Amsterdam, The Hague, Gouda are all around the corner of this City of Discoveries. There are a great amount of family and team activities in Leiden. City of Science 2022 is the name of a year full of festivals, events in the city and its surroundings of cheese farms and lakes. The birth city of Rembrandt has great museums for the whole family. If you want to spend time in the country, you’re there within 15 minutes by bike or boat. It’s in Leiden’s nature where you experience the authentic Dutch way of life. There is no better place to connect with a local miller, make your own fresh Dutch cheese and taste the best regional products. Did you know the tulip fields and the famous spring tulip park are Leiden’s backyard?
Activities in Leiden
Leiden windmills & cheese farms
Leiden really is thé place for all things Dutch. Many local festivals & activities in Leiden take place in or around the water. After Amsterdam this city has the largest amount of waterways, bridges and moats. Rent a boat or go for a bike tour in any direction and you’ll soon discover Leiden surroundings is also full of windmills. Ánd, what few people know: Leiden cheese farms.
A local beer with Rembrandt
Leiden’s famous Dutch painter was Rembrandt. He lived near the Leiden Rhine river, hence his last name. His family owned two windmills which where used for grinding malt. As one of the largest supplier of malt for the beer brewing industry Rembrandt and his father probably have enjoyed a good amount of Leiden local beers. Back in the 17th century it was a Golden Age for beer production. And nowadays you can still enjoy a freshly brewn local beer on one of the many canal terraces. Or a Leiden gin, the other local drink the city produces. Great to have with a typical Dutch herring, a Dutch pancake or a stamppot (potato dish)
Feel at home in Leiden
Often the nicest family or team activities in Leiden are aso the simplest. Go for a stroll on the cosy weekly market, eat at a restaurant on the water, visit a farm or join a local celebration. You’ll immediately feel at home in Leiden area. It is easy to connect with Leiden locals. Proud of their city, they are friendly people who love to give tips on what to see & do in the city and its green surroundings.
Leiden is a welcoming city. After wars and years of oppression in the 16th century it was soon nicknamed City of Refugees. It has welcomed refugees and visitors ever since. The Pilgrim Fathers made Leiden their home before they sailed off to America. Americans and their presidents often visit the city in search of their Leiden roots. American visitors can join the November Thanksgiving ceremony held in the Pieterskerk. The church where the Pilgrims recorded birth, marriage and death.
Einstein & the tulip garden
2022 will be Leiden, City of Science year. Local and international science will be in the spotlight. Scientists from all over the world have visited Leiden. Einstein often got an invitation from university professor Paul Ehrenfest. Many talented students and professors were enrolled in the university. The tulip, for instance, would not have become a typical Dutch icon if it were not for Clusius. He received a tulip bulb as a gift from a foreign friend. It was the start of tulip cultivation in the Netherlands.
Today, tulip fields in spring and dahlia fields in summer are a bike ride away from Leiden. The famous tulip garden is actually closer to Leiden than to Amsterdam.
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