What to see in Leiden ?

Leiden has enjoyed its reputation as a university town since 1575, which gives it a particular rhythm: bicycles everywhere, cafés full of students, and a canal architecture less formal than Amsterdam. It is also Rembrandt's birthplace and the Dutch cradle of botany, with the Hortus Botanicus operating since the sixteenth century. The Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, devoted to Egyptian and Greco-Roman antiquities, surprises with its quality, often overlooked by standard itineraries.

Spring remains the best season, notably in April when the tulip fields in the surrounding countryside are in full bloom. A day is enough for the essentials, two if you want to wander without agenda. From Amsterdam, the train takes thirty-five minutes-no need to hire a car. Avoid concentrating your visit on the Pieterskerk at the expense of the streets around the Rapenburg, which offer a much clearer reading of the real town.