Photo report! An ode to the lovely city of Leiden

These photos of our hometown Leiden will be, hands-down, the prettiest thing you stumble upon today.

Since DutchReview is located in Leiden, it’s not a coincidence that our feed on Insta is filled with top shots of this beautiful city. But recently, a couple of pictures really stood out. Long story short, we teamed up with Martijn van der Nat, who has taken some incredible photos of Leiden and we at DutchReview think these photos are a sight for sore eyes.

Leiden is also sometimes called “Little Amsterdam,” and you can see why in some of Martijn’s canal pictures. If you’re after more of these kinds of pretty pics, then make sure to visit Martijn’s Instagram as well for more delightful pics.

Let’s not stall any longer, Martijn was kind enough to add on his own captions over his snaps. Let’s first check out these sunrise portraits.

This sunrise over #Leiden was excellent; the sky was lit up by beautiful stormclouds and every time you looked up it was different. I could not help myself and took some images on my way over to work. Image: ©2018 martijnvandernat.nl/All rights reserved
This one of my recent discoveries; the beautiful Herengracht in Leiden. Image: ©2018 martijnvandernat.nl/All rights reserved
An explosive sunrise over the beautiful city of Leiden, the Netherlands. Image: ©2018 martijnvandernat.nl/All rights reserved
Battered, weathered, defied man, nature, time, wars and persevered. Still going strong. Image: ©2018 martijnvandernat.nl/All rights reserved
This is the spot in the centre of Leiden where the Old and the New Rhine join. The buzzing heart of Leiden. Image: ©2018 martijnvandernat.nl/All rights reserved

Leiden’s beautiful bridges

One of the traditions of the city is these bridges that are decorated with flowers in the spring. One of the best ideas the municipality had! *swoon*

Don’t you just love the light of autumn playing with the clouds on a nice sunny day? Image: ©2018 martijnvandernat.nl/All rights reserved
Cycling through Leiden in the early morning to my work I came across this view I just had to pull over and shoot this. How beautiful can a city be? Image: ©2018 martijnvandernat.nl/All rights reserved
Molen de Valk in Springtime. Had planned something completely different but hey what can I say! Springtime is here! Image: ©2018 martijnvandernat.nl/All rights reserved

Can summer come any faster?

Summer in Leiden is a sight to see. Terraces and barges are overflowing with Leidnaars soaking up the sun. Boat rides in Leiden’s canals should be on your summer to-do list.

Can’t you just picture sitting here with an ice cream cone? Image: ©2018 martijnvandernat.nl/All rights reserved
That clear sunny blue sky is something to look forward to! Image: ©2018 martijnvandernat.nl/All rights reserved

And Leiden’s not only pretty in spring:

Het Rapenburg – Martijn van der Nat. Literally, seconds after I took this shot the streetlights turned off, and the whole scene got a completely different vibe… I liked this one better… how about you? Image: ©2018 martijnvandernat.nl/All rights reserved
View upon Leiden
A view from the medieval stronghold the Burcht in the City of Leiden. Image: ©2016 martijnvandernat.nl/All rights reserved
This is so me lately, just cannot stop taking pictures of my lovely town Leiden, whether it’s on my cellphone or DSLR… sometimes even at the same time like here…Image: ©2018 martijnvandernat.nl/All rights reserved

Modern City. Traffic Rushes along during rush hour at downtown Leiden, the Netherlands. Image: ©2018 martijnvandernat.nl/All rights reserved
A typical Dutch sunset over the canals and teracces of Leiden. Image: ©2018 martijnvandernat.nl/All rights reserved
This image to me looks like a painting, it’s the colours, the subject and the mixture of the warm colours with the cold snow and ice. #Leiden is such a photogenic city! I love the #morspoort city gate and especially under different conditions like this time in late February this year. Image: ©2018 martijnvandernat.nl/All rights reserved
The Leyden Rapenburg in pastel shades. taken on a cold winter morning in February. In the distance stands the old university building. Image: ©2018 martijnvandernat.nl/All rights reserved
This morning pre-sunrise in the inner harbour of the beautiful city of Leiden, the Netherlands. Image: ©2018 martijnvandernat.nl/All rights reserved

That’s it for your daily dose of pretty pics for now, but if you to know more about Leiden then we’ve got you covered. And if you’re thinking that the town looks like a classic painting; read up local Liendarr Rembrandt who was born and raised in the city.

If you love these pictures as much as we do, make sure to check the other landscape photographs on Martijn’s webpage, Facebook and Instagram.

Which of these pics was your favourite? Let us know in the comments below!

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in January 2019, and was fully updated in March 2021 for your reading pleasure.
Feature Image: (c)2018-today martijnvandernat.nl/Supplied

Armig
Armig
Tiny but mighty, Armig usually socializes if food is involved. Armig's days involve avocado sandwiches and yoga. With a bachelors in Psychology, now she is a proud communications masters student at The Hague University and is a parent to a Shepherd Mix, Cindy.

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8 COMMENTS

  1. All are mind blowing, especially the one with the old tree with the sun rays going through

    Feels like a tree from a fantasy world!

  2. My favorite is the one titled Pictures, of the Moorsport city gate. Why? Because I rode my bike over that bridge and past the windmill twice a day last June, when teaching for 3 weeks at Webster University. I live in America and could have written this in Dutch, but it’s an English website after all. Mooie fotos allemaal!

  3. I LOVE Leiden! The history, architecture, coffee, museums, public transportation, restaurants, and most of all the people are a source of delight.

  4. I consider The Netherlands my second home, yet I have never been to Leyden. It is on my list for my next visit. Thank you for these wonderful pictures.

  5. We woonden er 35 jaar en al zijn er 1000 legale redenen waarom dat nu niet meer zo is, (allemaal even doorslaggevend) mis ik Leiden nog alle dagen. Dank voor deze prachtige, liefdevolle foto’s!

  6. We lived in Haarlemmerstraat for a year and all of these images bring back very special memories. Leiden was a wonderful place to live.

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