Day trip from Amsterdam
Leiden
Canals, Culture & Hidden Courtyards
Approximately 35–40 minutes by train
Why visit
Leiden is the Netherlands' oldest university city, with more canals than you can walk in a day, a working windmill museum in the centre and a cluster of serious museums. Its quiet hofjes — walled almshouse gardens — are among the loveliest hidden corners in the country.
Top things to see
- The Rapenburg canal, often called the prettiest in the Netherlands
- De Valk windmill museum
- The National Museum of Antiquities (Rijksmuseum van Oudheden)
- The Hortus Botanicus, one of Europe's oldest botanical gardens
- The hofjes tucked behind the old streets
Suggested one-day plan
Take the train out and start with De Valk windmill, then follow the canals into the centre.
Lunch beside the Rapenburg, then visit the Hortus Botanicus.
Choose one museum in the quarter, then seek out two or three hofjes on the walk back.
Return to Amsterdam by early evening.
Direct trains from Amsterdam Centraal reach Leiden Centraal in 35–40 minutes. The centre and De Valk windmill are within a 10-minute walk of the station.
Around 6 hours, with 4–5 hours in the city.
- Hofjes are lived-in homes; enter quietly and only during posted hours.
- Leiden is the closest large city to Keukenhof if you want to combine the two in spring.
- Many museums close on Mondays.
- Canal boat tours run from the centre between April and October.