At Naturalis in Leiden, the first thing you do is look up. Daylight falls through round windows into a tall atrium, where white concrete shapes interlock like molecules. From there you walk through galleries about the earth, the ice age, evolution and early humans. The star is Trix, one of the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons found so far. Naturalis is a museum and a research institute in one. Below you can read what to see, why the building is special and how to plan your visit.
- Location
- Darwinweg 2, Leiden, walking distance from Leiden Centraal station
- Type
- Science and nature museum
- Highlights
- Trix the T. rex, the Life gallery, the Rexperience
- Free entry
- Children aged 3 and under, and Museumkaart holders
- Good to know
- The Rexperience needs a separate ticket, booked online only
What you see at Naturalis
The highlight of Naturalis is the dinosaur gallery, Dinotijd, where Trix stands. She is one of the most complete and best preserved T. rex skeletons found so far, and you only grasp her size once you walk around her. In the gallery called Life, the focus is on the sheer variety of animals and plants on our planet. Other galleries cover the earth itself, the ice age, early humans, evolution, seduction and death. Each gallery tells its own chapter in the history of life, and together they form one long story from the first rocks to the present day.
The Rexperience and a collection of millions
Next to the permanent galleries, Naturalis offers the Rexperience, which takes you back to the world Trix lived in. You need a separate ticket for it, and you can only book it online. Behind the scenes, the museum is also a research institute. The collection runs to tens of millions of objects, with fossils, insects and plants as the largest groups. Scientists use it to understand biodiversity on earth. What you see on display is only a small part of what is kept here.
The building of Naturalis
The story of Naturalis starts in 1820, when a royal decree founded the national museum of natural history. Later the Zoological Museum Amsterdam and the National Herbarium were merged into it, and since 2012 the whole has been called Naturalis Biodiversity Center. The new building by Neutelings Riedijk Architects opened on 31 August 2019. Its galleries are clad in horizontal bands of natural stone, like a geological formation. Between them run white concrete friezes, designed together with fashion designer Iris van Herpen. In the atrium, daylight enters through a glass crown and you see oak, stone and concrete side by side.
Plan your visit to Naturalis
Naturalis advises you to order your ticket online, even if you have a Museumkaart, the Dutch annual museum pass, so you are sure of getting in. Book the Rexperience at the same time if you want to see it. From Leiden Centraal, leave the station on the LUMC side and follow the signs on foot. A bus to the Darwinweg/Naturalis stop drops you right in front of the entrance. Free lockers take your coat and bag, and there is a restaurant, a café and a roof terrace. The museum is accessible by wheelchair, apart from the Rexperience. See our page on museums in Leiden to fill the rest of your day.
Frequently asked questions about Naturalis
Do I need to book Naturalis in advance?
Is the Rexperience included in the standard museum ticket?
What is Trix at Naturalis?
How do I get from Leiden Centraal to Naturalis?
Is Naturalis free for children?
Plan your visit
Tickets and attractions in Leiden are available through our ticket partner Tiqets.
Museums in Leiden