Discover Leiden's historic center at your own pace and listen to the stories, carefully collected by a local guide.
Rembrandt was born here, the Pilgrims set sail from here, and the oldest university in the Netherlands has stood here since 1575. This self-guided walking tour leads you along the Rapenburg canal, past the Pieterskerk and up the Burcht, a medieval fortress mound in the heart of the city. The route follows the most beautiful way through Leiden, not the fastest — surprising you with hidden courtyards, wall poems and corners you'd otherwise walk straight past. Spoken directions guide you along, and the map in the app always shows where you are. Pause whenever you like — a canalside terrace is never far away.
Why Visit: A 900-year-old motte castle on a 12-metre artificial hill – coins minted here in the 11th century turned up as far away as Russia.
The circular battlemented wall rises about 6 metres and is nearly a metre thick. In 1651 the city bought the site from the Van Wassenaer family for 70,000 guilders. Your audio guide Leiden explains how mayors styled themselves burgraves until the French abolished noble privileges in 1795. Climb the steps for sweeping city views.
Ever Wondered: why it has a double roof (1824)? Grain was stored underneath and ventilated through ceiling holes to prevent mould.
This 1642 stone arch bridge anchored Leiden’s grain trade for centuries. The city coat of arms with two keys is framed by wheat ears. Any walking tour Leiden stops here – those neoclassical canopies kept merchandise dry. On the fish-market side stands the cloth merchant statue.
The Story Behind: An unfinished Gothic cross-basilica with a 65-metre transept; the low nave sits strikingly out of proportion with the lofty choir.
Work halted in 1535 when Haarlem, not Leiden, became a bishop’s seat. During the 1566 Iconoclasm the mayor famously faced the crowd with drawn pistols. This self guided tour Leiden stop shows where the church stored grain during the Spanish siege.
Local Secret: The English Pilgrim Fathers lived in Leiden for years before sailing in 1620 – this 1683 courtyard recalls that chapter (see the Pieterskerk plaque).
Founded by Jean Pesijn of Lille for elderly Walloon church members. Twelve dwellings with support; above the gate the regents’ room, and on the back wall a 1924 sundial. Courtyards like this are quintessential Leiden attractions.
What You’ll Find: The church without a tower – the 110-metre spire collapsed in 1512 and was never rebuilt. Young Rembrandt attended the adjacent Latin school.
Pilgrim pastor John Robinson rests here alongside Jan Steen and Herman Boerhaave. Stained glass shattered in the 1807 gunpowder disaster (18,000 kg). Today events take place among tombs – and a curious mummy.
Back in 1853: The last public execution ended this 12th-century tower’s 600-year role as a prison.
Built by the Count of Holland with chains in the cellar. On the square called Het Gerecht (“The Court”), punishments were carried out. Today it houses the law faculty – chains replaced by law books. A walking tour Leiden reveals how escape once meant squeezing through a hatch in the vault.
