1.5 hours
Culture Vultures, Family Friendly, History Buffs, Uniquely Dutch
Dutch, English, Espanol, Francais, German, Italian
10:00
18:00
The Hortus Botanicus Leiden was founded by the Leiden University in 1590. At the time it was primarily used for education and research. Carlus Clusius planted Europe’s first big tulip collection in the botanical garden. Philipp Franz von Siebold planted here approximately 700 unknown plants originating from Japan and China. Nowadays, you can find rare plants from South East and East Asia, Southern Europe and South Africa. Some of these flowers and plants are extinct in nature.
Complimentary walking guides are available. These walks include lovely strolls along the crown jewels, flower bulbs and geophytes and the Von Siebold memorial garden. There’s plenty to choose from!
If you are visiting during the weekend, then a visit to the Sterrenwacht visitor centre is worthwhile. It is the oldest existing observatory in the world and is open to visitors on Saturdays and Sundays.