South Holland · Netherlands
Where to stay in Leiden
Leiden is a city in South Holland, Netherlands, home to about 124,000 people. This guide covers 2 hotels in Leiden, with about 157 rooms between them.
- Places to stay in this guide
- 2
- Best months
- June and July
- Nearest airport
- RTM23 km · Rotterdam The Hague Airport
- Currency
- EUReuro
- Time zone
- Europe/Amsterdam
- Language
- Dutch
About
About Leiden
Leiden is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 127,046 (31 January 2023), but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration with its suburbs Oegstgeest, Leiderdorp, Voorschoten and Zoeterwoude with 215,602 inhabitants.
With a population of over 130,000 (2026), and over 30,000 of them students, Leiden is one of the Netherlands' few true student towns (along with Groningen, Utrecht and Delft). Leiden University is the Netherlands' oldest university, founded in the 16th century to commemorate the resistance of its townsfolk to the Spanish siege. Its buildings are dotted around town, in and out of the city centre. This gives Leiden a relatively young and internationally diverse population, especially with the university having a particularly strong law and medical faculty.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Leiden
See
- Stadhuis
- Burcht van Leiden
- Academiegebouw
- Pieterskerk
- Hooglandse Kerk
- Gemeenlandshuis van Rijnland
- Gravensteen
- Oude Rijn
- Molen De Put
- De Waag
- Weeshuis
- Marekerk
Do
- Muurgedichten
- Hofjeswandeling
- Leiden International Film Festival
- Leidsche blues- en jazzweek
- Werfpop
- Leidsche lakenfeesten
- 3 October celebrations
- Koningsdag
- Lido Theater
- Trianon
- Kijkhuis
- Stadsgehoorzaal Leiden
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Places to stay in Leiden
2 places to stay from the chains this guide covers, each linked to its own website.
| Place to stay | Rooms |
|---|---|
| Hotel Sassenheim-Leiden hotel | 157 |
| Wellness-Hotel Leiden hotel |
Schematic: the city centre in orange, each place to stay as a dot, distance rings in kilometres.
Where to stay
Which part of Leiden to stay in
There are plenty of good mid-range hotels and B&Bs in the city. But there's no youth hostel and sleeping in town for less than €50 per room can be challenging. If your budget is tight, you might consider visiting Leiden on a day trip while staying in hostels in the area or bring your camping gear. There's a hostel in Noordwijk (10 km) and The Hague also has options, with a "fast biking" route to Leiden (<1 hr by bike). Amsterdam is a half-hour trip by train, but calculate that the return ticket will set you back about €17.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
More hotels in Leiden
3 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| De Beukenhof | 2.3 km | |
| Hilton Garden Inn Leiden | 2.8 km | |
| Van der Valk Hotel Amersfoort A1 | 2.5 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Leiden
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Leiden are June and July. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 22 °C; October is the wettest, with about 92 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Leiden: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM), about 23 km from the city centre in a straight line; Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS, 25 km) and Eindhoven Airport (EIN, 100 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
Leiden is easily reached by train. The journey takes 10–15 minutes from The Hague, and 15 minutes from Schiphol Airport, the principal airport in the Netherlands. The journey from Amsterdam takes between 30 and 40 minutes. Trains run by NS (including all that arrive in Leiden) are now all accessible using your bank card.
Getting around
The large majority of sights are within the old city fortifications. It's a compact area, easy to navigate on foot. The tourist information office right outside the main train station has a number of free and paid maps with main sights and walking routes, but even just strolling around for a while will allow you to see the main historic buildings and museums. For faster exploring or to visit places further out, renting a bicycle is an excellent idea. Like all Dutch cities, Leiden is very bike-friendly and you'll find it's an extremely widely used means of transport where-ever you go.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
RTM · Rotterdam The Hague Airport
AMS · Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
EIN · Eindhoven Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Leiden
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.
Drink
The city is full of students, and cafes and bars are clearly by far the most frequented 'faculty'. There is a healthy and lively cafe and night life. You cannot help wondering if the students actually get time to study from time to time between the many festivities and drink parties all over town. If you are out for a drink, you will not be disappointed. Be aware that you can't enter the bars after 01:00 and after 02:00 on Friday and Saturday.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Leiden: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Leiden?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Leiden are June and July. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 22 °C; October is the wettest, with about 92 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Leiden?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM), about 23 km from the city centre in a straight line; Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS, 25 km) and Eindhoven Airport (EIN, 100 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Leiden?
euro (EUR).
Nearby
Destinations near Leiden
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.