Leiden
Leiden is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands.
Leiden is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 127,046, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration with its suburbs Oegstgeest, Leiderdorp, Voorschoten and Zoeterwoude with 215,602 inhabitants. The Netherlands Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) further includes Katwijk in the agglomeration which makes the total population of the Leiden urban agglomeration 282,207. Further, Teylingen, Noordwijk, and Noordwijkerhout are included in the larger Leiden urban area, which has 365,913 inhabitants. Leiden is located on the Oude Rijn, at a distance of some 20 km (12 mi) from The Hague to its south and some 40 km (25 mi) from Amsterdam to its north. The recreational area of the Kaag Lakes (Kagerplassen) lies just to the northeast of Leiden.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
- 01Stadhuis
The old renaissance façade facing Breestraat is dating from 1597.
- 02Burcht van Leiden
An old shell keep dated back to 11th century.
- 03Academiegebouw
The old university building still used for ceremonies and a few studies.
- 04Pieterskerk
Peter (the patron saint of the city) is a 16th-century church, in late-Gothic style.
- 05Hooglandse Kerk
Dedicated to St Pancras and located at the site of an earlier wooden chapel dating from 1314.
- 06Gemeenlandshuis van Rijnland
Open to the public each year on Monument Day.
From Wikivoyage: Leiden, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
- 01Muurgedichten
- 02Lido Theater
The 1970s interior is in serious need of an upgrade.
- 03Trianon
Grand old dame and with a brilliantly restored art deco/art nouveau main theatre.
- 04Kijkhuis
Small charming cinema with classics and arthouse movies.
- 05Stadsgehoorzaal Leiden
The building in rare for the Netherlands Neo-Renaissance style is dating back to 1891.
- 06Scheltema
From Wikivoyage: Leiden, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Leiden has a lot of restaurants and bars. Especially in the Pieterswijk (the east side of the Breestraat) are a lot of cosy restaurants.
- 01Entrekoos
Part French-style dishes, part steakhouse.
- 02Eazie
Breestraat 157/Stationsweg 11.
- 03Delphi
Nieuwe Rijn 52.
- 04La Piccola Italia
A small restaurant that makes good pizzas and pasta dishes.
- 05Bocconi
Italian trattoria focusing on fresh pasta, but they have other Italian treats as well.
From Wikivoyage: Leiden, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Leiden
- Airports
- Rotterdam The Hague (RTM), 23 km · Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS), 25 km · Eindhoven (EIN), 100 km
- Eindhoven → Leiden105 km · quickest by road, 2h 36m · €13–18
- Maastricht → Leiden168 km · quickest by road, 3h 40m · €24–33
- Groningen → Leiden183 km · quickest by road, 3h 33m · €22–31
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
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 Leiden
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 Leiden. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get aroundby HTM Bike, Donkey Republic (The Hague) and OV-fiets (requires a personalised OV-chipkaart).
From Wikivoyage: The Hague, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 01128 km
- 02434 km
- 03641 km
- 04687 km
- 05723 km
If you know how people move in Leiden – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Leiden
Leiden is 16 km from The Hague, the nearest large city, whose note carries the wider picture.