The city of Leiden, South Holland, just 22 miles (36 km) from Amsterdam - an effortless half-hour train journey - has one of the richest assortments of attractions in the country. No fewer than twelve museums thrive in this university city of just 118,000; none of them disappoint, and all are child-friendly. Learn more about the city's museums and their diverse themes in this round-up of museums in Leiden.
Rapenburg 73
2311 GJ Leiden
Situated in the hallowed precincts of the Academiegebouw (Academy Building), the historic core of the Leiden University campus, the Academisch Historisch Museum - as its name implies - chronicles the history of the Netherlands' oldest public university. Visitors can tour the opulent period rooms filled with priceless artifacts of university's history, such as the very letter in which William the Silent called for the establishment of the university in 1575. Note that visits are by appointment only and conducted in the form of a tour; the museum is closed Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.More »
Willem Einthovenstraat 1
2342 BH Oegstgeest
While it's situated in the adjacent town of Oegstgeest, to be more precise, CORPUS nevertheless draws bus-loads of visitors to its off-center location because of the sheer uniqueness of its experience. While most anatomical museums are macabre affairs that offer little more than body parts suspended in jars of formaldahyde, CORPUS entertains its visitors with an 55-minute journey inside an super-life-size human body. To reach the museum from Leiden Central Station, take bus 37 or 57 to the Wassenaarseweg/Corpus stop, then cross below the overpass toward the (unmistakable) several-story likeness of a seated man.More »
2e Binnenvestgracht 1
2312 BZ Leiden
One of the most picturesque views in all of Leiden is opposite the Museum voor Volkenkunde (below), where Steenstraat rises over a perpendicular canal; Molenmuseum De Valk furnishes the backdrop to the vista, a resplendent windmill situated on the banks of the canal. Best of all, the windmill is open to the public, so visitors can climb the narrow ladders from one storey to the next to admire the mill's machinery; climbers who reach the top are rewarded with views from the outdoor platform that encircles the windmill. A quintessentially Dutch experience, but best reserved for visitors who don't mind the cramped spaces and narrow ladders.More »
Rapenburg 73
2311 GJ Leiden
Situated behind the site of the Academisch Historisch Museum, the Hortus Botanicus (Botanical Garden) also has its place in university history: founded in the late 16th century, it served as a herbarium for the university's medical students. Botanist extraordinaire Carlous Clusius turned the Hortus into a world-class plant collection, with rare plants imported in the course of the Dutch East India Company's trade in Asia. Today, the Hortus remains a stellar plant collection, not to mention a beautifully landscaped site for a stroll or to sit in the sun; on sunny days, students of the adjacent university take to the benches with their books in hand.More »
2311 GE Leiden
The former residence of German physician Philipp Franz von Siebold may be an unlikely theme for a Leiden museum, but when the Würzburg-born Siebold departed for Asia as a military physician for the Dutch East India Company, he secured his place in both Dutch and Japanese history. From his initial post in the Dutch colonies in present-day Indonesia, he was sent to the Dutch trading post of Deshima in Japan. There he developed an interest in Japanese flora and fauna that, while it ultimately had him expelled from Japan (the Japanese believed his interest betrayed him as a spy), allowed him to introduce the Dutch public to the wonders of Japan upon his return. The SieboldHuis, a museum of Japanese nature and culture, is a testament to his life's work.More »
Beschuitsteeg 9
2312 JT Leiden
These few small rooms on an inconspicuous corner in the historic center comprise one of the oldest houses in Leiden (mid-14th century); they also hold the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum, which traces the immortal history of the Pilgrim Fathers. While the Pilgrims were naturally English, they took refuge in Amsterdam after their departure from the Church of England, but moved to Leiden in 1609. It was in Leiden that the Pilgrims spent their last years in Europe before they crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower to found Plymouth Colony in 1620. While a visit to the museum is a must for Americans in Leiden, note that it's open only from Wednesday to Saturday, 1 to 5pm.More »
Lange Sint Agnietenstraat 10
2312 WC Leiden
The musty rooms of the Museum Boerhaave furnish the ideal atmosphere for a museum dedicated to the history of the natural sciences and medicine. The erstwhile convent is now filled with cases of historic scientific instruments - such as were used by the museum's namesake, physician and botanist (and former university rector) Herman Boerhaave. The museum artifacts include instruments used in medicine, physics and astronomy from as early as the 17th century, with a special emphasis on the discoveries of Dutch scientists and/or those made in Leiden - justifiably dubbed the "City of Discoveries".More »
Oude Singel 28-32
2312 RA Leiden
