We're open daily from 10 am till 5 pm. Naturalis is only four days closed a year; King's Day, two cleaning days and Christmas Day (25 December).

Due to the expected extra visitors for our exhibition Triceratops: the herd, we are open until 5:30 p.m. during the autumn and Christmas school holidays, with the exception of:

• Tuesday 24 December 2024
• Thursday 26 December 2024
• Tuesday 31 December 2024
• Wednesday 1 January 2025

On these days, we close at 5 pm. Every Saturday up & until January 4, 2025, we are open until 9:30 p.m.

Naturalis has two entrances. Darwinweg 2 (coming by foot) and Mendelweg 2 (coming by car or bike). The municipality of Leiden is working on the area around Naturalis (information in Dutch), so the routing may be different than you are used to.

Public transport

We advise you to travel by public transport. Naturalis is easy to reach by train and within walking distance of Leiden Central train station. Exit the station on the LUMC side. The walking route is clearly marked from there. You can also take a bus from Leiden Central train station and get off at the Darwinweg/Naturalis bus stop, right in front of the entrance.

Parking

Due to construction work on our new car park, we will have very limited parking possibilities until medio september 2025. Please make use of the other parking options in the area, such as parking garage Morspoort (10 minute walk) and parking garage Ehrenfestweg (15 minute walk). We can also recommend the parking lot on Haagweg, from there a free city shuttle will take you to Naturalis (and other locations in the city center) for free. At our museum, four parking spaces for people with disabilities remain available. Parking tickets cost €7.50 per day (until 5.30pm) and are only available in Naturalis (and are only valid for our parking lot). It is not possible to pay by the hour.

Naturalis is accessible to wheelchairs and compact mobility scooters. Wheelchairs are available. The whole museum is accessible to visitors with disabilities. Naturalis is also a participant of The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, a simple tool that allows you to voluntarily indicate that you have a disability or condition that may not be readily apparent. There are two lifts and all stairs are fitted with handrails and resting areas. Guide and assistance dogs are welcome, pets are not.

Stimuli basket 

A museum visit is full of stimuli, such as sounds, moving images, smells or flashes of light. Everyone can experience stimuli differently. In the museum we have a stimuli basket filled with different items that can help with processing stimuli. In the basket you can find items such as hearing protection, sunglasses, stress balls and fidget toys. If you want to make use of one (or more) of those items, you can ask for the stimuli baskets at the service desk. The basket is for everyone and you can choose yourself what you’d like to borrow. You don’t have to make a reservation. After your visit you hand it in at the service desk. 

Other facilities

• Accessible toilet facilities on the ground floor and ninth floor.
• Free wheelchairs
• Free lockers (€0.50 or €1 deposit)
• Toilet facilities on the ground floor, as well as third, fifth and ninth floor.
• Four accessible parking spaces. These cannot be reserved. The parking fee is € 7.50. Paying by the hour is not possible.