Leiderdorp: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

The 12 km Langs de Limes route between Leiden and Koudekerk aan den Rijn passes through Leiderdorp and provides interesting information about the medieval settlement of Leython. The Pleisterplaats artwork in Leithonpark in Leiderdorp is part of this route.

Culture and History

The collection of the Leiderdorps Museum comprises more than 7,000 objects, and its registration system is also accessible online. The museum grew out of the Oudheidkamer Leiderdorp foundation, established on 10 January 1989, and aims to provide insights into the early and more recent history of the region, particularly Leiderdorp. In addition, two new information panels along the Hoofdstraat make the history of this place visible to residents, walkers and cyclists.

Today’s Dorpskerk was built in 1620 on the same site as Leiderdorp’s first church, the St. Michael’s Church or St. Pancras Church, which was constructed around 1200. The foundation of its freestanding bell tower is still visible next to the church. The Dorpskerk also houses the Mitterreither organ from 1781. Surviving historical evidence includes tombstones from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, including those of Pieter van der Does and his family.

Works of art distributed throughout the municipality of Leiderdorp form an important part of its cultural heritage. With the art app, you can explore Leiderdorp’s artworks on foot or by bicycle.

Parks and Landscapes

De Houtkamp Park is a green, water-rich park created in the early 1970s and since then managed in a nature-oriented way. The paths in the park are paved, making it suitable for wheelchair users. De Houtkamp Park contains a heemtuin, a children’s farm and a children’s playground. With its variety of soils, streams, ditches and paths, the heemtuin recreates several original landscapes. It is intended to introduce Leiderdorp residents to native plants, plant communities and landscape features.

The round shape of the medieval Huis Ter Does can still be seen as a rise in the meadow in front of Doeshof farm. Part of the historic polder landscape has been transformed into the Munnikkenpolder nature and recreation area. Various bird species can be observed there at close range; at the same time, the Munnikkenpolder offers space for walking, cycling and recreation on the water.

Mills and Polders

The Doeshofmolen is a very small polder mill dating from 1830, located on the south side of the Does at the Ruigekade, near the junction with the Dwarswetering in Leiderdorp. It is open to the public when the mill is operating, as well as by appointment. The Meerburgermolen is a polder mill built in 1684 at Peter van der Voortpad 2 in Leiderdorp, which can be visited when the mill is operating or by appointment. It can be reached on foot or by bicycle via designated paths; in principle, the mill itself cannot be reached by car.

The Achthovense Molen is part of the technical infrastructure of the polder landscape. It drains the approximately 415-hectare Achthoven polder, with a pumping height of 1.30 metres. Water also shapes the wider surroundings: the Oude Rijn continues to be used as a transit route for inland shipping at Leiderdorp.

Cycling Routes and Waterways

The W4 cycling route runs through the W4 area near Leiderdorp, Zoeterwoude and Leiden. It is 29 km long in total and can be shortened. Thus, alongside the 12 km Langs de Limes route, there is also a route explicitly designated as a cycling route, with its own length and the option of shortening it.

On the water, Kano Rijnland, based in Leiderdorp, is active. The company offers recreational sports on calm water for individuals or groups and regularly organises trips on large and shallow waters in the Netherlands. The Boterhuispolder canoe route takes you by canoe through the ditches of the Boterhuispolder. Near the end of the Dwarswatering, just beyond the bridge carrying the De Oude Spoorbaan road for cars and bicycles, there is a canoe launching point with access to the Boterhuispolder.

The local page Leiderdorp provides more information about the town.

For the higher-level travel overview: South Holland.

More Destinations

More places within the same destination:

Boskoop, Strijen, Noordwijk, Giessenlanden, Schiedam, Lisse, Goeree-Overflakkee.