Best of Leiden

Top itineraries and travel advice in and around Leiden

Set with scenic canals, 17th-century buildings and excellent museums, Leiden feels in some ways like a smaller, more approachable Amsterdam. The city of 125,000 people is home to the oldest and most prestigious university in the Netherlands. Leiden also has eclectic restaurants, vintage cafes and a packed calendar of live music and festivals, while the large student population adds to the city’s vibrant culture.

In the center, you can explore historic sites like the Young Rembrandt Studio where the famed Leiden-born artist honed his craft. At the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum, you can see how the 17th-century Pilgrims lived before their momentous journey to the new world. Self-guided walking tours can take you to some surprising places, like Leiden’s remarkable hofjes, which are lush courtyard gardens hidden behind buildings.

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Discover the Green Heart of Holland - 7 Days

Holland's scenic landscapes draw crowds from all over the world. On this weeklong adventure through the "Green Heart" of the Netherlands, a region celebrated for its rolling meadows, quiet forests, and picturesque sand dunes, you'll see some of the country's most beautiful outdoor destinations. In between sightseeing in Amsterdam, visiting museums in Leiden, and learning about architecture in Rotterdam, you'll explore this natural wonderland on foot and e-bike. Cycle to the beach for fresh seafood, see historic windmills in the countryside, cruise around Biesbosch National Park on a boat tour — if you visit in spring, you'll see dazzling fields of tulips, too!

Highlights of Holland - 5 Days

Experience the best Holland has to offer! The picturesque yet lesser-known cities of Leiden, Delft, and Gouda include all the quintessential Dutch characteristics: cheese markets, famous painters, canals, rich history, churches with beautiful stained glass, windmills, lovely squares, and ancient cobbled alleys. In addition, these smaller cities have a laid-back but lively atmosphere. End the trip in Amsterdam which is, of course, a much larger city but very much worth a visit.

Off-the-Beaten-Path Luxury in the Netherlands - 5 Days

Get away from the crowds and experience Holland's finer things on this 5-day luxury tour around the Netherlands. Explore the smaller cities of Leiden, the Hague, and Delft, featuring classic Dutch attractions like picturesque canals, cobblestoned streets, world-class art museums, beautiful churches, historic windmills, and lovely squares lined with outdoor cafés. You'll stay in high-end hotels, including a landmark five-star hotel at the beach, a boutique hotel, and a hotel with its own Michelin-starred restaurant. Day-trip to Amsterdam for a boat tour, pedal to the coast on a self-guided bike tour, dine on fresh seafood, view Van Gogh originals up close — this short but sweet adventure has something for everyone.

A mosaic rendition of "Girl with a Pearl Earring"

Discover the Dutch Masters - 5 Days

Rembrandt van Rijn, Vincent van Gogh, Johannes Vermeer, Frans Hals: Dutch art history is full of famous names. On this short trip, you'll view their masterpieces on display in world-class museums and visit the places where they lived and worked. Stroll along the cobblestoned streets and charming canals of Den Haag and Haarlem, step into Vermeer's former residence in Delft, and see where Rembrandt painted his iconic works in Amsterdam.

Cycling Tour of the Netherlands - 7 Days

Enjoy a Dutch-style vacation by exploring western Holland on two wheels! On this dynamic weeklong cycling trip, you'll pedal through forests, flower fields, and sand dunes, stopping to see picturesque windmills and historic monuments along the way. You'll ride into the wilderness of protected national parks, sample cheeses in Gouda, and stop for sightseeing in charming cities and villages including Delft and Leiden.

Dutch cheeses for sale at a shop in Amsterdam

Highlights of Holland- 7 Days

Welcome to the Netherlands! On this weeklong adventure around Holland, you'll see the famous canals and art museums of Amsterdam, the vibrant harbor city of Rotterdam, historic monuments in The Hague, and the windmills and cheese markets of Leiden and Haarlem. Train travel is quick and convenient between destinations, leaving you plenty of time to enjoy the Dutch lifestyle. Finish the trip with a relaxing bike ride to the coast of the North Sea.

Highlights of the Netherlands - 7 Days

This action-packed 7-day itinerary takes you to many of the Netherlands' top highlights. Not only will you tour world-class museums in the vibrant capital of Amsterdam and explore modern architecture in the port city of Rotterdam, but you will go inside a Dutch cheese market, visit windmills in the countryside, and ride a bicycle alongside locals. Also on the itinerary are picturesque fishing villages, a boat tour of Biesbosch National Park, and an e-bike excursion in Hoge Veluwe National Park, home to a museum that houses an impressive collection of Van Gogh’s work. With a mix of cultural exploration, outdoor activities, fine art, and local experiences, this weeklong adventure is an excellent introduction to Holland.

