Leeuwarden

Worth seeing in and around Leeuwarden

10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.

1. 01
   Cambuur Stadion

   The Cambuur Stadion was a football stadium in the east side of the city of Leeuwarden, Netherlands. It was used for the home matches of SC Cambuur.

   2.2 km · football stadium · Wikipedia
2. 02
   Oldehove

   The Oldehove is a leaning and unfinished church tower in the medieval centre of the Dutch city of Leeuwarden. Oldehove is also the name of an artificial mound on which in the late 9th century a church dedicated to Saint Vitus was built.

   500 m · iconic leaning church tower in Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands · Wikipedia
3. 03
   Fryske Akademy

   The Fryske Akademy, founded in 1938, is the scientific centre for research and education concerning Friesland and its people, language and culture, this in its broadest sense. The institution is based in the Coulonhûs and adjacent buildings in Leeuwarden.

   800 m · research institute · Wikipedia
4. 04
   Van Harinxmakanaal

   The van Harinxmakanaal is a major canal in western Frisland. It runs from the sea at Harlingen eastwards to Leeuwarden.

   8.3 km · canal in Friesland · Wikipedia
5. 05
   Princessehof Ceramics Museum

   The Princessehof Ceramics Museum is a museum of ceramics in the city of Leeuwarden in the Netherlands. The museum's name comes from one of two buildings in which it is housed: a small palace built in 1693 and later occupied by Marie Louise, dowager Princess of Orange.

   700 m · museum for ceramics in Leeuwarden, Netherlands · Wikipedia
6. 06
   Slauerhoffbrug

   The Slauerhoffbrug is a fully automatic bascule bridge in the city of Leeuwarden in the Netherlands. It is a road bridge that carries the Slauerhoffweg over the Harlingervaart.

   1.2 km · Bridge in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands · Wikipedia
7. 07
   Grote of Jacobijnerkerk

   Grote Kerk or Jacobijnerkerk is a Protestant church in the city of Leeuwarden, Netherlands. The square surrounding the church is the Jacobijnerkerkhof.

   1 km · church building in Leeuwarden, Netherlands · Wikipedia
8. 08
   Protestant church of Swichum

   The Protestant church of Swichum or Saint Nicholas Church is a religious building in Swichum, Netherlands, one of the many medieval churches in Friesland. The nave was built in the 13th century and the semicircular choir dates from the late 13th century; both are built out of red brick.

   5.7 km · church building in Leeuwarden, Netherlands · Wikipedia
9. 09
   Fries Museum

   The Fries Museum is a museum in Leeuwarden, Netherlands. It has won the Global Fine Art Award which is sometimes nicknamed the Museum-Oscar.

   700 m · museum in Leeuwarden, Netherlands · Wikipedia
10. 10
    Kooi Stadion

    Kooi Stadion is a football stadium in Leeuwarden, Netherlands. It is home to Eredivisie club SC Cambuur.

    1 km · football stadium in Leeuwarden, Netherlands · Wikipedia

Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What Wikivoyage says to see

Just north of the railway station lies Leeuwarden's compact medieval centre, surrounded by defensive canals. With 617 buildings listed as national monuments, the city has no lack of heritage to see. The old town is small enough to easily explore on foot, with plenty of time to take in the many historic buildings. Among the most notable ones are:

1. 01
   Grote of Jacobijnerkerk

   The largest of the medieval churches, dating back to around 1300.

2. 02
   Waag

   Leeuwarden's nicely decorated former weigh house was built in 1590, probably to replace an earlier one.

3. 03
   Oldehove

   When the city of Groningen got its massive Martini-tower in the 15th century, the Frisians were determined to get a tower of their own, at least as high.

4. 04
   Kanselarij

   13 Turfmarkt.

5. 05
   City

   Building of the Classicist city hall started in 1715.

6. 06
   Fries Museum

   The Fries Museum houses an excellent historic collection about Friesland and its 11 cities.

From Wikivoyage: Leeuwarden, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Things to do

Football: SC Cambuur were promoted in 2026 and now play soccer in Eredivisie, the top tier. Since 2024 their home ground has been Kooi Stadion (capacity 15,000) 1 km east of city centre; their old Cambuur Stadion has been demolished. Boat trip. Rent a small electric sloop and discover the city on your own via its picturesque canals.

From Wikivoyage: Leeuwarden, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Where to eat

1. 01
   Eindeloos

   Most is made by using prominent local and regional suppliers which produce their products in a sustainable way.

2. 02
   Trattoria Italiana

   Widely considered the best Italian food in town, available in the restaurant but also for take-away.

3. 03
   Leeuwarden Lounge

   The tapas it serves are a mixture of Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern cuisine, and well-prepared.

4. 04
   Rhodos Palace

   Ruiterskwartier 47,.

From Wikivoyage: Leeuwarden, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Getting to Leeuwarden

Airports

Groningen Eelde (GRQ), 54 km · Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS), 121 km · Rotterdam The Hague (RTM), 165 km

Stations

Leeuwarden railway station, 800 m · Leeuwarden Camminghaburen railway station, 3.9 km · Deinum railway station, 3.9 km · Mantgum railway station, 9.1 km

• Groningen → Leeuwarden

  50 km · quickest by road, 1h 18m · €6–9
  GuideToday
• Amsterdam → Leeuwarden

  111 km · quickest by road, 2h 43m · €14–19
  GuideToday
• Rotterdam → Leeuwarden

  168 km · quickest by road, 3h 20m · €21–29
  GuideToday
• From anywhere

  The planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
  Plan a trip

Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.

No local-transport research exists yet for Leeuwarden

Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Leeuwarden. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.

If you know how people move in Leeuwarden – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.