The Best of Leiden: A Self-Guided Audio Tour

On this self-guided audio tour, you’ll discover how a medieval town transformed into a center of knowledge and culture that shaped global history.

The tour begins at the Hartebrugkerk. You’ll weave through narrow alleys and alongside picturesque canals, exploring the Rijksmuseum Boerhaave, where medical science flourished. Along the way, you’ll discover how commerce, religion, and innovation shaped this influential Dutch city.

You’ll climb the ancient Burcht van Leiden, a fortress that’s stood guard over the city for nearly a thousand years. Along quiet canals, you’ll find wall poems painted in dozens of languages and hidden hofjes (courtyard almshouses) that tell stories of charity and community. The tour ends at the ornate Renaissance façade of the Stadhuis.

By the end of this tour, you’ll understand how this seemingly quiet Dutch city played an outsized role in science, art, and global affairs throughout history.