Singles in Leiden: where to meet people

Where do you meet singles in Leiden?

Leiden is the oldest university city in the Netherlands, with a centre small enough to walk and full of students, PhD candidates and people who simply stayed after their studies. The city has around 130,000 residents and the university dates from 1575, so the academic year still sets the rhythm of the place.

The Rapenburg is considered one of the most beautiful canals in Europe and is where people walk, sit on a bench with a book and stroll along the water in the evening. Most terraces sit around the Grote Markt and the Beestenmarkt. On the Beestenmarkt the tables are outside as if it were a square abroad, and that is exactly where conversations between strangers start easily.

Study, culture and nightlife within one radius

The Hortus botanicus is the oldest botanical garden in the Netherlands, laid out in 1590 and still behind the university. The Burcht van Leiden sits on a hill in the middle of the city and gives a view over the rooftops. Molen De Valk is one of the few windmills you can actually enter, with the city at your feet from the top.

What sets Leiden apart from other student cities is the student corps and the many study and sports associations that carry their own nightlife. If you are not part of that, you fall between two stools, and the pubs on the Grote Markt become the easiest route.

Where singles live in Leiden

The centre itself is expensive and mostly home to students in shared houses and people who have been there for years. The Noorderkwartier, between the station and the canals, is where people in their thirties with a job in the city live, close enough to walk to the pubs. The Professorenwijk and the Bos- en Gasthuisdistrict are quieter, with larger houses and families. If you are just starting out and want something affordable, you often end up in De Kooi or on the edge of the city.

Where you live decides how your evening starts. From the Noorderkwartier it is five minutes to the Beestenmarkt or the station, from the Professorenwijk you walk a quarter of an hour along the canals before you reach the nightlife. That walk is no punishment: the Singel is one of the finest routes in the city.

Eating and drinking: from Beestenmarkt to Noorderkwartier

Most terraces and pubs cluster around the Grote Markt and the Beestenmarkt, and the Beestenmarkt fills up on summer evenings with people who stay outside. The Noorderkwartier has the smaller places to eat and the wine bars, where a conversation is easier than among the music on the square.

You do not have to leave town for culture: Museum De Lakenhal, the National Museum of Antiquities, Museum Boerhaave and Naturalis are all a short bike ride from the canals. That makes a first meeting at an exhibition as easy to plan as a drink in Leiden, and it gives the conversation something to start from.

Season by season

April to September is Leiden at its best: terraces outside, boats on the canals and the Singel as a walking route around the centre of a few kilometres. July and August are quieter than other months, because part of the student population is away and the city belongs more to its residents.

Autumn belongs to the cultural calendar, with concerts, lectures and exhibitions. December is atmospheric with the canals in Christmas lights, and January and February are quiet, which is pleasant if you dislike crowds: the pubs are full but the streets are empty.

What an evening costs

Leiden is cheaper than Amsterdam or Utrecht. A drink on a terrace on the Beestenmarkt costs a few euros, and a three-course dinner usually sits between forty and sixty euros per person, depending on the place and the wine. If you only want a first conversation, two drinks are enough to know whether a second meeting is worth it.

Getting there and when to come

From Amsterdam it is just under half an hour by train, from The Hague ten minutes, from Utrecht forty minutes. The centre is walkable. April to September is the pleasant stretch, with summer as terrace season on the Beestenmarkt. December is quiet but atmospheric, with the canals in Christmas lights.

What differs by age

In your twenties Leiden offers plenty of people your age, but also a closed association circuit. In your thirties and forties the centre is mostly good for eating and walking, and the cultural calendar matters more than the pub. Above fifty it is one of the better Dutch cities for museums, walks and a conversation that is about something.

Frequently asked questions

Is Leiden a good city for singles?

Yes, thanks to the large young population and the compact centre. The Rapenburg, the Grote Markt and the Beestenmarkt are where people meet.

Where are the terraces in Leiden?

On the Beestenmarkt and around the Grote Markt. In spring and summer most tables are outside.

How old is Leiden University?

It was founded in 1575, making it the oldest in the Netherlands. That history is still visible in the Academiegebouw on the Rapenburg.

Where can you start a conversation easily in Leiden?

On the Beestenmarkt, where tables sit close together, and along the Rapenburg on a summer evening. The smaller places in the Noorderkwartier are easier than the music on the square.

What does a night out in Leiden cost?

Less than in Amsterdam. A drink costs a few euros and a three-course dinner usually sits between forty and sixty euros per person.

Read more

Singles in Haarlem, singles in Amsterdam and dating without swiping: the other city guides are on adamevening.com/blog.

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