Leiden is the oldest university town in the Netherlands, and its academic quarter is compact enough to walk in a morning. The university was founded in 1575, the year after the city survived a long Spanish siege, and tradition holds that William of Orange granted it as a reward for that resistance. Many of its oldest buildings line the Rapenburg canal, a short walk from Leiden Centraal station.
Getting There and Planning the Walk
Leiden sits on the main rail line between Amsterdam and The Hague, so it works as a day trip from either city or from Schiphol airport. From Leiden Centraal, head south through the shopping streets to the Rapenburg; the route below is a loop of a few kilometres that you can walk in two hours without museum stops, or stretch into a full day with them.
The university quarter is a working district, not an open-air museum. Students cycle through at speed, lecture buildings are not open for casual visits, and faculty buildings are spread across the city and the newer Bio Science Park north of the station. Keep to the canals and the sights below and you will see the historic core.
The Academy Building and the Rapenburg
Start at the Academiegebouw (Academy Building) on the Rapenburg, the university's ceremonial home since the sixteenth century. It occupies a former convent chapel and is still used for PhD defences, inaugural lectures and graduation ceremonies. Its best-known room is the small "zweetkamertje" (sweat room), where candidates wait before their defence and traditionally sign the walls. Access depends on the university's ceremonial programme, so treat a look inside as a bonus rather than a plan.
The Rapenburg itself is one of the most photographed canals in the Netherlands, lined with seventeenth- and eighteenth-century merchants' houses, many now used by the university. Walk its length in both directions; the curve of the canal and the bridges make it as much of a sight as any single building.
Hortus botanicus Leiden
Directly behind the Academy Building is the Hortus botanicus, founded in 1590 and the oldest botanical garden in the Netherlands. It was created for teaching medicine and botany, and it played an early role in the history of the tulip in Europe through the botanist Carolus Clusius, whose reconstructed garden is part of the site. Today it combines historic beds, greenhouses with tropical plants and a Japanese-style garden. It charges admission and has seasonal opening hours, so check its website before you go.
Museums on and Near the Rapenburg
Leiden's university collections grew into several national museums, and the key ones are within a few minutes of each other:
- Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (National Museum of Antiquities) on the Rapenburg holds Egyptian, Classical and Dutch archaeology. The Egyptian temple of Taffeh stands in its entrance hall.
- Rijksmuseum Boerhaave covers the history of science and medicine, including microscopes, anatomical models and instruments linked to Dutch scientists.
- Museum De Lakenhal, a little further north, is the city museum, with work by Leiden-born painters including Rembrandt and Lucas van Leyden.
If you only have time for one, choose by interest: antiquities, science or painting. Each needs at least a couple of hours to do justice.
Pieterskerk, the Old Observatory and the Wall Poems
From the Rapenburg, walk east to the Pieterskerk, Leiden's largest medieval church. It is linked to the Pilgrims, the English Separatist group that lived in Leiden before some of its members sailed to America in 1620; their pastor John Robinson is commemorated there. The church is now used for events and exhibitions, so opening times vary.
At the southern end of the Hortus stands the Old Observatory (Oude Sterrewacht), part of one of the oldest university observatories in the world. It is used by the university and is not a standard tourist attraction, but the domes are visible from the garden and the street.
As you walk, look up at the blank side walls of buildings. Leiden has more than a hundred poems painted on its walls in their original languages, from Shakespeare to Japanese and Russian verse. They are scattered across the centre, and spotting them is a good way to explore the side streets between the canals.
The Burcht and the Old Centre
Finish by crossing the Nieuwe Rijn to the Burcht, a twelfth-century shell keep on an artificial mound. It is free to enter and gives a view over the roofs of the old town. The nearby streets have the weekly market on Wednesdays and Saturdays along the Nieuwe Rijn and Botermarkt, which is a convenient place for lunch.
Practical Tips
- Visit on a weekday in term time if you want to see the university as a living institution; visit at weekends or in summer for quieter streets.
- On 3 October, Leiden celebrates the relief of the 1574 siege (Leidens Ontzet) with a funfair, parades and traditional hutspot. The town is very busy that day.
- The quarter is flat and walkable. Watch for cyclists on the narrow canal-side streets, and do not stand in bike lanes to take photos.
- Most museums and the Hortus are closed on certain days, often Mondays for some of them. Check each official site for current hours and prices before planning a tight schedule.
