Museums

Leiden is a spectacular, historic city with many interesting and famous museums. Three of the Dutch national museums are located in Leiden. These national museums include the National Museum of Antiquities, the National Museum of Ethnology and the Dutch National Museum of the History of Science and Medicine. Other museums in Leiden include the Naturalis, one of the largest natural history museums in the world, and the municipal museum of De Lakenhal.

Stedelijk Molenmuseum de Valk

“De Valk” (The Falcon) is a tower mill that dates back to 1743. It has 7 floors, that are all open to the public.

Opening hours are:

• Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 – 17:00
• Sundays and holidays 13:00 – 17:00
• Closed on Monday

Botanical Gardens

One of the Europe’s first botanic gardens, now part of the University of Leiden. It is small and beautifully kept. There is also a Japanese garden named after the scientist Von Siebolt who carried out botanical research in Japan during the 19th century. There is also a systematic garden named after the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus. The garden is the most beautiful in the spring with huge, very old wistarias blooming. The cafe serves a great hot apple drink and has many delicious baked goods.

Shops in Leiden

Leiden has beautiful walkways and great variety of shops side by side to browse through, including retail stores, restaurants, cafes, ice cream shops, souvenir shops, and more. Stores are open throughout the day and the specialty shops in small lanes and alleyways in the historic center create a fun and unique shopping experience. Good, friendly service, attention to quality, and many special offers.

The Market

The Leiden market offers a different kind of shopping: here you will find exotic spices, clothing, vegetables, fruit, fish and flowers.

• Leiden City-centre: Wednesday and Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Leiden Merenwijka: Friday 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Leiden Stevenshof: Thursday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Leiden zuid/west: Tuesday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Pieters Church

The newly restored Pieterskerk in Leiden is an amazing building with a fascinating history. It is one of the oldest and
largest monuments in the town. It serves now as a museum and monument, hosting a number of art treasures and memorials to those buried at the church. The Pieterskerk is a historic meeting place available for all your events, a place that you and your guests will always remember.