Walking routes in Leiden — four walks, all starting at the station

1. The hofjes route — 1.5 hours, 3 km

Leiden has more than 35 hofjes: hidden courtyard gardens behind unremarkable doors, originally built as housing for the elderly and the poor. Start at Sint Annahofje on Hooigracht (1507, the oldest), pass the Jean Pesijnhofje on Kloksteeg — where the Pilgrim Fathers lived — and finish at Eva van Hoogeveenhofje on Doezastraat.

Hofjes are lived in: you may enter during the day, but keep quiet and do not photograph windows.

2. The wall poems route — 2 hours, 4 km

Over 110 poems are painted on Leiden facades in more than thirty languages, from Shakespeare to Marina Tsvetaeva. The highest concentration is around the Rapenburg, Langebrug and Nieuwsteeg — where the project began in 1992.

3. The Rembrandt route — 1 hour, 2 km

From Weddesteeg, where Rembrandt was born in 1606, past the Latin School he attended, the Pieterskerk, De Lakenhal with work from his Leiden years, to the Galgewater where he painted the light that made him famous.

4. The canal ring loop — 3 hours, 7 km

The full circle around the old town, past De Valk windmill, the Zijlpoort, the Morspoort and the Hortus botanicus. Flat, well signposted, with shortcuts back into the centre everywhere.

Practical tips for walking

• Wear shoes with grip: the quays are cobbled and slippery after rain.
• Toilets are in the museums, the library and cafés along the Nieuwe Rijn.
• The Burcht is the highest point and free to enter — a good break with a view.
• Want a guide? City walks usually depart from the Pieterskerk.