Set in the heart of the Randstad, Leiden is a picturesque college town that in many ways is the cultural and intellectual epicentre of the region.

The city is home to the oldest university in the country, as well as many museums and a multitude of bars, cafes and restaurants. On top of that the city can boast great public transportation services.

From Leiden Central station, which is a mere 10 minutes walk from the city centre, trains will take you to Amsterdam in just over 30 minutes, Schiphol airport in 15 and The Hague in just 10 minutes.

University Town

Leiden is a small city with just under 119,000 inhabitants. Some 20,000 of them are students or staff associated with the University of Leiden, the oldest university in The Netherlands.

Founded on 8 February 1575, the University was a gift by Prince William of Orange to the city of Leiden and its inhabitants for the courage they displayed during the one year siege by the Spanish occupiers. The occupation ended on October 3, 1574, an important date in Leiden's history which is why the third of October, or Leiden's Deliverance, is still celebrated every year.

Leiden University offers a multitude of programmes and courses in English, as well as excellent Dutch courses for foreigners. The university does not have one single campus: university buildings and sorority and fraternity houses are scattered all over the city centre.

Because the city is a real college town there are a lot of amenities catering to the student population, including an abundance of cafes and bars, and a good number of great book stores.

Besides the University of Leiden, the city also houses Webster University, which in 2002 was ranked the best value MBA program in the Netherlands. The Leiden campus of this American university mainly attracts foreign students, which gives Leiden an international flair. It is worth noting that Leiden has a much smaller expat community than The Hague or Amsterdam.

Culture

Culture aficionados will have a field day in Leiden. The city has no less than 12 museums. Of particular interest are the National Museum for Natural History (Naturalis), which is housed in a modern architectural gem, and the Rijksmuseum Van Oudheden, Holland's principal archaeological museum.

The Lakenhal Municipal Museum exhibits paintings from famed Leiden painters including Rembrandt van Rijn, who was born and raised in the city. 

One of the city's smallest museums is the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum. It basically consist of just one room with some artifacts but the lack of visual stimuli is compensated by the wonderful stories museum owner Dr Jeremy Bangs tells about the Pilgrims who lived in Leiden before setting sail to America on the Mayflower in 1609.

Leiden is also great for shopping. The city's main shopping streets are the Breestraat and Haarlemmerstraat but the really interesting shops can be found off the main roads, in the narrow pedestrian areas. The city is home to a large number of antiques stores and on Wednesdays and Saturdays the city's shopping area is transformed into a massive outdoor market that offers a variety of fresh goods.

Housing

Leiden has a pretty historic centre with narrow, gabled streets and beautiful canals. By far the most attractive (and expensive) area to live in Leiden is the historic city centre.

Of particular interest is the Rapenburg, an area of pedestrian streets and canals in the heart of the city centre. Unfortunately, finding a family house here isn't cheap or easy.

Most of the housing in the city centre consists of student housing and cramped apartments. Because of the difficulty of finding a family house in the centrum it is worth considering settling in the city's neighbouring suburbs of Leiderdorp, Voorschoten or Oegstgeest. Outside of Leiden's city limits you will get more space and house for your money.

For those who have their heart set on settling in the city of Leiden itself there is Bureau Kamer-Raad, a Leiden-based rental agency for rooms, apartments and houses. 

 

"Most of our apartments are located in the center," the agency explains. "Of particular interest are the areas outside of the city center like De Merenwijk, Stevenshof and Leiden Zuid West, which are great for people with children although there are plenty of families who thoroughly enjoy living in the heart of Leiden’s historic center."

Picturesque Leiden is a good alternative to the much busier Amsterdam or the somewhat drab The Hague. The city itself is easy on the eye, with beautiful architecture and streamlined canals. And although Leiden's nightlife isn't as diverse as, say, Amsterdam there are plenty of restaurants and bars and a large student population to liven the place up a bit.

[Copyright Expatica 2004]

Subject: Housing in Holland, Living in Holland