Discover Leiden's Highlights: Your Self-Guided GPS Tour

You pass the Blauwpoortsbrug. This bridge owes its name to the Blue Gate, which replaced the Lopsen Gate in 1602. The new gate at the beginning of Haarlemmerstraat was made of blue bluestone and, together with the other entrance gates, formed a calling card of Leiden.

Leiden is a city of discoveries, a city of the 17th century, the city of Rembrandt. And… still almost completely intact. With its many canals, idyllic bridges, small squares, floating terraces and, last but not least, dozens of courtyards, this is an ideal city for walking.

The Rembrandt studio. Rembrandt van Rijn, one of the Netherlands' most famous painters, was born in Leiden on July 15, 1606 and also spent his youth here. His family had lived in this city for two generations, according to the population register.

Hortus Botanicus, the green plant treasury of Leiden University. For more than four centuries, plants from all over the world have been collected, grown, admired and studied in the beautiful garden and greenhouses. Since 1590, the Hortus Botanicus has been the study garden of Leiden University. The Clusius Garden, named after its founder, Carolus Clusius, is a copy of the first construction. Four centuries of collecting, caring for and studying has produced a beautiful garden with a variety of exotic, unknown plants. The special gardens and greenhouses, including the Japanese garden and the Victoria greenhouse, are worth a visit. When you come out of the garden, turn right to the Academy Building.

The Academy Building is the oldest building in Leiden. Originally it was a church that belonged to a monastery founded in 1447. The first university in the Netherlands was founded here in 1575. The chapel of the then vacant church was renovated for that reason. Today, around 30,000 students study at the university and this building is still used for ceremonial functions. Just a fun fact: most members of the royal family studied at the University of Leiden.

The Jean Pesijnshofje is one of the more beautiful courtyards of Leiden. From 1611 to 1625, preacher John Robinson lived here, with about twenty English families. The followers left for America as pilgrims in 1620. The place is also called the 'English Gate'. In 1683, the widow of Jean Pesijn, Marie de Lannoy, founded a courtyard for elderly members of the Walloon Reformed Church. The courtyard is freely accessible if you respect the privacy of the residents and the silence. Feel free to come inside and enjoy.

The Pieterskerk is a late Gothic church, built in sandstone. Construction started in 1390 and the church was not completed until 1565. Originally there was a chapel here from 1121. Later the chapel was replaced by a church dedicated to Saint Peter. Both the interior and the facade of this oldest church in Leiden are of great monumental value. The church contains about thirty gravestones and memorial plaques of famous artists, prominent figures and rich filthy people.

Flour mill De Put is one of the 46 existing standard mills in the Netherlands and is a replica of the mill from 1619 that stood on this site. After the demolition of a barracks, the old foundations of the mill and the stronghold were discovered in 1987 and the mill was rebuilt.The story goes that Rembrandt's parents had their mill here