Leeuwarden: 600 Monuments and the Most Crooked Tower in the Netherlands
Leeuwarden, the capital of Friesland, is a charming city with a surprisingly intimate centre.
Historic canal ring: around the old canals you'll find numerous historic buildings, interesting museums, lovely shops and plenty of cosy restaurants, cafés, pubs and terraces.
The Oldehove: admire the leaning tower, which tilts even more than the Tower of Pisa, and climb the 183 steps for a splendid view over the city (route).
Waag and Fries Museum: visit the Waag of Leeuwarden and spend a day enjoying art and culture at the Fries Museum (route).
Monuments
With over six hundred listed monuments, Leeuwarden ranks among the top fifteen monument-rich municipalities in the Netherlands, thanks to a historic city centre dating from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Protected townscapes: the city centre with its canals, the Nieuwe Kanaalgebied and the Hollanderwijk all hold this status; alongside the listed monuments, the city also counts 375 townscape-defining buildings.
From homes to warehouses: the monuments include houses, churches, windmills, warehouses, shops and offices, parks and statues; the quays, spouts and parts of the old city walls and canals in the centre are also listed.
From the 13th century to 1940: the oldest monuments date from the thirteenth century, including the Grote or Jacobijnerkerk with its famous Christian Müller organ; the most recent is the Burmaniakamp from 1940. In between are buildings such as the Renaissance-era Kanselarij and Waag, and townhouses along the Tweebaksmarkt, the Voorstreek and the Nieuwestad.
Museums
Leeuwarden is a lively city, and you can fill a day here in many different ways.
Pier Pander Museum: this museum showcases the work of sculptor Pier Pander; in the Pier Pander Temple you can admire the five marble statues that together form his life's work (route).
Fries Museum: learn everything about the province of Friesland at the Fries Museum (route).
Princessehof: this elegant building houses the National Ceramics Museum, featuring centuries-old Chinese porcelain, Islamic tiles and Art Deco works, among others (route).
Sint-Bonifatiuskerk: one of the most important neo-Gothic buildings in the Netherlands, definitely worth a visit (route).
Shopping and going out
Leeuwarden has a large range of shops, so you can shop to your heart's content.
Shopping streets: you'll mostly shop in the Nieuwestad, Voorstreek, Wirdumdijk and on the Wilhelminaplein.
Going out: in the evening you'll find plenty to do at one of the more than a hundred bars and restaurants, mostly concentrated in the Doelesteeg, around the Ruiterskwartier, at the Gouverneursplein and along the Nieuwestad.
Cycling routes: around the city there are various signposted cycling routes for cyclists, for a lovely bike ride.
Practical information
Preparing well for a day out in Leeuwarden starts with knowing where to leave the car.
Affordable parking: at P+R Kalverdijkje, on the edge of the city near the Stadsring-east; from there it's about an 8-minute walk to the centre.
Paid on-street parking: paid parking applies throughout the centre, with a maximum parking time of 2 hours in most spots.
Unlimited parking: if you'd like to stay longer, choose one of the car parks within walking distance of the centre, such as Klanderij or De Revius.
Watch for the low-traffic zone: the northwestern part of the city centre is a low-traffic zone; without a permit you can't drive in by car.
