Holiday apartment in Leeuwarden: Culture, canals and sweeping views

Leeuwarden reveals its special diversity through historic sites, museums, canals and landscapes. If you are planning a stay in a holiday apartment in Leeuwarden, you can tailor your visit around culture, experiences on the water or the surrounding area. The range of options extends from a former prison and ceramics to historic documents and an unusual underwater safari.

Culture and history in Leeuwarden

The Blokhuispoort is a former prison in Leeuwarden, built in 1593. The National Ceramics Museum at the Princessehof displays rare imperial porcelain from China, Art Nouveau ceramics and Delftware. M.C. Escher was born in 1898 in the building that houses the Princessehof. The Historic Centre Leeuwarden makes historical documents from the Middle Ages to the present day accessible.

Museums and unusual discoveries

The museums also focus on different themes. Natuurmuseum Fryslân is an interactive museum spread across four floors, where visitors can discover animals and plants and take part in activities, experiments and games. The Fries Museum offers exhibitions, workshops and insights into the work of artists in residence. The underwater safari offers another unusual perspective: in a specialised vehicle, it travels from the freshwater of Dutch ditches and ponds to the saltwater of the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site, inviting you to track down the Dutch underwater “Big Five”: the otter, beaver, catfish, seal and harbour porpoise.

Canals, gardens and views

Leeuwarden can be experienced on the water with the cruises operated by Stichting Praamvaren Leeuwarden. It organises sightseeing and group cruises on electrically powered barges through the city’s canals and singels; every cruise has a skipper and a guide on board. The Prinsentuin was created by Prince Frederik of Nassau to commemorate the Eighty Years’ War and offers residents and visitors a tranquil green oasis in the heart of Leeuwarden. Climbing the Oldehove via 183 steps offers views over Leeuwarden and the surrounding area. The Oldehove is open to visitors daily from April to the end of October.

Combining the city and surrounding area consciously

For local orientation, the Leeuwarden Visitor Center at the foot of the Oldehove, at Heer Ivostraatje 1, provides up-to-date tourist information and tailored tips on places, events and activities in the city and region. The area surrounding Leeuwarden offers sweeping views, quiet roads and high-quality cycle paths. A walking tour of Leeuwarden is approximately 1.5 kilometres long – a compact option if you would like to combine the city’s history with independent exploration.

Choose a holiday apartment in Leeuwarden based on your travel plans

When choosing a holiday apartment in Leeuwarden, you can use your preferred daily routine as a guide. An itinerary focused on collections, exhibitions, cruises and the city’s history differs from a stay that also takes in quiet roads and cycle paths in the surrounding area. This allows you to choose your holiday apartment according to your personal balance between the city programme and experiences in the countryside.

Other destinations

For further travel planning, you can discover Snakkerburen, Goutum and Wirdum.

For the overview of higher-level travel destinations: Leeuwarden.