Sustainable city
Spring has begun again! A good reason to get outside and enjoy nature. Leiden has a wide range of parks and other beautiful pieces of nature. Here you can read about the 6 most beautiful nature spots in Leiden.
1. Spotting special plants in the Hortus
The Hortus botanicus Leiden is the green plant treasury of Leiden. For over four centuries, plants have been collected and grown, admired and studied in this beautiful garden. The extraordinary Japanese garden and the Victoria greenhouse are definitely worth visiting.
The Hortus is also a fine place to study or just relax with a book. In the Hortus Grand Café you can enjoy a cup of coffee, tea with a cake or lunch made with ingredients from the garden.
2. Unwind in the Leidse Hout
The Leidse Hout is one of the many city parks in Leiden. The park is about a ten-minute walk from Leiden Central Station. In the Leidse Hout you will find play meadows, a duck pond, a bandstand and an open-air theater, among other things.
It is recommended that after a walk through the park you take a break at Theehuis de Leidse Hout. Here you will find a terrace, a large lawn and a deer park.
3. Picnicking in the Plantsoen
The Plantsoen is perhaps the most beautiful city park in Leiden. The park has a perfect location along the Zoeterwoudsesingel making it a lovely place to relax on the lawns along the waterfront when the weather is nice. Lie down in the grass or take a seat at the many picnic tables. The paved paths lead you through the park past the beautiful monumental trees.
4. Experience Leiden history in the Van der Werffpark
In the middle of the Van der Werff Park is a statue of Mayor Van der Werff, one of the great heroes during Leidens Ontzet in 1574. Surrounding the statue is a mosaic with the coat of arms of the key city. Furthermore, reliefs on the sides of the pedestal tell the story of Leidens Ontzet. In the adjacent coffee shop Kamerlingh you can enjoy a delicious cup of tea with a snack.
5. Admire the Leiden canals in the Singelpark
The Singelpark comprises the collection of parks located along the outer ring roads of the Old Town. This park is the longest park in the Netherlands: a whopping 6.5 km of greenery!
When you walk through the Singelpark, you will also pass through the Rembrandtpark. The Rembrandtpark is divided into a northern and a southern part. In the southern part you will find many fruit trees, beeches and chestnuts and on the northern side you will find, among other things, a memorial stone on the Weddesteeg. It was at this place that painter Rembrandt van Rijn was born in 1606.
6. Feast your eyes in park Cronesteyn
Polderpark Cronesteyn is not only the largest park in Leiden, the park also has a huge diversity of plants and animals. Among other things, you will find a marsh garden, butterfly meadows, an old estate forest, naturally managed meadows, lots of water and a forest plantation. In addition, the park is ideally suited for observing unusual birds. So don't forget to bring your binoculars when you walk through Cronesteyn.
Furthermore, Cronesteyn has a care farm, a campsite and a water playground: a great tip for children! At restaurant 'De tuin van de smid' you can enjoy delicious organic delicacies.
