The best of Leiden and Haarlem
Leiden thinks, Haarlem trades. That is the contrast this half-day is built on, and it is why the two cities work far better together than either does with a third.
Leiden's landmarks are institutional. The university was founded in 1575 by William of Orange, the Hortus Botanicus of 1590 is the oldest botanical garden in the country, and the Pieterskerk is where the Pilgrim Fathers worshipped before the Mayflower sailed. Their leader John Robinson never went; he died in Leiden in 1625 and is buried there. Rembrandt was born a few streets away in 1606.
Haarlem's landmarks are commercial and civic. One enormous market square holds the town hall, the meat hall of 1603 and the Sint-Bavokerk, whose 1738 Muller organ was played by Handel and by the ten-year-old Mozart. Frans Hals is buried in the church. Behind unmarked doors around the centre sit the hofjes, almshouse courtyards founded by wealthy citizens, of which the oldest in the Netherlands dates from 1395.
Between the two, a direct train of about twenty-five minutes, which from late March to mid-May runs straight through the flowering bulb fields. Your guide travels with you and keeps talking, so the transfer is part of the tour rather than a gap in it.
A closer look
What our guests say
Real reviews left by our guests on Google, Tripadvisor and GetYourGuide, across Holland City Tours, Discover Delft and Discover The Hague.
“Fredrico Cassini made our week!!! So knowledgable and fun. We took The Hague and Leiden combo. In Leiden, where he went to University, he showed us Many hidden gardens, knew lots of history, even history of buildings and old legends. With gratitude, Judy and Mary”
GetYourGuide · April 2026“My husband booked this as a suprise for me, and I couldn't be happier. We had a great time and I really feel like I got to experience the city. Our guide was knowledgeable and funny which also made for an overall great experience.”
“Niels was an excellent guide for the day! It was a last-minute decision on my part to take the tour so I was thankful I ended up with Niels. He was flexible with start time and very knowledgeable about the areas visited. He was great company and I thoroughly enjoyed the tour.”
What's included
Included
- All taxes
- Private guide, who travels with you on the train between the cities
- 2 private walking tours in Leiden & Haarlem
- A transfer between the cities
Not included
- Food and drinks
- Museum and church entrance tickets
- Gratuities for the guide (optional)
- Pick-up and drop-off (can be booked separately)
What to expect
Meet in Leiden
Your guide meets you outside the tourist office, directly opposite the main entrance of Leiden Centraal, and sets out the shape of the day. The walk in passes Molen De Valk, a tall stone tower mill on the line of the old city wall, and drops you straight into the historic centre.
Meeting point: Outside VVV Leiden, Stationsweg 26, opposite the main entrance of Leiden Centraal. You can also choose a custom starting location. Just add it as a comment when you book.
The Rapenburg, the university and the Hortus
Leiden's grandest canal, the university founded in 1575, and the gate of the botanical garden laid out in 1590. Along the way, some of the hundred and ten wall poems painted across the city between 1992 and 2005.
The Pieterskerk and the Pilgrim quarter
The oldest parish church, and the streets where the English separatists settled from 1609. They built around twenty-one houses beside the church, and their leader John Robinson, who never sailed, is buried inside. Rembrandt's Latin School stands a hundred metres away.
The Burcht and the Hooglandse Kerk
An 11th-century shell keep on an artificial mound at the fork of the Rhine, now a free public park with a rampart walk and the best view in Leiden. A short climb, and optional.
The train to Haarlem
A direct train of about twenty-five minutes, with your guide. From late March to mid-May the line runs through the flowering bulb fields between Voorhout and Hillegom. You arrive through a station of 1906, the only large and largely intact Art Nouveau station in the Netherlands, on the site where the country's first railway terminated in 1839, ten minutes on foot from the Grote Markt.
The Grote Markt and the Sint-Bavokerk
The town hall, the Vleeshal of 1603 that was the city's only legal meat market for more than two centuries, and the statue of the sexton Haarlem claims invented printing before Gutenberg. Historians disagree, which is what makes it a good story. Inside the church, optionally, the Muller organ of 1738 stands nearly thirty metres tall with more than five thousand pipes. Handel played it, and so did Mozart at the age of ten. Frans Hals is buried here.
A hofje, the Spaarne and Teylers
One of Haarlem's almshouse courtyards, visited quietly because people live in them, then along the river to Teylers, founded on a merchant's bequest of 1778 and widely called the oldest museum in the Netherlands. The tour ends here or back on the Grote Markt.
Highlights
Leiden's Rapenburg canal, the university of 1575 and the oldest botanical garden in the country
The Pieterskerk and the Pilgrim Fathers' quarter, where John Robinson is buried
A direct train through the bulb fields, with your guide
Haarlem's Grote Markt, the Vleeshal of 1603 and the organ Mozart played at ten
Frequently asked questions
How does the transfer between the cities work?
Your guide travels with you throughout. This is not a meet-you-there arrangement. We walk back to Leiden Centraal together and take a direct train to Haarlem of about twenty-five minutes with no changes. The guide keeps talking on the train, so the transfer is part of the tour.
Is the transfer between Leiden and Haarlem included?
Yes. On every one of our multi-city tours the transfer between the cities is included, and on this tour that transfer is the train. Your guide travels with you, so the journey is part of the tour rather than a gap in it. The only thing you can add separately is pick-up and drop-off before and after the tour.
How much walking is there in total?
Roughly six to seven kilometres over four and a half hours, split fairly evenly between the two cities, plus the two station walks. That is around nine to ten thousand steps. It is flat except for one short climb to the Burcht in Leiden, which is optional. Both centres are cobbled and both have bridges with steps, so tell us in advance about any mobility limits and the guide will adjust.
Is four and a half hours too rushed for two cities?
It is a highlights tour and we would rather say so. You get roughly an hour and three quarters in each centre, which is enough to walk the historic core properly, go inside one church, and understand what each city is about. It is not enough for museums. What makes it work is that both centres are compact and both stations are a ten-minute walk from the historic heart.
Which city gets more time?
They are close to even. Leiden covers more ground and more separate sites, so it feels busier; Haarlem is concentrated around one square, so it feels calmer. If you have a strong preference, say so when you book and your guide will weight the day toward it.
Can the order be reversed, ending in Leiden?
Yes, and sometimes it is better. If you are staying in Amsterdam, starting in Haarlem is easier and you finish in Leiden with a direct train back. If you are coming from The Hague, Delft or Rotterdam, start in Leiden as written. One thing to note if you reverse it: the Sint-Bavokerk is closed on Sundays, so on a Sunday we schedule Haarlem so that nothing depends on getting inside.
What is worth going inside, and are entry fees included?
Entry fees are not included. The one interior we usually recommend is the Sint-Bavokerk in Haarlem, for the organ and Frans Hals's grave. In Leiden the Pieterskerk has a small Pilgrims exhibition. Everything else on this tour, the Rapenburg, the Burcht, the Grote Markt, the hofje and the Spaarne, is free and outdoors.
More about Leiden and Haarlem
What else there is to see in each of them, how to get there, and when to come.
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