Leiden has a particularly rich artistic history: as the Museum De Lakenhal web site points out, "Rembrandt, Jan Lievens, Gerrit Dou, Jan Steen and Jan van Goyen all lived and worked [there] in the same time frame". Yet this museum is the only dedicated art museum in the city. The former clothmaker's hall, which dates to the mid-17th century, is a testament to the city's presence in the textile industry; the art on display dates even earlier, from the 16th century to the present, with a special focus on artifacts related to Leids Ontzet - the Relief of Leiden (from Spanish occupation) in 1574, still celebrated each year on October 3.More »
2312 TV Leiden
Another monument to the city's textile industry, Museum Het Leids Wevershuis is a squat little house that has stood on this site since the mid-16th century; while the exterior architecture is squarely 16th- and 17th-century, the interior evokes the typical environment of 19th-century weavers, complete with an antique loom. Small but rich in atmosphere, the museum replicates the circumstances of everyday life for textile workers. The museum also sells an assortment of hand-woven souvenirs.More »
Darwinweg 2
2333 CR Leiden
One of the few Leiden museums outside the historic center, Naturalis is well worth the few minutes' foray north of Central Station. The museum's massive, 37 million-item collection, fifth in the world, comes to life in its fantastic exhibits. The vividly taxidermied animals that inhabit its halls, collected from diverse ecosystems in all corners of the world, are immortalized in life-like poses. Interactive exhibits, demonstrations, public events and more help to expand the museum's theme of "System Earth".More »
Rapenburg 28
2311 EW Leiden
The country's national museum of antiquities is located not in Amsterdam, but in the city of Leiden, an offshoot of the city's university. The permanent exhibit boasts an impressive collection of Mediterranean antiquities, such as ancient Egypt and the ancient Near East as well as classical Greece and Rome; the country's own past is encapsulated with artifacts from 300,000 years of "Dutch" history, from prehistoric times to the medieval era.More »
Steenstraat 1
2312 BS Leiden
Another of the country's national museums that's located in Leiden, the Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde promises to take visitors on a "journey around the world". It delivers on that promise with beautifully curated exhibits from the 200,000 items it's accumulated over the past 175 years of its existence. The museum was first established from the above-mentioned Philipp von Siebold's personal collection of Japanese artefacts, but in later years its scope expanded to include cultures from all over the world. Its superb temporary exhibits often feature performances and other public events, and are popular with families with children.More »
1. Academisch Historisch Museum (Academic History Museum)
Rapenburg 73
2311 GJ Leiden
Situated in the hallowed precincts of the Academiegebouw (Academy Building), the historic core of the Leiden University campus, the Academisch Historisch Museum - as its name implies - chronicles the history of the Netherlands' oldest public university. Visitors can tour the opulent period rooms filled with priceless artifacts of university's history, such as the very letter in which William the Silent called for the establishment of the university in 1575. Note that visits are by appointment only and conducted in the form of a tour; the museum is closed Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.More »
2. CORPUS
Willem Einthovenstraat 1
2342 BH Oegstgeest
While it's situated in the adjacent town of Oegstgeest, to be more precise, CORPUS nevertheless draws bus-loads of visitors to its off-center location because of the sheer uniqueness of its experience. While most anatomical museums are macabre affairs that offer little more than body parts suspended in jars of formaldahyde, CORPUS entertains its visitors with an 55-minute journey inside an super-life-size human body. To reach the museum from Leiden Central Station, take bus 37 or 57 to the Wassenaarseweg/Corpus stop, then cross below the overpass toward the (unmistakable) several-story likeness of a seated man.More »
3. Molenmuseum De Valk (De Valk Windmill Museum)
2e Binnenvestgracht 1
2312 BZ Leiden
One of the most picturesque views in all of Leiden is opposite the Museum voor Volkenkunde (below), where Steenstraat rises over a perpendicular canal; Molenmuseum De Valk furnishes the backdrop to the vista, a resplendent windmill situated on the banks of the canal. Best of all, the windmill is open to the public, so visitors can climb the narrow ladders from one storey to the next to admire the mill's machinery; climbers who reach the top are rewarded with views from the outdoor platform that encircles the windmill. A quintessentially Dutch experience, but best reserved for visitors who don't mind the cramped spaces and narrow ladders.More »
4. Hortus Botanicus
Rapenburg 73
2311 GJ Leiden
Situated behind the site of the Academisch Historisch Museum, the Hortus Botanicus (Botanical Garden) also has its place in university history: founded in the late 16th century, it served as a herbarium for the university's medical students. Botanist extraordinaire Carlous Clusius turned the Hortus into a world-class plant collection, with rare plants imported in the course of the Dutch East India Company's trade in Asia. Today, the Hortus remains a stellar plant collection, not to mention a beautifully landscaped site for a stroll or to sit in the sun; on sunny days, students of the adjacent university take to the benches with their books in hand.More »
5. Japan Museum SieboldHuis
Rapenburg 192311 GE Leiden
