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City and municipality in Friesland, Netherlands
Photo: C messier, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Leeuwarden is the capital of the Dutch province Friesland in the north of the country. Leeuwarden and Friesland as a whole are often overlooked by visitors. As the Netherlands are small, however, and the famous "Afsluitdijk" connects Friesland to the provinces in the west, it's a 90-minute drive from Amsterdam to Leeuwarden. For those willing to make the trip, the city has lots of history to offer and gives an insight in the proud local culture of the Frisians. There are several worthwhile museums, including large Fries Museum.
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The largest of the medieval churches, dating back to around 1300. It's a Gothic style building that was built as a monastery. It houses a famous 1727 Christian Müller-organ.
Leeuwarden's nicely decorated former weigh house was built in 1590, probably to replace an earlier one. It was a major centre for trade in the city, with butter and other dairy products being the most weighed and traded goods. It kept its function until 1880 or so, and now houses a lunch room.
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. Money was raised throughout the province and building began in 1529. The master builder was however unaccustomed to the clay grounds under the city, and the measures he took to ensure the towers stability (including a 1.1-5 m foundation and a broad base) soon turned out to be insufficient. The tower was only 10 m high when it started to lean. Attempts to correct for the sag resulted in the tower not only leaning, but also being bent in itself. After about 4 years, the construction was stopped and the tower remained as it was ever since: 40 m high and leaning. Only in 2005 experts found that one side of the tower was built on the remains of an artificial dwelling hill, which is believed to explain many of the problems. In any case, although nothing like the Martinitower in grandeur, the Oldehove has proven an interesting landmark for the city and it has been restored. Due to the state of the structure and in order to limit noise for the people living around the tower, its bells are only used for special occasions.
Building of the Classicist city hall started in 1715. It has been extensively restored. The inscription above the mainentrance reads "Pace et Justitia", or "Peace and Justice".
The Fries Museum houses an excellent historic collection about Friesland and its 11 cities. It includes many works of art but also a wide range of historic artefacts.
The birth place of Mata Hari, the famous exotic dancer, courtisan and hapless spy, was restored after a 2013 fire, and since 2016 the building has contained a presentation centre (belevingscentrum) with exhibits about the town's most famous citizen. In front of the building stands a statue of Mata Hari dressed as an exotic dancer. Elsewhere the Fries Museum has a Mata Hari Room.
Rent a small electric sloop and discover the city on your own via its picturesque canals. The sloops are owned by Greenjoy but reservations are made via the tourist information office, which will also provide you with tips on routes and sights on the way. There's a minimum rental period of 2 hours.
You'll have to understand some Dutch to really appreciate this poetic initiative, but even if you're not intentionally following this remarkable route, make sure to notice the art you're walking on. Throughout the city centre, parts of the pavement have been replaced by stones with poems in them. Some display famous, old poems while others hold new work, created for this purpose by participating poets. There's a free map available from the website if you want to see them all.
Very good food. Most is made by using prominent local and regional suppliers which produce their products in a sustainable way.
Widely considered the best Italian food in town, available in the restaurant but also for take-away. Food is delicious and the service very welcoming.
It's a successful concept, this tapas place with a set menu for €15. The tapas it serves are a mixture of Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern cuisine, and well-prepared. It has an exotic interior which some will love while others might not, but almost everyone agrees the staff is great and the combination of relaxing lounge areas with fingerfood is a winner.
If you're up for some Greek food, this place is a bargain with tasty Greek style dishes for prices around €15.
The local Irish pub serves a fine range of international beers as well as some decent food.
A popular hangout for school kids and students, open all day. Monday night is game night, with board games on the table.
A 4-star luxury hotel with good prices for what it has to offer. The staff is professional and helpful, rooms are nice and the location right in the centre makes it a great base to explore town. They have some spacious suites too, if you're looking for a really luxurious stay.
3-star chain hotel with simple but okay rooms and good staff. Located outside the city centre but at no more than a 10-minute drive.
One of the cheapest options in the centre, with rooms in 4 old houses. The cheaper rooms have shared bathrooms. All rooms are simple but clean and the service gets positive reviews. There's an in-house café and restaurant which serves simple, Dutch dishes.
Already in existence since 1879 and renovated several times since then. In Brasserie Oranje there's dinner, tea or lunch.
If you've always wanted to sleep on a ship, this is a good opportunity. Slaapschepen offers several ships with places to stay, some operating like small B&Bs with up to 10 rooms, others more like holiday homes, for rent as a whole. The Johanna Laetitia used to be home to a family, has modern facilities and is now available for private rent (2-4 people). Prices from €95 per day or €195. Nova Cura is a historic ship which always lies along the Willemskade NZ. It has 6 huts for up to 12 people, and shared bathroom facilities. There are several other ships available.
By public transport
An intercity train service connects Leeuwarden to Amsterdam and to Schiphol Airport. There are direct connections once per hour, and additional ones with a transfer in either Zwolle or Almere.
By plane
The nearest airport is Groningen Airport Eelde, a small airport with scheduled international flights from Copenhagen, London (Southend), and Gdansk, as well as flights to holiday destinations in…
As is the case with all old city centres in The Netherlands, the old centre of Leeuwarden is compact and can easily be explored on foot.
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