Welcome, fellow adventurers, to the Leiden City Tour! Get ready to explore a city that survived a brutal Spanish siege, rewarded its own suffering with a university instead of a tax break, and raised the greatest painter the Netherlands has ever produced. Join us as we climb an ancient fortress mound, wander canals lined with centuries of scholarship, and end up right where Rembrandt van Rijn himself was born. Leiden's history turns on one legendary night: 3 October 1574, when the Spanish besiegers finally fled and the starving city was relieved, an event still celebrated every year as Leidens Ontzet with free herring and white bread. As a reward for enduring the siege, William of Orange offered Leiden a choice between permanent tax exemption or a university — the city chose knowledge, and Leiden University opened in 1575, becoming the oldest in the Netherlands. That same spirit of learning and craftsmanship shaped a young miller's son born here in 1606: Rembrandt van Rijn, who grew up among the windmills and canals you're about to walk. Answer a question at each stop to earn a letter — collect them all to solve the final puzzle!

Siege, Scholars & Rembrandt

Leiden City Tour

10 stops · 170 min · 3.8 km

€ 14,99€ 9,99

Instant access after payment — you'll get a code by email and on screen to unlock the tour.