Leiden, Netherlands is a university town that can feel low on the excitement scale if compared to Amsterdam. However, spending an afternoon here is an absolute delight. If you’ve already visited busy and bustling Amsterdam, Leiden can feel a world away. This city has more charm than I was expecting and proved to be a great base for exploring parts of Holland. So while it doesn’t have as many major sites as some of its more famous neighbors, I think Leiden is still worth exploring for one day.
I feel like like I could go on and on about why you should use Leiden as a base for exploring other parts of the Netherlands (and I do later in this article). However, there are several reasons to visit beyond just using Leiden as a base to explore other cities. In Leiden, you’ll find museums, great architecture, and the Netherlands’s oldest university. Yep, Leiden is a university town and that likely helps it to get so many connections to elsewhere in the country.
The Best Things to Do in Leiden
When you visit, you’ll find a charming city, but it is small so it can be visited quickly. At most, you’ll only need one day to properly explore the city of Leiden. I spent two hours exploring the city one afternoon and came up with a list of five things I think everyone should see on their visit to Leiden.
Molenmuseum De Valk
If you arrive in Leiden by train, you’ll need to get to the city center. It’s only a ten minute walk so it’s not bad, but along the way you’ll pass a symbol of the Netherlands. Yes, it’s a windmill.
I visited five cities during my short time in the Netherlands and this was the only windmill I recall seeing directly in a city center. It’s in a photogenic area too, so make sure to snap a picture.
If you want to learn even more, the windmill is also a museum that talks about windmill history in the Netherlands. For me though, snapping a picture was enough. But as weird as it sounds, I really enjoyed walking past this windmill every day as I went to and from the station. It was just a nice reminder of where I was.
Statue of Remembrandt
One of the most famous painters to ever live was Remembrandt. He’s considered one of the Dutch masters and if you visit the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, you’ll be able to see some of his works. But did you know that Remembrandt was actually born here in Leiden?
If you visit Remembrandtpark, you’ll find a small statue of a Remembrandt. The small boy looks up at an easel with a self portrait of Remembrandt.
While I’m not a huge art lover, I did think this was a cool statue. Not just as a “oh this is something you should see”, but as an art piece, I thought it was cool. Plus, Remembrandt is one of those artists that we’ve all heard of, so I felt like I had to come and see it while I was here.
Stroll the Canals
This might seem like cheating to add “Stroll the canals” to my list of things to do in Leiden. In many Dutch cities, one of the best things to do is to stroll the canals. But I had just come from Rotterdam which didn’t have canals like I found in Leiden. The canals weave their way through the downtown and you’ll find great photogenic areas of the city everywhere.
Pieterskerk
I’ve said it before and I’ll say again. It seems wrong to make a list of things to do in a European city without mentioning a magnificent church. Here, it’s Pieterskerk, or St. Peter’s Church. While it functions more as an event space than a church now days, it still has an important history, particularly for Americans.
The Pilgrims who set off for the New World on the Mayflower worshipped here. They fled England and took refuge here in Leiden before Holland’s truce with Spain expired. Once that truce expired, the Pilgrims were forced to flee again. In 1620, they set sail for the New World from here.
If you want to learn more, Leiden has an American Pilgrim Museum that goes into this topic in more depth.
Burcht van Leiden
Most of the Netherlands is flat, but you’ll see one hill on your day in Leiden. This hill is manmade and was home to a castle since the 1100s. Before you get too excited, it’s mostly an empty shell today (mostly because it was never a massive castle like you may find in other European cities).
Still, this is still worth a visit. Why? Because you can climb to the top for spectacular views of the city of Leiden. And even better, it’s free to do visit.
This hill is not that steep, but after a few days of incredibly flat Netherlands, you might find yourself a little out of breath. And I know that my previous statement makes it sound really steep and difficult. It’s not, but it is a hill and you will have a large staircase to climb up. The view from the top is worth it.
How Long Do You Need in Leiden?
Unless you plan to visit any museums, two hours is sufficient to do a short, self-guided walking tour of the city. But, travelers who want to explore more in depth, you can plan for one day in Leiden.