Viewing Vermeer's paintings in Amsterdam

Art Tour of the Netherlands - 7 Days

Johannes Vermeer, Vincent Van Gogh, Rembrandt van Rijn, Frans Hals, Piet Mondriaan: the Netherlands has been home to many world-class artists. On this weeklong tour, you'll learn more about the Dutch Masters, viewing their greatest works in person and visiting the places where they lived and worked. Along the way, you'll also enjoy a private boat tour along the canals of Amsterdam, explore the cobblestoned streets of Leiden, and ride an e-bike through a national park. While taking in such beautiful sights and landscapes, you'll understand the inspiration behind some of the great Dutch artists' finest paintings.

Grand Tour of the Netherlands & Belgium - 14 Days

Castles, cathedrals, windmills, canals: this two-week itinerary takes you through highlights of the Netherlands and Belgium. Starting in the vibrant Dutch capital of Amsterdam and ending in the cosmopolitan Belgian capital of Brussels, the adventure offers a mix of cultural sightseeing and outdoor excursions. Learn about architecture in Rotterdam, see medieval Ghent from a boat, sample Belgian waffles in their place of origin, view original paintings by Vincent van Gogh, and experience natural landscapes with a ride through a national park on an e-bike. This grand tour has something for everyone!

Cycling Tour of the Netherlands & Belgium - 14 Days

Pedal past windmills, tulip fields, and castles on this wonderful two-week cycling tour of the Netherlands and Flanders! You'll explore green landscapes and coastal scenery as you make your way between historic Dutch cities like Haarlem, Delft, and Leiden, then cross over to Belgium, where medieval architecture and locally made chocolates await. There's so much to see and do in the region, and there's no better way to see it than on a bicycle.

Art Tour of the Netherlands & Belgium - 14 Days

The Netherlands and Belgium have produced some of the most famous names in art history: Vincent van Gogh, Rembrandt van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer, Peter Paul Rubens, and Jan van Eyck, to name a few. On this two-week tour you'll learn all about their lives and work. Ride an e-bike through landscapes that inspired the Dutch Masters, tour Rembrandt's studio, view priceless masterpieces in world-class museums, and view the famed Ghent Altarpiece in St Bavo's Cathedral. This lively itinerary isn't only about art, you'll also enjoy a food tour of Antwerp, explore a national park, and relax on river beaches with locals.

Highlights of Holland - 10 Days

Experience the best of Holland along with some of its hidden gems on this 10-day trip! From big cities to charming small villages, you’ll experience a perfect cross-section of what the Netherlands has to offer. You’ll have the opportunity to admire all of the traditional Dutch characteristics: cheese markets, famous painters, typical canals, rich history, churches with stained-glass windows, windmills, lovely squares, and ancient cobbled alleys. In addition to exploring picturesque smaller cities such as Gouda, Leiden, and Delft, you will also visit Amsterdam, home to the country’s most famous museums, the vibrant, modern harbor city of Rotterdam, and even get some beach time!

Art Tour of the Netherlands - 10 Days

Some of the most notable masters in European art history were Dutch: Rembrandt van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer, Vincent van Gogh, Hieronymus Bosch, to name a few. On this leisurely itinerary around Holland, you'll learn all about their legacies. Visit the region where van Gogh lived and worked, peek inside Vermeer's studio, revel in street art inspired by Bosch's fanciful paintings, and view masterpieces on exhibit at a museum inside Hoge Veluwe National Park. The tour isn't only about art, though — there's time set aside for boat tours, sampling Dutch cuisine, and cycling to the coast at your own pace.

Explore Dutch Cities & the Southern Countryside - 10 Days

Discover lively Dutch cities and idyllic landscapes on this well-balanced 10-day tour of Holland. The trip starts in Amsterdam, where you'll visit the famous Anne Frank House and two major art museums. Then head into the nearby countryside to see historic windmills and charming fishing villages. Explore the university city of Leiden, spend one afternoon on a bike excursion to the beach, then go on a cycling tour of Rotterdam's architectural highlights. Learn more about the legacies of great artists Vincent van Gogh and Hieronymus Bosch in the quaint town of Den Bosch, followed by a stay in the off-the-beaten-path city of Maastricht, known for its historical buildings and churches. Finish the trip with several days of hiking and cycling in the peaceful National Landscape of Zuid-Limburg — a few days in the great outdoors is a wonderfully relaxing way to end this action-packed itinerary.

A lush green landscape in the Netherlands

Grand Tour of the Netherlands - 14 Days

Fields of tulips, antique windmills, paintings by Vincent van Gogh, boat rides on the canals of Amsterdam: on this magnificent two-week trip, you'll visit many of Holland's top highlights. Stops along the itinerary include the port city of Rotterdam, forested Hoge Veluwe National Park, and the windswept island of Texel, where you'll spend a few relaxing days at the end of the trip. No adventure in the Netherlands, of course, would be complete without a bicycle ride. So this action-packed itinerary also features several chances to explore historic cities and idyllic landscapes on two wheels!

Other popular travel destinations in The Netherlands
Amsterdam · Rotterdam · Haarlem · The Hague · Dordrecht · Delft · Texel · Hoorn · Bergen · Utrecht · Gouda · Nijmegen · Terschelling

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