bonte Koe, on the corner of the Hooigracht near the Hooglandse Kerk, is one of the best known. Its interior has barely changed in more than a century, with tile panels of rural scenes from the early 20th century, and it serves a wide range of Belgian and Dutch beers. Local legend says the building was originally fitted out as a butcher's shop, which would explain the name, "the spotted cow".
Elsewhere, the streets around the Nieuwe Rijn, Breestraat and the Burcht have cafés for coffee and apple pie. The Burcht itself, a medieval motte topped by a circular wall with a walkway, is a short climb and worth it on a clear winter afternoon.
Practical Tips
- The Museumkaart is accepted by most Leiden museums, which helps if you plan to visit several.
- Mondays: check opening days, as some museums close on Mondays.
- Book ahead at Naturalis during school holidays.
- Stay overnight if you want to combine three or more museums; the centre is small and easy to walk in the dark.