Getting to Leiden
Trains connect Leiden with many other cities in the Netherlands and those trains are incredibly frequent. Plus, with Dutch trains, you don’t have to reserve a specific time. Your train ticket is valid all day for whatever the date is on the ticket (so you can travel at any time on that day). Note, if you’re traveling internationally (such as from Amsterdam to Paris on the high speed Thalys train), reservations are required and you must use the time on your ticket.
Here’s some common connections to other major Dutch cities:
Leiden to Amsterdam – 35 minutes
Leiden to Rotterdam – 35 minutes
Leiden to Delft – 25 minutes
Leiden to Haarlem – 20 minutes
Leiden to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport – 15 minutes
Using Leiden As a Base
Since hotel prices in Amsterdam have gotten extremely high, even in the off season, many tourists (myself included) have started looking for alternatives. During my research, I looked at Haarlem, Utrecht, and Leiden. All three of these cities are close enough to Amsterdam and are popular places for travelers who feel priced out of Amsterdam hotels. While Haarlem was closer, it was more expensive. Utrecht was a bit more out of the way than what I was looking for. Leiden seemed to have the perfect balance between location and price.
That said, my hotel in Leiden was still more expensive than my hotels in Tours, Brussels, and Antwerp that same week (at about $30 more per night than any other hotel I stayed at). However, even once I factored in train tickets to get to Amsterdam (and other cities), it was still significantly cheaper to stay in Leiden instead of Amsterdam. In fact, my hotel in Leiden was about one third of the price of a hotel Amsterdam. And I’m willing to bet, the room was a little larger and nicer than what I would have gotten in Amsterdam.
My Experience with Leiden As a Base
I have no regrets using Leiden as a base to explore Amsterdam. The price was definitely worth it and my “commute” from Leiden to Amsterdam was easy. I had a six minute walk from my hotel to the Leiden train station and then 35 minutes later, I was at Amsterdam Centraal Station. It was so easy!I only made the trip into Amsterdam once, but had I had more time, I would have had no concerns with doing that same commute again. Now, maybe I would feel different if I did it every day for a week, but for a day or two, or even three, I don’t think it is a bad commute. In fact, I would absolutely stay at the same hotel in Leiden again on a return visit to Amsterdam.
The price was great and the room was nice. But I also had one other nice bonus. At the end of the day, I was able to get away from the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam. My nights ended in Leiden which was just felt much calmer than Amsterdam.
My Netherlands Itinerary
I entered the Netherlands via Rotterdam. I stored my bag, explored Rotterdam, and then came to Leiden and did a short walking tour. The next day I took the train to visit Amsterdam and Haarlem, before returning to my hotel in Leiden. On my last day I took a bus to the Keukenhof in the morning, before returning to Leiden. In the afternoon, I took a train to explore Delft and returned to Leiden at night. The following day, it was time to go home and I caught a train to Amsterdam Schiphol.
It may sound like a lot of travel, and I guess it was. However, my longest train journeys were 35 minutes each. For the cost savings, that’s totally worth it to me.
Final Thoughts
I feel like I talked more about using Leiden as a base. But in some ways that makes sense because it was more of a base than a city to explore. At least for me. However, I do recommend that travelers passing through make a point to stop and explore Leiden, even if it’s just for one day. It’s feels a world away from major cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam, but in my opinion, has more charm that the city of Haarlem (which is another popular town).
Continue Your Adventure
Amsterdam: The capital of the Netherlands is full of amazing museums, canals, and so many fun things to do. Learn how to spend one perfect day in Amsterdam.
Delft: For a smaller town away from the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam, consider a visit to Delft.
Rotterdam: The second largest city in the Netherlands has a completely different feel than Amsterdam. Check out Rotterdam when you visit the Netherlands.
Keukenhof: A spring visit to the Netherlands is not complete without a visit to the Keukenhof Gardens. For those who can’t make the visit (or those just looking for some inspiration), check out my photo tour of Keukenhof.
Netherlands Travel Guide: Start planning your adventure with my Netherlands Travel Guide.
Itineraries: For those with limited time, try a long weekend in the Netherlands. For those with more time, try my 10 Days in Paris, Belgium, and Amsterdam itinerary.