Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to Leiden: Private day trip

Main attractions

• The Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (National Museum of Antiquities) houses the Netherlands' finest collection of ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman artifacts — the Temple of Taffeh, a complete Roman-era Egyptian temple gifted by Egypt, stands in the atrium • The Burcht van Leiden — a 12th-century circular shell keep on an artificial mound at the confluence of the Rhine branches; the rampart walk gives rooftop views across the canal network • Rembrandt's birthplace on the Weddesteeg and the neighborhood around it; the Lakenhal Museum covers his early years and Leiden's cloth-trade Golden Age • Hortus Botanicus Leiden (1590) — one of the world's oldest botanical gardens, where the first tulip bulbs in the Netherlands were cultivated by Carolus Clusius

What to eat

• Leidse hutspot — a hearty mash of potato, carrot and onion, traditionally eaten on 3 October to commemorate the city's relief from Spanish siege in 1574; available year-round in traditional eetcafés around the center

Take note

• Leiden's museums are spread across the city — the Lakenhal is underrated and often quieter than the Antiquities museum; allow a full day if you want to visit more than two seriously