Leyden - Surroundings

There is an attractive boat trip on the Kager Plassen (Lakes) to Schiphol by way of Leiderdorp and De Zijl to the Kager Plassen (water sports center), then on the Braassemer Meer and through Aalsmeer to Schiphol, and from there back to Leiden.

The second most important flower auction in the Netherlands (after the one at Aalsmeer) is held in the village of Rijnsburg, to the west of Leiden. At Laan van Verhof 1 is a nursery which seeks to develop new varieties.

Rijnsburg was the home of well-known philosopher, Spinoza, and his home has been preserved and opened to the public.

Baruch Spinoza lived in Rijnsburg from 1661 to 1663, and the Spinozahuis at Spinozalaan 29 has a collection of letters, documents and mementos of the philosopher.

In summer there are also boat trips daily between 2 and 6 p.m. to the Kager Plassen and Braassemer Meer.

Leave Leiden on the road to Alphen aan den Rijn, which runs along the Levendaal and then keeps close to the left bank of the Oude Rijn, along which are long straggling villages with brickworks, old fishermen's houses and windmills. About 3km/2mi from Leiden is Leiderdorp. In another 2km/1.25mi we reach Zoeterwoude-Rijndijk, and 3km/2mi beyond this the old mill in which Rembrandt's father lived.