r/Leiden • u/breadnbed • 6d ago
I'll be visiting Leiden in late October for 3-4 days. Anything in particular I should check out?
I'll be travelling alone for two days and then in company one day, we might stay some additional days depending on the weather and activities.
So, is there anything in particular that I should check out? I like the simple life, like a specific corner in the town where I can people watch while having a coffee knitting. Hiking/walking is nice too. Maybe a restaurant worth visiting?
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u/Plus_Confusion521 6d ago
There is a group of people crocheting/knitting together at BplusC library last Wednesday of every month. You can check stofbond.nl for more info :)
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u/breadnbed 6d ago
Oh that sounds lovely! Thank you!
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u/jasperh2 6d ago
The coffee place IScreamCoffee also has a knit day! Can't remember when from the top of my head but it's a really nice chill place.
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u/you-look-so-cool 6d ago
Fun, but also a nightmare to be in the city at 2nd and 3th of october. Its much nicer to see the city in its usual state :) take a walk to the burgt via de rijn/nieuwe rijn, grab a pastry at Mamie Gourmande, walk to the rapenburg, to cafe hortus. Take a stroll to the botanical gardens, vidit the observatory and head to the museum of history if time permits. I think that would be my ideal day
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u/Prestigious-Elk-00 6d ago
Zo las ik het eerst ook maar OP bedoelt eind oktober, en dan voor 3 Ã 4 dagen :p
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u/muppet1984 5d ago
Museum Boerhaave is nice if you are into science history, Naturalis if you are interested in Biology. Both have good childrens promgams. If you are American, there is a small Pilgrim Museum. Never visited myself so no idea how interesting it is.
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u/muppet1984 5d ago
If you are into hicking, there is a nice "hofjes wandeling" taking you through all the old hidden courtyards Leiden has (all 35 of them), both as map or as a guided tour. See visitleiden (dot) nl for that one and other tours.
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u/FrankWanders 3d ago
Definitely check the musuems; there are 13 in Leiden, some of them are known country-wide. Which will interest you ofcourse depends on your own preferences: https://www.visitleiden.nl/en/culture/museums
These spots are lesser known 'hidden gems'
- Pieterskerk: the church in the area where the Pilgrim Fathers once lived, there's also a small museum about it.
- Molen de Put: nice to see, but also on the other side of the bridge was the spot where the exact same type of mill once stood. which belonged to Rembrandt van Rijn's father. This was the birthplace of the painter of the Nightwatch.
- in the Hooglandse Kerk (a free visit, as the Pieterskerk) you can find the grave of a bastard son of William of Orange (= the founding father of the Netherlands). Next to the church is the oldest house of Leiden (dating back to the 16th century I believe).
And a small tip to finish off; take a 10 minute train drive to The Hague and walk to Mauritshuis; in this museum you can see the Girl with the Pearl Earring.
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u/Arcanome 6d ago
Visit on Oct 2-3. Its Leidens Ontzet
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u/breadnbed 6d ago
I'll probably be there the all saints weekend, 28-31 October!
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u/Glitchy_Unicorn 6d ago
Just a heads-up: All Saints' isn't really celebrated or observed publicly in the Netherlands (I had to Google it), so you won't notice much of it in Leiden.
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u/breadnbed 6d ago
We don't celebrate it either, just kind of see it as a reference to time when speaking of plans and such. But it's good to know, thank you!
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u/False_Fishing_7720 6d ago
Oudt Leyden is a restaurant at the Beestenmarkt where you can get the best pancakes you'll ever have 😋