The transportation in Leiden is in fact quite well, you have busses leaving all the time and Leiden has a good train station. From Leiden you can go everywhere in The Netherlands. Leiden has many students and the most popular form of transportation is a bike. It really is the best way to get around in Leiden. You can hire a bike at the trainstation and explore Leiden. You can also go to the beach (Katwijk) by bus or on your bike (about 30 minutes).

I was lucky enough to hit Leiden it the perfect time of year: late April. The Netherlands are highly acclaimed as the world's leading tulip producer, and while Leiden isn't directly a major tulip-growing city, it is a perfect hub to head to places that are, all within a short drive or busride (20minutes). I went to Lisse, just outside Ledien, and had no idea what to expect. As I walked through the gardens, I felt I had accidentally landed in some dort of technicolor Oz. Every color imaginable -and then some that just simply were not- overloaded the senses. Fields of bright, flourescent colors lead as far as the eye could see, with rows of bright oranges and yellows and pinks and reds and violents cresting over the horizon, as a Dutch farmer plowed his field in the distance. So much tourism in Holland is concentrated in Amsterdam, which is a great city, full of the appealing Dutch culture, although the small country offers so much more as well. The tulips are not alone in a pool of offerings in the Dutch countryside. National forests and traditional windmilled landscapes also await your explorations.

I recently moved to Leiden from NYC and the relative slow pace of the city is something I've grown to love. A short distance from den Haag and Amsterdam both, it's a smaller, cleaner, and more laid back town. Plenty of canal cafes, bars, and gorgeous churches and historic sites, including a plaque commemorating Rembrandt's birth. Check out the Saturday market, which has fresher veg than ones in Amsterdam, and gorgeous, and cheap, flowers.

Leiden is famous for its history. Most notable is the brave defense by its inhabitants (Leienaars) during a siege by the Spanish army (early in the Sixteenth Century). On the third of October 1574, after months of hunger, illness and starvation, Leiden was finally released by the Dutch rebel army. The third of October (Leidens Ontzet) is still a day that is celebrated by the inhabitants of Leiden by an enormous fair in the centre. Not to be missed!! Tip: go by public transport; saves you a lot of headache!!!

Nice dance club in the center of Leiden, mainly visited by students. Especially thursday nights is for students only! This club is the most famous one in Leiden, decoration is very simple, the people are fun. This place is easy to get to by public transport. To the Central Station is like 10 minutes of walking.

The first time someone invited me to go to Annie´s birthday i was like "HUH !! what do u mean, i don´t know this woman, what am i gonna do there? " Turns out it´s a very nice café/restaurant in the middle of the center. In the summer it can be crowded outside on the terrace, so you´ll probably have to fight for a place :-))