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Hortus Botanicus Leiden

Leiden, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands

Sculptures in the Gardens

The Leiden Botanical Gardens date back to the 16th century. This is where the first tulip was planted in Western Europe. Ironically, I didn't see any tulips in the garden when I visited today.

There are several outdoor gardens including the rose garden, the systematic garden, the fern garden, the herb garden and the Von Siebold memorial garden. The systematic garden has many displays of information about different types of plants. Although there was quite a bit of writing in English, it looked like there was a lot more information in Dutch. The gardens are quite nice to walk through on a nice day. There are several places to sit and enjoy the view. There was a series of sculptures on display throughout the gardens.

In addition to the outdoor gardens there is also several indoor green houses including the winter garden, a tropical garden, and a Victorian lily garden. These gardens house some very interesting and unique plants. When I visited there was also a display of carnivorous plants.

During the summer they were offering tours of the gardens twice a week. However, they were only offered in Dutch.

Estimated Visiting Time

Expect to spend 1-2 hours depending on how thoroughly you visit the garden.

Cost

Flowers in the Garden

Entrance is €5 for adults.