Originally Posted by
xooz
I spent some time in Leiden for work years ago and found it pretty nice. Might be worth looking at as it's a short ride south from Hoofddorf rail station.
Do not forget Haarlem, which is nearby the HP as well. Same busstop as mentioned in my post above however take bus 300 the other way to Haarlem. Also runs 24/7. Do not underestimate Haarlem, it has similar canals as Amsterdam, nice historic buildings, the
Frans Hals museum and much less tourists compared to Amsterdam.