Leiden, Netherlands

• Leiden is a small university town of around 120,000 people and regularly shows up near the top of Dutch city safety rankings. It has the oldest university in the Netherlands (founded 1575), a lot of canals, and it's where Rembrandt was born. The center is small enough to walk everywhere, and the streets are well lit.
• Students make up a big share of the population, so the town is busy without being hectic. Most people speak good English. Locals can be blunt, but they'll usually help if you ask. Eating alone in a restaurant or café doesn't get you a second look, and plenty of residents cycle home late at night without thinking twice about it.
• The problems you're most likely to run into are bike theft and the odd bit of late-night fireworks noise, not violent crime. Around the station and on Breestraat, weekend nights can get loud with drunk groups heading between bars, but serious incidents are rare.
• Amsterdam is 30 minutes away by train and The Hague 15, and the beach at Katwijk is about 20 minutes. Leiden works well as a base for South Holland if you'd rather not pay Amsterdam hotel prices or deal with its crowds.

Dutch is the official language, but with a large international university in town, nearly everyone speaks English. Restaurants, shops, transport, museums, and emergency services all work fine in English. People appreciate a 'dankjewel' (thank you) or 'alsjeblieft' (please), but you don't need any Dutch to get by.

• Dutch people tend to say exactly what they think. It comes across as blunt, but it isn't meant to be hostile.
• English is widely spoken in Leiden. You won't need Dutch in restaurants, shops, museums, or on public transport.
• Keep out of the bike lanes, and look both ways before crossing them. Cyclists are quiet, fast, and don't expect to stop for pedestrians.
• Tipping isn't expected. People usually round up or leave 5-10% if the service was good. Cards are accepted almost everywhere, and some places don't take cash at all.
• Street harassment is uncommon and frowned upon, and women traveling alone get far less unwanted attention here than in much of Southern Europe. Attitudes toward LGBTQ+ people are generally relaxed.
• Cannabis is sold in coffee shops, but smoking it in public is technically not allowed. You'll still smell it now and then around the student bars.
• Be on time if you've arranged to meet someone. Turning up at someone's home unannounced isn't really done.

The first hour after landing is when you're tired, carrying everything, and easiest to take advantage of. Three things to sort before you fly:

• Your ride from the airport. A driver who meets you in arrivals, at a price fixed before you fly — no haggling at the taxi rank.

  Book an airport pickup

• Data the moment you land. Maps, ride apps and a way to call for help as soon as you switch your phone on. An eSIM installs at home.

  Get a good eSIM

• The emergency number. Emergency Services (Police, Fire, Ambulance): 112. Save it in your phone, not just on this page.

  All emergency contacts

• You can walk to nearly everything in the center - most sights, restaurants, and hotels are within 15 minutes of each other, so you won't need buses for sightseeing.
• Locals get around by bike. Rental shops in town are the easiest option for visitors; the OV-fiets bikes at the station need a personal OV-chipkaart with an OV-fiets subscription. Stay in the bike lane, follow the rules, and expect other cyclists to ride fast.
• On buses and trains you can tap in with a contactless bank card, or buy an anonymous OV-chipkaart (€7.50) from the machines at the station and some shops. Either way, check in and check out - forgetting to check out gets you charged a large fee. Bus lines 1 and 3 run between the station and Aalmarkt.
• Trains from Leiden Centraal go to Amsterdam (30 min), The Hague (15 min), Rotterdam (45 min), and Schiphol airport (25 min). They run often and are generally on time.
• The 9292 app (available in English) is the easiest way to plan trips on Dutch public transport.
• Taxis and Uber exist, but you'll rarely need them in a town this size. Book through an app rather than trying to flag one down on the street.
• If you're planning day trips outside the city, consider renting a car.

Explore Leiden with local guides and curated experiences.