The former residence of German physician Philipp Franz von Siebold may be an unlikely theme for a Leiden museum, but when the Würzburg-born Siebold departed for Asia as a military physician for the Dutch East India Company, he secured his place in both Dutch and Japanese history. From his initial post in the Dutch colonies in present-day Indonesia, he was sent to the Dutch trading post of Deshima in Japan. There he developed an interest in Japanese flora and fauna that, while it ultimately had him expelled from Japan (the Japanese believed his interest betrayed him as a spy), allowed him to introduce the Dutch public to the wonders of Japan upon his return. The SieboldHuis, a museum of Japanese nature and culture, is a testament to his life's work.More »
6. Leiden American Pilgrim Museum
Beschuitsteeg 9
2312 JT Leiden
These few small rooms on an inconspicuous corner in the historic center comprise one of the oldest houses in Leiden (mid-14th century); they also hold the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum, which traces the immortal history of the Pilgrim Fathers. While the Pilgrims were naturally English, they took refuge in Amsterdam after their departure from the Church of England, but moved to Leiden in 1609. It was in Leiden that the Pilgrims spent their last years in Europe before they crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower to found Plymouth Colony in 1620. While a visit to the museum is a must for Americans in Leiden, note that it's open only from Wednesday to Saturday, 1 to 5pm.More »
7. Museum Boerhaave
Lange Sint Agnietenstraat 10
2312 WC Leiden
The musty rooms of the Museum Boerhaave furnish the ideal atmosphere for a museum dedicated to the history of the natural sciences and medicine. The erstwhile convent is now filled with cases of historic scientific instruments - such as were used by the museum's namesake, physician and botanist (and former university rector) Herman Boerhaave. The museum artifacts include instruments used in medicine, physics and astronomy from as early as the 17th century, with a special emphasis on the discoveries of Dutch scientists and/or those made in Leiden - justifiably dubbed the "City of Discoveries".More »
8. Museum De Lakenhal (The Cloth Hall Museum)
Oude Singel 28-32
2312 RA Leiden
Leiden has a particularly rich artistic history: as the Museum De Lakenhal web site points out, "Rembrandt, Jan Lievens, Gerrit Dou, Jan Steen and Jan van Goyen all lived and worked [there] in the same time frame". Yet this museum is the only dedicated art museum in the city. The former clothmaker's hall, which dates to the mid-17th century, is a testament to the city's presence in the textile industry; the art on display dates even earlier, from the 16th century to the present, with a special focus on artifacts related to Leids Ontzet - the Relief of Leiden (from Spanish occupation) in 1574, still celebrated each year on October 3.More »
9. Museum Het Leids Wevershuis (The Leiden Weaver House)
Middelstegracht 1432312 TV Leiden
Another monument to the city's textile industry, Museum Het Leids Wevershuis is a squat little house that has stood on this site since the mid-16th century; while the exterior architecture is squarely 16th- and 17th-century, the interior evokes the typical environment of 19th-century weavers, complete with an antique loom. Small but rich in atmosphere, the museum replicates the circumstances of everyday life for textile workers. The museum also sells an assortment of hand-woven souvenirs.More »
10. Naturalis Biodiversity Center
Darwinweg 2
2333 CR Leiden
One of the few Leiden museums outside the historic center, Naturalis is well worth the few minutes' foray north of Central Station. The museum's massive, 37 million-item collection, fifth in the world, comes to life in its fantastic exhibits. The vividly taxidermied animals that inhabit its halls, collected from diverse ecosystems in all corners of the world, are immortalized in life-like poses. Interactive exhibits, demonstrations, public events and more help to expand the museum's theme of "System Earth".More »
11. Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (National Museum of Antiquities)
Rapenburg 28
2311 EW Leiden
The country's national museum of antiquities is located not in Amsterdam, but in the city of Leiden, an offshoot of the city's university. The permanent exhibit boasts an impressive collection of Mediterranean antiquities, such as ancient Egypt and the ancient Near East as well as classical Greece and Rome; the country's own past is encapsulated with artifacts from 300,000 years of "Dutch" history, from prehistoric times to the medieval era.More »
12. Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde (National Museum of Ethnology)
Steenstraat 1
2312 BS Leiden
Another of the country's national museums that's located in Leiden, the Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde promises to take visitors on a "journey around the world". It delivers on that promise with beautifully curated exhibits from the 200,000 items it's accumulated over the past 175 years of its existence. The museum was first established from the above-mentioned Philipp von Siebold's personal collection of Japanese artefacts, but in later years its scope expanded to include cultures from all over the world. Its superb temporary exhibits often feature performances and other public events, and are popular with families with children.More »
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