What to see in Leiden

Leiden highlights

The places you can’t miss. In the app we sort them by day and close to each other.

1. Hortus Botanicus

   One of the oldest botanical gardens.

2. Canals

   More than meets the eye.

3. Naturalis Museum

   Dinosaurs included.

4. De Valk windmill

   A windmill museum.

5. Wall poems

   Poems painted all over the city.

Day trips from Leiden

We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

• Leiden ★ 4.6 (1,018 reviews)

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Typical food of Leiden

The dish you have to try there and how to make it at home, to whet your appetite before the trip (or to go back to Leiden from your kitchen).

Hutspot

A mash of potato, carrot and onion with stewed meat. Legend has it that the people of Leiden found it in the abandoned Spanish camp in 1574; every 3 October the city eats it at its festival.

• Serves 4
• 2 h

Ingredients

• 1 kg potatoes
• 750 g carrots
• 3 onions
• 600 g beef brisket (klapstuk)
• 50 g butter
• Milk
• Nutmeg, salt and pepper

How to make it at home

1. Simmer the meat in salted water for 1½ hours, until tender.
2. Peel and chop the potatoes, carrots and onions.
3. Put them in a pot with a little of the meat stock and cook for 20 minutes.
4. Drain and mash them with butter and a little milk: it should be a rustic mash.
5. Season with nutmeg and serve with the sliced meat and its juices.

The trick: You make a well in the mash for the meat gravy.

Frequently asked questions about Leiden