The Hague
The Mauritshuis, the Kunstmuseum and Panorama Mesdag, with the sea thrown in.
Rembrandt, mummies and the first tulips.
9 museumsLeiden is home to the oldest university in the Netherlands and the birthplace of Rembrandt. Behind its canals and almshouses lie museums full of Egyptian temples, dinosaurs and science. And everywhere you look, students are pushing their bikes.
Few cities pack as many museums into so small a space as Leiden. The National Museum of Antiquities, Museum De Lakenhal, Rijksmuseum Boerhaave and the Hortus botanicus all sit in the old centre, a short walk from each other. From the station you cross the heart of town in about a quarter of an hour, past the Rapenburg canal and the Pieterskerk. Between museums you can climb the Burcht or have coffee by the Nieuwe Rijn. Pick two or three museums and leave the rest of the day to the canals.
One day, four moments. How to get the most out of your visit.
Six places to complete your museum day.
Archaeology from Egypt, Greece, Rome and the Netherlands. The Egyptian Temple of Taffeh stands in the main hall, and upstairs the mummies and sarcophagi are waiting.
The city museum, in the old hall of the cloth merchants. See early works by Rembrandt and The Last Judgement by Lucas van Leyden.
The oldest botanical garden in the Netherlands, laid out in 1590. Glasshouses full of tropical plants and the garden where the tulip story began.
The national natural history museum, with the T. rex Trix as the crowd favourite. Big, bright and good for all ages.
Five centuries of science and medicine, from microscopes to the anatomical theatre. See how Dutch researchers taught the world to look differently.
A medieval ring wall on a man-made mound in the middle of town. Walk around the top of the wall and look out over the rooftops.
Buy your tickets online and plan the rest of your day around them.
All museums in Leiden. Click a museum for the route.
Leiden sits between the dunes, the bulb fields and the big cities. A day trip is never far away.
The Mauritshuis, the Kunstmuseum and Panorama Mesdag, with the sea thrown in.
The Frans Hals Museum, Teylers Museum and a lively old town centre.
In spring, the world's best-known flower garden, right in the bulb region.
Travel times are indicative. Live times on 9292.nl.
Leiden has hotels and B&Bs for every budget, from canal houses to modern hotels by the station. The Hague, Haarlem and Amsterdam are a short train ride away, and in spring buses run to Keukenhof. Spend the day out exploring, then come back for dinner by the canals among the students. It makes a calm base right in the middle of Holland.
Restaurants, shops and hotels near the museums, picked for museum visitors.